Final answer:
In a California kelp forest, garibaldi and purple sea urchins form a community, and along with abiotic factors like rocks form an ecosystem. The correct answer to the question is option B) 2, 3, representing a community and an ecosystem.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of a California kelp forest, when we consider organisms such as the garibaldi, the purple sea urchins, and the nonliving components like rocks, we are looking at different levels of biological organization. Specifically, garibaldi and purple sea urchins form populations, which are groups of the same species living in an area.
However, when these different populations interact with each other, they form a community. A community along with the abiotic factors, such as rocks, sunlight, water chemistry, make up an ecosystem.
According to the definitions:
A population consists of individuals of the same species in the same area.
A community consists of all the different species living in the same area.
An ecosystem includes all the living things in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments such as weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, and atmosphere.
Therefore, the correct answer would be option B, which states that both a community (2) and an ecosystem (3) are represented in such scenarios. Rocks do not constitute a population as they are non-living, hence option 1 is not appropriate in this context.
In summary, a California kelp forest involving living organisms like garibaldi and purple sea urchins and nonliving components like rocks represents both a community and an ecosystem from the given options.
To answer the original question: In a California kelp forest, the garibaldi, the purple sea urchins, and the rocks make up a community and an ecosystem. The correct option from the given choices is B) 2, 3.