Ecosystem Stability

Biodiversity refers to…

• the variety of species in an ecosystem

• extinct species

• the rate of species decline

• nonrenewable resources

Which answer is true regarding biodiversity?

• As long as there are enough producers, an ecosystem is considered to have a good amount of biodiversity.

• The rain forest has an unhealthy ecosystem because its biodiversity is too great.

• An ecosystem is healthier when the biodiversity is great.

• Biodiversity is positively affected when non-native species are introduced into an environment

Which ecosystem below describes a stable ecosystem?

• An invasive species decreased the amount of biodiversity by half

• This ecosystem’s deer have increased due the loss of a predator population, now the producer population has decreased by ¼.

• This ecosystem suffered a tornado, but due to great biodiversity, it was able to be restored.

• This ecosystem is impacted by overfishing, causing 3 fish species to become extinct.

A species that is not native to an area is called: 

• Native Species
• Natural Species
• Invasive Species
• Symbiotic Species

Examples of how humans negatively affect local ecosystems are

• Building dams, deforestation (cutting down trees), adding point sources to nearby streams to allow for run-off, building roads and structures, and salting roads.
• Creating laws to prohibit fishing from local streams.
• Planting trees and other plants to attract native species.
• Removing non-native species from the environment.

How would the biodiversity of this ecosystem be affected if the lantern fish disappeared?

• The ocean sunfish population would increase.

• The large shark population would die out.

• The squid would die out.

• There would be no change.

What may happen if the snowshoe hare was removed from the food web pictured?

• The insects in the habitat would increase.
• The shrew population would decrease due to being only hawk food source.
• The willow tree population would decrease.
• Foxes would dies due to no food source. 

Which 2 answers are true about stable ecosystems?

• Healthy ecosystems have a stable balance between producer and consumer populations.

• Stable ecosystems have more consumers than they can support.

• Healthy ecosystems have high biodiversity.

• Stable ecosystems have too many producers.

How might deforestation impact this ecosystem?

• Birds will increase

• Squirrels will increase

• Insects and birds will decrease

• Insects and birds will increase

Which answer is correct regarding the maintenance of biodiversity? (multiple select – 2 answers)

• We need to be careful of over-exploitation, such as overfishing and overmining.

• We humans have respected our planet and are rarely involved in over-exploitation.

• Our world is "good to go" and every ecosystem is stable.

• Due to the over-exploitation of our natural resources, we are now dealing with decreased biodiversity.