Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Can you think of a scientific explanation, besides analogy used by Paul Ehrlich, for the direct relationship between diversity and stability of an ecosystem?
Advertisements
Solution
David Tilman’s long-term ecosystem experiments using outdoor plots provide some tentative answers. Tilman found that plots with more species showed less year-to-year variation in total biomass. He also showed that in his experiments, increased diversity contributed to higher productivity. Although we may not understand completely how species richness contributes to the well-being of an ecosystem, we know enough to realise that rich biodiversity is not only essential for ecosystem health but imperative for the very survival of the human race on this planet diversity
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
How is biodiversity important for ecosystem functioning?
What characteristics make a community stable?
According to David Tilman, greater the diversity, greater is the primary productivity. Can you think of a very low diversity man-made ecosystem that has high productivity?
Elaborate how invasion by an alien species reduces the species diversity of an area.
Explain briefly the ‘rivet popper hypothesis’ of Paul Ehrlich.
Identify the INCORRECT statement.
Among ‘The Evil Quartet’, which one is considered the most important cause driving extinction of species?
Which characteristic of an ecosystem is ensured by high species diversity, resulting in consistent year-to-year biomass productivity?
How do diverse ecosystems respond to natural or man-made disturbances?
In Paul Ehrlich's Rivet Popper Hypothesis, what does an ecosystem represent?
According to the Rivet Popper Hypothesis, what do individual species represent in the ecosystem?
What does Tilman's research directly link to higher overall ecosystem productivity?
Beyond ecosystem health, what broader imperative does preserving rich biodiversity serve?
