Ecosystem resilience

Definition

Ecosystem resilience refers to the ability of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances and maintain its essential functions and structures. This concept emphasizes the adaptability of ecosystems in response to changes, such as shifts in climate, species distributions, and human impacts. Understanding resilience helps in assessing how well ecosystems can withstand stressors while continuing to provide critical services.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Ecosystem resilience is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, as resilient ecosystems can better support a variety of species amid environmental changes.
2. Resilient ecosystems can recover from disturbances more quickly, which is important for sustaining ecosystem services like clean water, pollination, and carbon storage.
3. Factors such as genetic diversity within species and the presence of keystone species contribute significantly to an ecosystem's overall resilience.
4. Climate change can challenge ecosystem resilience by altering species distributions and increasing the frequency and intensity of disturbances.
5. Monitoring changes in ecosystems can help scientists predict resilience and implement strategies that enhance it through conservation efforts.

Review Questions

• How does ecosystem resilience impact the ability of plants and animals to adapt to shifting distributions caused by environmental changes?
  • Ecosystem resilience directly influences how well plants and animals can adapt to shifting distributions by providing a stable environment that supports their survival. When an ecosystem has high resilience, it can absorb disturbances like climate change or habitat loss while maintaining its structure and function. This stability allows species to continue thriving even as their habitats change, fostering adaptations that enable them to cope with new challenges.
• Discuss the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in the context of environmental disturbances.
  • Biodiversity plays a vital role in enhancing ecosystem resilience because a diverse range of species contributes to a variety of functions within the ecosystem. This functional redundancy means that if one species is lost due to disturbance, others can fill its ecological role, promoting recovery. In contrast, ecosystems with low biodiversity are often more vulnerable to disturbances, as the loss of key species can lead to cascading effects that compromise overall stability and function.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of adaptive management practices in promoting ecosystem resilience amid shifting plant and animal distributions due to climate change.
  • Adaptive management practices are effective in promoting ecosystem resilience because they involve ongoing assessment and adjustments based on observed outcomes. By learning from both successes and failures, these practices enable resource managers to refine their strategies to better accommodate shifting plant and animal distributions driven by climate change. This flexible approach allows for timely interventions that enhance ecosystem stability and recovery, ultimately supporting biodiversity conservation in a changing environment.

Related terms

Biodiversity: The variety of life forms within an ecosystem, including the diversity of species, genetic variability, and the variety of ecosystems themselves.

Thresholds: Points at which a small change in external conditions can lead to a significant shift in the state or structure of an ecosystem.

Adaptive Management: A systematic approach to managing ecosystems that incorporates learning from outcomes of management actions to improve future decision-making.