Question

read the passage. then answer the question below.

image: giant tube worms at an ocean vent

at 2,500 meters deep, an ocean vent at the bottom of the eastern pacific is in complete darkness. the vent releases hot water full of sulfur into the sea. the deep - ocean vent is home to a diverse group of organisms.

species such as giant tube worms grow to be 2 meters long. snails crawl on the outside of the tube worms. both the giant tube worms and the snails are hunted by pink vent fish, a species of deep - sea predator.

at a deep - ocean vent in the eastern pacific, the giant tube worms make up which of the following? select all that apply.

a population
part of a community
part of an ecosystem

Explanation:

1. For "a population": A population is a group of individuals of the same species in a particular area. The giant tube worms at the deep - ocean vent represent a group of the same species (giant tube worms) in that specific location (the Eastern Pacific deep - ocean vent), so they can be considered a population.
2. For "part of a community": A community is all the different populations of organisms that live and interact in a particular area. The deep - ocean vent has giant tube worms, snails, pink vent fish, etc. The giant tube worms are one of the populations within this community of organisms that interact with each other (e.g., the tube worms are prey for the pink vent fish, and snails interact with the tube worms), so they are part of the community.
3. For "part of an ecosystem": An ecosystem includes all the living organisms (the community) in an area as well as the non - living components of their environment (like the hot, sulfur - rich water from the vent, the darkness, the physical structure of the vent area). The giant tube worms are living organisms within this ecosystem, interacting with both the biotic (other organisms) and abiotic (non - living) factors of the deep - ocean vent environment, so they are part of the ecosystem.

Answer:

a population, part of a community, part of an ecosystem