Plants and animals of an ecosystem make up a?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what term describes all the plants and animals (all living organisms) living together in an ecosystem.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Habitat: The place where an organism lives, such as a pond, a forest, or a termite mound. It is a location, not a group of organisms.
• Succession: The gradual, orderly change in the species that occupy an area over time, such as grass being replaced by shrubs and then by trees.
• Community: All the different populations of plants and animals living and interacting in the same area.
• Population: A group of organisms of the same species living in one area, such as all the tilapia fish in a pond.

Step 3: Apply to the question The question refers to plants and animals, which means many different species together. That rules out population, which covers only one species. Habitat is a place, and succession is a process. So the answer is community.

An ecosystem is made up of:

• Biotic part: the community of living things (plants, animals, microbes)
• Abiotic part: non-living things (soil, water, light, temperature)

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. community.

Exam tip: Remember the ladder of ecological organization: Individual → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biosphere

• Population = one species
• Community = many species
• Ecosystem = community plus the non-living environment