Question

read the passage. then answer the question below.
when a whale dies, its body often falls to the seafloor. the whales body then becomes food and shelter for organisms in the deep sea. this is called a whale fall. a deep - sea whale fall might support 200 different species for as long as 10 years!
larger species, such as atlantic hagfish, are the first to arrive to feed on the whale flesh. later, smaller species of snails and crustaceans come to eat the remaining flesh. worms burrow into the sand beneath the whale body, and bacteria feed on the whale bones.
at a deep - sea whale fall, the atlantic hagfish, the crustaceans, and the sand make up which of the following? select all that apply.
\ta population
\tpart of a community
\tpart of an ecosystem

Explanation:

1. Population: A population is a group of individuals of the same species. Atlantic hagfish are one species, crustaceans are a group of species (not a single species' population), and sand is abiotic. So only Atlantic hagfish could be a population, but the question includes multiple groups, so "a population" is incorrect as a whole for the combined group.
2. Community: A community consists of all the different populations (species) in a given area. Atlantic hagfish, crustaceans (along with other species like snails, worms, bacteria) are part of the community at the whale fall.
3. Ecosystem: An ecosystem includes all living (biotic) components (community) and non - living (abiotic) components (like sand, water, minerals). The Atlantic hagfish (biotic), crustaceans (biotic), and sand (abiotic) together are part of the ecosystem at the whale fall.

Answer:

part of a community, part of an ecosystem