Question

Which of the following studies would be at the correct spatial scale to be considered an ecosystem-level study?

a) Studying the behavior of individual birds in a forest
b) Analyzing the nutrient cycling in a small pond
c) Examining the genetic diversity of a population of plants
d) Investigating the effects of climate change on a coral reef

Answer 1

Analyzing nutrient cycling in a small pond is an ecosystem-level study since it includes the study of biotic and abiotic elements within the ecosystem.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question, Which of the following studies would be at the correct spatial scale to be considered an ecosystem-level study?, pertains to the field of ecology within biology. Ecosystem ecology examines both the living (biotic) aspects of an ecosystem such as plants and animals and the nonliving (abiotic) components like air, water and soil.

Analyzing the nutrient cycling in a small pond would be an example of an ecosystem-level study because it involves studying both the biotic and abiotic elements and their interactions within an entire ecosystem.