Everything in the universe is composed of many components which can be broken down into smaller components. Each level of organization has its own organizational characteristics that enable us to view life from the macro scale all the way down to parts too small to see with the average microscope. A brief description of these levels, from smallest to largest, is below.
1) Atoms (and the parts that make up atoms) – the smallest particles that make up everything we see.
2) Molecules and macromolecules – molecules are made of groups of atoms, and macromolecules are groups of molecules.
3) Cells – the smallest things that are considered to be alive.
4) Tissues – made up of many cells of the same type; for example, muscle tissue or epithelial tissue
5) Organs – two or more types of tissues combined to perform a common function
6) Organism – a living thing that maintains an internal order separate from the environment
7) Population – a group of organisms living in the same place at the same time; for example, a pride of lions or ants in an anthill
8 ) Community – a collection of many species living together in the same place at the same time; for example, the people in your house complete with the pets and pests
9) Ecosystem – a community of living things in addition to the nonliving elements in the space; for example, the people in your house, complete with the pets and pests and the furniture, flooring, and walls.
10) Biosphere – everything on Earth up to the atmosphere
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