<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="1; url=/nojavascript/"> The
Biosphere | CK-12 Foundation Skip Navigation  12.15: The
Biosphere  Created by: CK-12  Is Earth a living organism?  Most
scientists agree that the Earth itself is not a living thing.
However, the Earth does have some aspects of life. Some
scientists argue that the Earth maintains homeostasis, a stable
state, just like a living organisms.  The Biosphere  The highest
level of ecological organization is the biosphere. It is the
part of the earth, including the air, land, surface rocks, and
water, where life is found. Parts of the lithosphere,
hydrosphere, and atmosphere make up the biosphere. The
lithosphere is the outermost layer of the earth's crust;
essentially land is part of the lithosphere. The hydrosphere is
composed of all the areas that contain water, which can be found
on, under, and over the surface of Earth. The atmosphere is the
layer of gas that surrounds the planet. The biosphere includes
the area from about 11,000 meters below sea le