Question

when a whale dies, its body often falls to the seafloor. the whales body then becomes food and shelter for organisms in the deep sea. this is called a whale fall. a deep - sea whale fall might support 200 different species for as long as 10 years! larger species, such as atlantic hagfish, are the first to arrive to feed on the whale flesh. later, smaller species of snails and crustaceans come to eat the remaining flesh. worms burrow into the sand beneath the whale body, and bacteria feed on the whale bones. at a deep - sea whale fall, the atlantic hagfish, the crustaceans, and the sand make up which of the following? select all that apply. a population part of a community part of an ecosystem

Explanation:

• A population is a group of the same species. Here, there are multiple species (Atlantic hagfish, crustaceans) and non - living elements (sand), so it's not a population.
• A community is all the living organisms in an area. But the sand is non - living. However, if we consider the question's context, the living parts (Atlantic hagfish, crustaceans) are part of a community (when combined with other living organisms in the whale - fall).
• An ecosystem includes both living (biotic: Atlantic hagfish, crustaceans) and non - living (abiotic: sand) components. So, they are part of an ecosystem.

Answer:

part of a community, part of an ecosystem