Final answer:
The statement is true; the ecosystem is the lowest level in the biosphere hierarchy to include both biotic and abiotic elements. The ecosystem consists of living organisms and their physical environment, while the biosphere is the most expansive level including all regions on Earth with life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "The ecosystem is the lowest level of the biosphere hierarchy to include both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components" is true. In ecology, the levels of organization from lowest to highest complexity are as follows: individual organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere. An ecosystem includes all living things, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms (known as biotic factors), interacting with one another and with the nonliving parts of the environment, such as water, sunlight, soil, and air (known as abiotic factors).The biosphere, on the other hand, is more comprehensive and includes all parts of the Earth where life exists. Therefore, ecosystems are nested within the biosphere, which is the most extensive level that encompasses all ecological systems on Earth.
As for the chapter review questions: question 1's correct options that include both abiotic and biotic components are B. Ecosystem and D. Biosphere. For question 2, the answer is False, Earth does not have several types of biospheres, but rather one biosphere that includes various biomes and ecosystems. Question 3 is also False; there are numerous species of plankton that live at different depths in the oceans, not just near the surface.
Based on the provided summaries and figure, the hierarchy can be understood in a context of increasing complexity: populations consist of organisms of the same species in the same area, communities consist of populations in an area, ecosystems include communities and their physical environment, and biomes group similar ecosystems. All these levels are encapsulated within the biosphere, which signifies the entirety of life-supporting areas on Earth.