However, HMMs have only recently begun to gain traction within the broader ecological community.

A field, for example, has a different ecological community than a forest, which in turn differs from a swamp.

This great ecosystem is called the microbiome or " ecological community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space".

Anthropogenic disturbances often change ecological communities and provide opportunities for non-native species invasion.

Predators exert strong effects on ecological communities, particularly when they re-occupy areas after decades of extirpation.