This introduction will introduce key terms and explain ideas that will help you understand the rest of Life on Earth
species are a group of similar organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring. This in simpler context means a group of living things with similar properties or characteristics for e.g cats all have a tail but because they are similar they cannot be exactly the same as each individual being differs like one cat may have a fluffier tail than another as an example and finally they can produce or have healthy babies as across different species producing healthy babies is not possible though there are some exceptions
population is the amount of individuals there are in the same area, species and time. For e.g if there are 69 lions in a reserve in south Africa in 2001 that would be a population as it is the same species - lion, same time - 2001, and same place -a reserve in south Africa.
a community is a group of different populations in the same place and time. For e.g populations of lions, deers and gazelles in Africa in 1967 would be a community as it is in the same place - Africa and same time - 1967.
an ecosystem is a community interacting with its physical environment. The physical environment is the non-living things in an ecosystem that interact with the living things like water which interacts as animals and plants need water to live. An example of an ecosystem could be an enclosure at the zoo as it would include plant life like trees and animal life like monkeys and it would have a physical environment like sunlight that would interact by different ways like photosynthesis as plants need and absorb sunlight.
the biosphere is all the ecosystems on earth that contribute to regulating and to the health of the planet and biosphere. An example of an ecosystem that contributes would be a rainforest as it helps by influencing the water cycle which is vital to the biospheres health by collecting and evotranspirating water or a desert which helps by transporting minerals around the biosphere which is essential to develop plant life.