The hierarchy of life is a fundamental concept in biology that organizes living organisms into different levels of complexity. Starting from the smallest unit, we have the organism, which represents a single living entity, such as a butterfly. When multiple organisms of the same species are grouped together, this collection is referred to as a population. For instance, if we have several butterflies, this group is classified as a population.
Moving up the hierarchy, when we consider a collection of different populations, we arrive at the concept of a community. A community encompasses various species interacting within a specific area, such as butterflies, plants, and mice coexisting in a shared environment.
At a broader level, the next tier is the ecosystem, which includes both the living organisms (the biotic community) and the non-living components of their environment (the abiotic factors). This means that an ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area, along with elements like soil, water, and climate that influence their interactions.
Finally, the largest scale of organization is the biosphere, which encompasses all ecosystems on Earth, supporting life in various forms. In summary, the correct order of the levels of organization from the given example is: 2 is population, 3 is community, and 4 is ecosystem. This understanding of life's hierarchy is crucial for studying ecological relationships and the interdependence of organisms within their environments.