Levels of Biological Organization

Life is both mysterious and amazing. Within a beautiful forest there are all kinds of interactions taking place between living and non-living factors. Let’s take a look at the different levels of biological organization found on Earth.

I would like to focus on levels of organization starting at the organism. However, an organism can be made up of cells, which make tissues, which may make organs, which make up organ systems, which may combine to make an organism. Now life is so varied on Earth some living organisms do not have tissues or organs.

An organism refers to a living thing that has an organized structure, can react to stimuli, reproduce, requires energy, plus grows and adapts.

Examples include animals, plants, fungi, protists, and many, many more.

Whenever you get a group of the same type of individuals together, like a group of Penguins or wolves, horses, or plants you have a population. The organisms are all of the same species.

If you have several different populations living together you have a community.

A community does not include the non-living factors also called abiotic factors.

An ecosystem is a community of living factors called biotic factors and non-living factors called abiotic factors interacting and living together.

A desert is an ecosystem.

A forest is an ecosystem.

A pond is an ecosystem, and a rotting log can even be an ecosystem.

An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living objects living together in a particular area.

A Biome is a large ecosystem that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Examples include a desert, a tropical rainforest, and a deciduous forest.

Finally, the Biosphere is part of the earth where life exists. It is the sum of all the ecosystems on Earth. The biosphere includes both non-living elements like sunlight, water, and living organisms such as a bear, insect, or a human.

Introduction to Biomes

How Biomes are Different

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