It can be used to describe anything from a stream's edge to a huge forest. It is at the community level that ecologists, who are seeking to understand the ecosystem, describe the food chains, webs, trophic levels and niches that show the organization of the ecosystem. The larger communities are very complex and for ease of study they are often divided into smaller, more understandable communities. For instance the forest community might be divided into the rotting log community, the forest floor community, and the canopy community. In the same manner a pond might be divided into communities of pond edge, floating plant, surface, and mud.
Biological communities are to be found everywhere.
In cities and towns, some of the more common communities might include lawns, vacant lots, parks and roadsides.