Ecology is the science that is responsible for the study of the ecosystems, and as an ecosystem definition, it is said that it is that biological system formed by a natural environment called the biotope and by a community of living beings called the biocenosis. But do you want to know what the Difference between biotope and biocenosis, their relationship and examples in order to better understand these concepts?
In this interesting article by Green Ecologist, we will talk about the interactions between biotope and biocenosis, we will know the meaning of both concepts and the differences that exist between them, and some examples of both biotope and biocenosis will be exposed.
What is a biotope and its characteristics
The biotope, or the non-living part that forms the ecosystem, refers to a physical place where the biocenosis is developing. In addition, this territory is made up of some physical-chemical environmental factors, such as: temperature, the amount of sunlight that reaches living organisms, the pH of water and soil, salinity, rocks and minerals, among others. .
Learn more about What is the biotope and examples of it with this other post and with this video.
What is a biocenosis and its characteristics
Biocenosis, or living part that forms the ecosystem, it's integrated by populations, that is, all those individuals of the same species, be they animals, plants or microorganisms. Also to understand well what is biocenosis, it is important to know the term "community", which refers to a set of populations characterized by some common element, for example, a community of herbivores.
In this other article you will see more about What is biocenosis: explanation with examples. Likewise, we advise you to read these other posts about the Ecological Community: definition and characteristics and Biological Community: what it is, structure and examples.
Difference between biotope and biocenosis
The main difference between the two concepts is that the biotope or abiotic part of the ecosystem refers to the physical and geographic space, which has certain environmental and climatic characteristics. The physical elements that are detected in the biotope are water, air and the substrate, and the physical-chemical elements that form it are solar radiation, temperature, humidity or pH. However, the biocenosis or biotic part, is made up of all those life forms existing plants, animals, microorganisms and other living things.
To deepen these differences between biocenosis and biotope, we believe that this other article will also be useful for you: Difference between biotic and abiotic.
Relationship between biotope and biocenosis
Between the biotope and biocenosis there is an interrelation in which, above all, there is a flow of energies in an ecosystem or exchange of energy and matter. For life to be possible, that is, for biocenosis to develop, it is important that the appropriate environmental conditions exist in the biotope.
Depending on the environmental conditions of a place, the species and communities that inhabit it are different, in each territory the species best adapted to the existing environmental conditions will develop. For example, in an aquatic ecosystem, the populations present will be those with suitable characteristics to live in an aquatic system. Or those species that inhabit a desert area will be better adapted to withstand high solar radiation and high temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night. Therefore, there are different types of biotope and biocenosis, for example: biotope and biocenosis of a lake, biotope and biocenosis of the forest, biotope and biocenosis of the savanna.
There is not only one interrelation between biotope and biocenosis, but also between the communities themselves of ecosystems. There may be two types of relationships:
- Intraspecific: It is when there are relationships between organisms of the same species; there are intraspecific competition and grouping (colonies, families, gregariousness or societies). Enter this link and learn more about what are intraspecific relationships and examples.
- Interspecific: It is the interrelation between the organisms of different species; In these interactions it can happen that both species benefit from this interaction (mutualism, symbiosis). It can also happen that one species is harmed and another benefited (commensalism, amensalism, parasitism and predation). And finally another case is that both species are harmed (competition). Here you will see more about Interspecific Relationships: types and examples.
It is also important to highlight the trophic relationships, since it is a relationship that occurs between the organisms of the ecosystems. In the following link you can learn more about trophic levels: what they are, what they are and examples.
Biotope examples
The biotopes in broad general terms could be classified into three groups, and within these there are different varieties:
- The terrestrial biotope: Within the terrestrial biotope we find those biotopes formed by mountains, forests, grasslands, savannas, deserts, among others.
- The aquatic biotope: as aquatic biotopes are the oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and lagoons.
- The mixed biotope: they are a combination of both the terrestrial and aquatic biotopes; among them we can highlight the wetlands or the coasts.
Examples of biocenosis
The set of living beings that make up the biocenosis is very broad and diverse, dividing it into three types:
- Phytocenosis: It is the set of living beings formed by plant species such as; species of trees, herbaceous, algae, among others. To get to know it better, here you will see information about what is the kingdom Plantae, its characteristics, classification and examples.
- Zoocenosis: It is the set of living beings that is made up of animal species; mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, etc. In this post you will see What is the Animalia kingdom, characteristics, classification and examples.
- Microbiocenosis: all kinds of existing microorganisms, which are those living beings that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and it is necessary to use a microscope. Some examples are prokaryotic single-celled organisms such as bacteria, or eukaryotic organisms such as protozoa. Here you will know what microorganisms are, their classification, characteristics and types.
If you want to read more articles similar to Biotope and biocenosis: difference, relationship and examples, we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category.
