What do we mean when we say ecosystems are hierarchically organised? How does this relate to the idea that ecosystems have composition, structure and function?. Earth & Marine Sciences

Biological organisms are arranged in relation to one another. At the simplest level of the hierarchy are individual organisms. At the individual level, interactions with organisms are not considered. Moving up the hierarchy, ecologists have found more complex ways to describe the relationship between organisms. All of these culminate in the biosphere, which describes the totality of all living things on the planet.