What is defined as a population in biological terms?

In biological terms, a population refers to all individuals of a particular species that live together in a specific area at the same time. This definition emphasizes the idea of a group of organisms of the same species sharing the same environment and interacting with each other. Members of a population can breed with one another, which is essential for the continuation of the species.

The notion of a population is different from other ecological concepts such as a group of species (which would involve multiple populations) or the total number of organisms in an ecosystem (which encompasses a variety of species and their interactions). Additionally, defining a population as an individual organism's habitat misrepresents the concept, as a habitat designates the physical environment in which an organism lives rather than a group of organisms of the same species. Understanding the correct definition of a population is crucial for studying ecology, evolution, and conservation biology.