Population in ecological context refers to the group of individuals that belong to the same species and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. They may or may not live within the same niche. A Community also shares some of the characteristics of a Population but the distinct feature of a community is that they closely share a habitat or niche and are affected by the same climate and natural forces governing an area of the Ecosystem. They may not be entirely  genetically related species but due to the same ecological conditions, they face similar challenges for food, reproduction, growth and survival. For example, all lions (the African lions or lions of the Indian subcontinent) are genetically the same species and form a Population. But they face different conditions based upon their place of occurrence. On the other hand, within a desert, all the species of animals and plants are not related to each other genetically. They however are united by their habitat and therefore form a community.