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Ecosystems are organised into organisms, populations and communities. This help scientists study the interactions that take place with the ecosystem.
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To study different parts of an ecosystem and to better understand the interactions between organisms and the environment, scientists organize ecosystems into different levels.
The simplest level is a single organism, called an individual. In an African grassland, a single antelope is an example of an individual. All of the organisms of the same kind within an ecosystem are called a population. All of the same kind of antelope in the African grassland make up a population. Organisms within a population interact and reproduce together.
In the African grassland, there are populations of many other organisms. There are populations of acacia trees, termites, zebras, lions and many others. All of the populations in an ecosystem make up a community.
The community and the interactions with the non-living components of their surroundings make up the ecosystem. The interactions between the gazelles, zebras, lions and other organisms with the air, soil, water and other non-living things make up the African grassland ecosystem.
All ecosystems have living and non-living components that interact with each other so that the system functions as a whole.
Frogs are organisms found in a pond ecosystem. The frogs interact with the insects and other small animals they eat for food. They interact with plants when they use them for shelter from predators. Birds and snakes preying on frogs is an interaction too.
Frogs also interact with the non-living parts of the pond ecosystem. They take in oxygen from the air through their lungs and skin. The water in the pond provides the frogs with a place to live and reproduce.
The interactions between the components in an ecosystem keep the whole system in balance. When a component of an ecosystem changes, the ecosystem as a whole can be affected. If the water in a pond was to dry up, there would be no place for frogs to live and reproduce. With no frogs, there would be fewer snakes and birds.