guild
n. countablen. a group of different species that live in the same area and use the same resources in a similar way. They do not have to be related, but they do the same kind of 'job' in nature.
n. a group of species that exploit the same class of environmental resources in a similar way. This classification is based on functional roles within an ecosystem rather than taxonomic relationships.
Woodpeckers and nuthatches belong to the same foraging guild.
Ecologists study the insect-eating guild to understand how different bird species share the limited food supply in the forest.
By analyzing the nectar-feeding guild, researchers can determine how competition for floral resources influences the evolutionary traits of both the pollinators and the plants they frequent.
In ecology, the term is used to group organisms by functional niche; it is distinct from a 'community' which includes all species in an area.