Species Diversity and Its Relation to Ecosystem and Community Stability

Tropical rain forests have the greatest biodiversity of any type of land ecosystem. How does biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

• The presence of more species with different adaptations makes it more likely that some organisms will survive an ecological disaster.

• Greater genetic variation within species makes it more likely that some individuals will survive a disease outbreak.

• The presence of a variety of herbivore species that can feed on a large number of different producer species helps ensure abundant prey for predators in the ecosystem.

• All of the above

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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.

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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

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A group of people in your town decide they will each use a portion of their yard to plant a variety of native plants. Fifty families replace a part of their yard with native plants. Which of these is most likely to happen?

• 
  The population of the town will decrease.

• 
  The biodiversity of the town will increase.

• 
  Native animals will move away.

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Since the 1900s, sea surface temperatures over the Great Barrier Reef have been gradually increasing. These rising ocean temperatures have caused coral bleaching. Coral bleaching occurs when corals lose the symbiotic algae that give them their coloring and are their main sources of energy. Severely bleached corals usually develop disease and eventually die. How might coral bleaching affect ecosystem stability in the Great Barrier Reef?

• Species that depend on the coral for protection and food

  will decline.

• Predators will adapt and find alternative food sources.

• Genetic and species diversity will increase.

• Vulnerable species will migrate to environments with

  healthy corals.

Answer explanation

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What contributes to the resilience and health of the entire coral reef ecosystem?

• Pollution

• Low biodiversity

• Overfishing

• Rich biodiversity

This photo shows the restoration efforts at a former open-pit mine. How will the restoration of this land most likely affect population of organisms in the surrounding areas.

• Biodiversity will increase

• Population sizes will likely decrease

• Stability will likely decrease

• Disturbances will likely increase.

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How do biodiversity and stability work together?

• The lower the biodiversity the greater the stability of an ecosystem.

• The higher the biodiversity, the less stable the ecosystem

• The higher the biodiversity, the greater the stability of the ecosystem.

• Biodiversity has nothing to do with ecosystem stability.

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Which statement supports the answer to Part A?

• Plants provide ecosystems with energy.

• Fish maintain water quality in ecosystems.

• Ecosystems with more species are more sustainable.

• Ecosystems with fewer species are better able to survive.

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An ecosystem that is not sustainable can break down when a natural disaster occurs. This can lead to organisms in the ecosystem either leaving the area or dying off.

Increased biodiversity results in a more sustainable ecosystem because —

• a greater number of plant species means that there is less barren land

• a greater variety of species present allows more organisms to adapt after changes occur

• the transition area between two ecosystems is narrower

• there are fewer species to be affected by environmental stresses

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