Tag: basics of ecology

The highest level of ecological hierarchy is biosphere because it consists of the surface and atmosphere of earth or another planet.  It cannot be ecosystem because that consists of only biological communites, similarly, it cannot be biomes because a biome consists of many ecosystems but is a part of the biosphere, it cannot be a landscape because it is a land that does not have a fixed natural boundary. 

A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat is known as biome e.g. forest or tundra

• Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific programme.
  
• It was initiated in 1971 by UNESCO. 
  
• It aims at establishing a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their surrounding environments.
  
• So, the correct option is 'Man and Biosphere programme'.

The living world consists of many ecosystems. There are 2 main factors present in an ecosystem, namely abiotic (nonliving) and biotic (living). All of these factors interact with each other. The living world is divided into a different sphere, namely:

• A biome is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in. 
• They can be found over a range of continents. 
• Biomes are distinct biological communities that have formed in response to a shared physical climate. 
• For example, an aquatic biome can contain ecosystems such as coral reefs and kelp forests and The great barrier reed along the cast coast of Australia.
• Hence, The great barrier reed along the cast coast of Australia can be categorized as Biome. 
• So, the correct answer is 'Biome'.

There are 4 levels of hierarchy in an ecosystem, the organism level, population level, community level or ecosystem level and the biosphere level. Among them the biosphere level is the highest level and represents the totality of all things on Earth, including their interactions. The biosphere includes all ecosystems on Earth and how they interact together. So, the correct option is 'biome'.