Final answer:
Species are interbreeding organisms, populations are members of the same species in an area, communities are multiple species interacting, abiotic factors are nonliving components of ecosystems, and an ecosystem includes all biotic and abiotic interactions in an area.
Step-by-step explanation:
Species are groups of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. A population is all the organisms belonging to the same species that live in a particular area. Biotic communities, or simply communities, are all the different populations that live and interact in the same area. Abiotic environmental factors include nonliving components like water, minerals, and sunlight that affect ecosystems. An ecosystem encompasses all the living things (biotic factors) in a given area interacting with all of the nonliving (abiotic) parts of the environment.
Populations differ from communities in that the former refers to members of the same species in an area, while the latter includes various species. Ecosystems are broader as they integrate both biotic and abiotic factors. Ecologists view ecosystems as sets of interacting components, including organisms and the physical environment. The niche is a species' role within its ecosystem, while its habitat is the physical space it occupies. The competitive exclusion principle states that two species cannot indefinitely occupy the same niche in a given habitat.