Since this is a course in animal ecology, we will focus on animals, which we will define fairly generally as organisms that can move around during some stage of their life and that must feed on other organisms or their products. Let's explain the terms in the definition of ecology.
Distribution refers to where organisms are found.
If so, a species may be rare or abundant on a large scale, but in certain localities it will be abundant. We can ask whether an area has many different species or only a few species. Interactions refer to the relationships between an organism or species and aspects of its environment. Note that biotic and abiotic factors interact. The above explanations of distribution, abundance, and interactions should indicate that we can study ecology on a various different levels.