Which example best illustrates the difference between a community and a population?

A)The two terms are interchangeable, a population IS a community.

B)All the people in a town would be a community; all their cattle would be a population.

C)All the people in a town would be a community; all the people in a country would be a population.

D)All the different animals in a national park would be a community; all of the brown bears in the park would be a population.

I don't understand.

The correct answer is D

The correct answer is D) All the different animals in a national park would be a community; all of the brown bears in the park would be a population.

In ecology, a community refers to all the different living organisms (plants, animals, fungi, etc.) that interact with each other within a specific area or habitat, such as a national park. It includes all the different species present in that area.

On the other hand, a population specifically refers to a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and can reproduce with one another. It focuses on a single species rather than all the different species present in an area.

So, in the given example, all the different animals in the national park (including bears, birds, deer, etc.) would make up the community, while specifically, the brown bears within the park would be considered a population.

To understand the difference between a community and a population, it's important to define both terms.

A population refers to a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area and have the potential to interbreed. In other words, it focuses on a specific type of organism and their characteristics, such as all the brown bears in a national park.

On the other hand, a community refers to a group of different populations of organisms living together in the same area and interacting with one another. It encompasses multiple species and considers the relationships between them, such as all the different animals in a national park.

Now, let's apply this understanding to the provided options:

A) This option suggests that population and community are interchangeable, which is incorrect. They represent different levels of organization within an ecosystem.

B) This option differentiates between people and cattle, implying that people constitute a community, whereas cattle represent a population. This example illustrates the distinction between a human community and a group of animals (population).

C) This option highlights the distinction between a small-scale community (people in a town) and a larger-scale population (people in a country). It accurately demonstrates the difference between the two terms.

D) This option illustrates the concept well. It distinguishes between a community (all the different animals in a national park) and a population within that community (the brown bears specifically).

Based on the explanations above, the answer that best illustrates the difference between a community and a population is option D.

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