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Chapter 54: Q54.3-1CC (page 1232)

Why do high and low levels of disturbance usually reduce species diversity? Why does an intermediate level of disturbance promote species diversity?

Short Answer

Expert verified

A high level of disturbance such as dominancy by certain species causes the extinction of other species, except for some tolerant species. The community with a low level of disturbance allows the dominant species to exclude vulnerable species.

Therefore, the community with an intermediate level of disturbance facilitates diversity by allowing the coexistence of all species.

Step by step solution

01

Disturbance in the ecosystem

The factor that alters the availability of resources to organisms is called disturbance. It includes dominant species, natural disasters, and human activities. Large scale, low scale, and intermediate disturbance are the three types of disturbances based on their effects or severity in communities.

02

Large-scale disturbance and low-scale disturbance

The natural part of the community causes disturbance in higher frequencies and results in the destruction of resources and elimination of species.Natural disasters such as storms, drought, forest fire, and volcanoes cause a more significant disturbance.

In the same way, the dominancy of one species, such as human activities or high predation, is also examples of larger-level disturbances.

The low-level disturbances do not allow ecosystem reformation. They eliminate the less competitive species from the dominant species. The low-level disturbances caused by natural events cause patches of destruction.

03

Intermediate level of disturbance

The intermediate level of disturbance allows the development of tolerance in weak species and increases the recovery rate in community members.Species develop new traits for tolerance or against disturbance, which causes diversity in the community.

Therefore, a moderate level of disturbance is suitable for any healthy ecosystem, which contributes to species diversity.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Rising atmospheric CO2 levels lead to ocean acidification (see Figure 3.12) and higher ocean temperatures, both of which can reduce krill abundance. Predict how a drop in krill abundance might affect other organisms in the food web shown in Figure 54.15. Which organisms are particularly at risk? Explain.

Based on MacArthur and Wilson's Island equilibrium model, how would you expect the richness of birds on islands to compare with the richness of snakes and lizards? Explain.

An ecologist studying desert plants performed the following experiment. She staked out two identical plots, containing sagebrush plants and small annual wildflowers. She found the same five wildflower species in roughly equal numbers on both plots. She then enclosed one plot with a fence to keep out kangaroo rats, the most common grain-eaters of the area. After two years, four of the wildflower species were no longer present in the fenced plot, but one species had become much more abundant. The control plot had not changed in species diversity. Using the principles of community ecology, propose a hypothesis to explain her results. What additional evidence would support your hypothesis?

Explain why adaptations of particular organisms to interspecific competition may not necessarily represent instances of character displacement. What would a researcher have to demonstrate about two competing species to make a convincing case for character displacement?

The principle of competitive exclusion states that

(A) two species cannot coexist in the same habitat.

(B) competition between two species always causes extinction or emigration of one species.

(C) two species that have exactly the same niche cannot coexist in a community.

(D) two species will stop reproducing until one species leaves the habitat.
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