Important Ecological Terms

• Environment: The surroundings in which organisms live, consisting of both living (biotic) eg. plants and non-living (abiotic) factors eg temperature.

• Habitat: The natural place where an organism lives. There are two main types of habitats namely Aquatic or water habitats and Terrestrial or land habitats.

• Population: A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

• Community: Different populations living and interacting in the same habitat.

• Ecosystem: A community of organisms interacting with one another and with their physical environment. Eg pond, garden, forest, lake etc