Read the passage. Then answer the question below.

Question

a tide pool on the Oregon coast
Tide pools on the Oregon coast can experience large waves and strong currents. Many tide pool organisms attach securely to the surrounding rocks to avoid being swept away.
Ochre sea stars make a sticky substance to help them hold onto the rocks. Pacific blue mussels glue themselves to the rocks using structures called byssal threads. A black leather chiton sticks to a rock by creating suction with its strong muscular foot. Black oystercatcher birds eat mussels and chitons. These birds are strong enough to pry animals off of the rocks.
In a tide pool on the Oregon coast, the Pacific blue mussels, the black leather chitons, and the black oystercatchers make up which of the following? Select all that apply.

a population
part of a community
part of an ecosystem

Answer 1

In a tide pool on the Oregon coast, the Pacific blue mussels, the black leather chitons, and the black oystercatchers make up the following:

• Part of a community: This is correct because the mussels, chitons, and birds interact with one another and share the same habitat.

• Part of an ecosystem: This is also correct as they are part of the larger environmental system that includes all living organisms and their physical environment.

However, they do not make up a population since a population refers specifically to individuals of the same species. In this case, the mussels and chitons would form their own populations, and the oystercatchers would form another.

So, the correct answers are "part of a community" and "part of an ecosystem."