Answer to Question #64482 in Ecology for Sanjukta Ghosh

Question

Ecosystems have many levels of organisation and operate hierarchically.

What is meant by to operate hierarchically?

Answer 1

Ecosystem has structure and function. Each level of the ecosystem hierarchy displays emergent properties.
At the base of an ecosystem’s hierarchy are individual organisms.
These make up species which in turn make up the assemblage of species found in the ecosystem (ecological community).
There are also aggregations of ecosystems, with the largest aggregation of all being all of the ecosystems found on a planet.