Scientists use specific levels of organization to analyze the biosphere. The Everglades are a large area of subtropical wetlands in Florida. Various species of plants and animals can be found in the Everglades, including panthers, cypress trees, herons, and alligators. The group of ecosystems on Earth that feature climate, vegetation, and wildlife similar to the Everglades is a biosphere, not a community, population, or biome.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: Biome
Explanation
Scientists study the natural world using different levels of biological organization to better understand how living organisms interact with each other and their environment. These levels range from individual organisms to the entire biosphere. A biome is one of these levels and is particularly important when analyzing large areas of similar ecosystems.
A biome is a large geographic region characterized by its specific climate, soil type, vegetation, and animal life. Examples of biomes include deserts, tundras, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. The Everglades, located in southern Florida, are a type of wetland biome. This region is known for its warm, humid climate and its unique combination of plants and animals, such as cypress trees, herons, alligators, and panthers.
Biomes are broader than ecosystems, which include all the living and nonliving things in a specific area. While an ecosystem focuses on interactions within one area, a biome includes many ecosystems that share similar environmental conditions. For example, the Everglades are made up of many smaller ecosystems like swamps, marshes, and mangroves, but together they form a wetland biome.
A population refers to all members of a single species living in one area, such as alligators in the Everglades. A community includes all the different populations (species) living and interacting in one area, such as all the plants and animals in the Everglades. A biosphere is the broadest level and includes all of Earth’s biomes, encompassing all regions of life on the planet.
Therefore, when referring to a group of ecosystems with similar climate, vegetation, and wildlife — like the Everglades and similar regions around the world — the correct level of organization is biome, not community, population, or biosphere. Biomes help scientists compare and study patterns of life on a global scale.
