Unit of land containing different ecosystems surrounded by natural boundaries is called
(A) Biome
(B) Landscape
(C) Ecosphere
(D) Ecosystem

Question

Accepted Answer

> [!TLDR]
> A **landscape** is a spatially heterogeneous unit containing multiple ecosystems bounded by natural features. The answer is **(B)**.

When we study ecological organization, we move through a hierarchy: individual → population → community → ecosystem → and beyond. But nature doesn't arrange itself in neat, uniform blocks. A single region often contains patches of forest next to grassland, wetlands bordering uplands, each with its own community and processes. The term that captures this mosaic—a unit of land with *different* ecosystems held together by natural boundaries—is what we need to identify.

The key phrase is "different ecosystems surrounded by natural boundaries." This immediately tells us we're looking at something larger and more heterogeneous than a single ecosystem.

Let's examine each option:

1. **Ecosystem** – This is a functional unit where a community of organisms interacts with its physical environment (energy flow, nutrient cycling). An ecosystem is typically characterized by relative uniformity in its biotic and abiotic components. The question asks for a unit *containing different ecosystems*, so this can't be the answer.

2. **Biome** – A biome is a large-scale classification based on climate and dominant vegetation type (tropical rainforest, tundra, desert, etc.). Biomes span continents and are defined by broad climatic zones, not by natural boundaries of a specific land unit. A biome is far too large and conceptually different from what the question describes.

3. **Ecosphere** – Also called the biosphere, this is the global sum of all ecosystems—the entire zone of life on Earth. It's the largest scale of ecological organization and has no "natural boundaries" in the sense meant here. …

TG EAPCET — Real Previous-Year Papers