Which statement describes what an ecosystem includes?

Which statement describes what an ecosystem includes?

• A. Living things and their environment interacting
• B. One plant
• C. Only animals
• D. Only water

Answer: (A)

An ecosystem is all the living things in a place plus the nonliving parts of that place, and the ways they interact with each other. This includes plants, animals, microbes, water, air, soil, sunlight, and climate, and how energy and nutrients move through them. For example, in a pond, sunlight helps plants grow, plants provide food for animals, animals and microbes recycle waste and nutrients, and the water and soil conditions affect everyone. So the statement that describes an ecosystem is that living things and their environment interact. A single plant, or only animals, or only water—all miss parts of the whole system.

An ecosystem is all the living things in a place plus the nonliving parts of that place, and the ways they interact with each other. This includes plants, animals, microbes, water, air, soil, sunlight, and climate, and how energy and nutrients move through them. For example, in a pond, sunlight helps plants grow, plants provide food for animals, animals and microbes recycle waste and nutrients, and the water and soil conditions affect everyone. So the statement that describes an ecosystem is that living things and their environment interact. A single plant, or only animals, or only water—all miss parts of the whole system.