Which term refers to all individuals of a single species living in a given area?

• A. Population
• B. Habitat
• C. Community
• D. Ecosystem

Answer: (A)

A population refers to all individuals of a single species living in a given area. This focuses on who is there and how many of that species occupy a specific space. Habitat, on the other hand, is the place where organisms live and the resources and conditions there. A community includes all the different species living together in that area, while an ecosystem combines the community with the physical environment and how they interact, including energy flows and nutrient cycles. For example, in a meadow, the population of meadow voles means all the voles in that meadow; the habitat is the meadow itself; the community includes voles plus grasses, insects, and birds; the ecosystem covers the meadow plus sunlight, soil, water, and the processes that connect them. So the term that matches the description is population.