the species in a forest include moose, wolves, lichens, mosses, lake trout, mosquitoes, and spruce trees, what level of organization does this group of species form??
is it community?
Yes, the group of species you mentioned - moose, wolves, lichens, mosses, lake trout, mosquitoes, and spruce trees - forms a community.
To understand why this is the case, let's discuss the levels of organization in ecology:
1. Individual: This level refers to a single organism of a particular species, such as one moose, one wolf, or one spruce tree.
2. Population: A population consists of all the individuals of the same species within a given area or habitat. For example, all the moose in the forest would constitute a moose population, and all the wolves would form a wolf population.
3. Community: A community consists of all the populations of different species that interact with one another within a specific area or habitat. In this case, the moose, wolves, lichens, mosses, lake trout, mosquitoes, and spruce trees are all interacting with each other in the forest, creating a community of species.
4. Ecosystem: An ecosystem encompasses both living organisms (biotic factors) and their physical environment (abiotic factors). It includes the community of species as well as the non-living components of the environment interacting together, such as soil, water, and climate. So, the forest itself would be considered an ecosystem.
In summary, the group of species you mentioned forms a community because they include different populations of species interacting with each other within the forest habitat.