1A settlement or small village/community — a group of dwellings where people live together.
山あいの小さな集落には昔ながらの家屋が残っている。
In the mountain settlement, old-style houses remain.
その集落には数十世帯が住んでいるだけだ。
Only a few dozen households live in that settlement.
祭りは集落ごとに行われることが多い。
Festivals are often held by each settlement/community.
2In biology, a colony — a cluster of microorganisms (e.g., bacterial colonies) that form on a culture medium.
寒天培地に細菌の集落がいくつか観察された。
Several bacterial colonies were observed on the agar plate.
集落の色や形から菌種を推定することがある。
Sometimes the species of bacteria can be inferred from the color and shape of colonies.