Community ecology is a field of study that examines the interactions among species in a given area. Synonyms for community ecology include population ecology, ecosystem ecology, and biotic interactions. Population ecology is concerned with the distribution and abundance of individual species within a community. Ecosystem ecology focuses on the flow of energy and materials between living and nonliving components of an ecosystem. Biotic interactions refer to the relationships between organisms, such as competition, predation, and mutualism. Regardless of the synonym used, community ecology is an important discipline for understanding the complexities of natural systems and the interactions that shape them.