Explore AP Biology 8.6.A questions on how species diversity, ecosystem components, and essential biotic and abiotic factors influence resilience to environmental change.
The common wild oat is native to regions of Europe and Asia but is an invasive species in central California grasslands. In California, the common wild oat has almost completely replaced some species of native bunchgrass. Researchers found that aphids, a type of small insect that often carries plant viruses, have a much higher reproductive rate in grasslands that include the common wild oat than in grasslands composed of only native bunchgrass species. Additionally, the viruses carried by the aphids appear to affect only the native bunchgrasses and not the common wild oat. Native bunchgrasses infected by the virus have much higher death rates than do native bunchgrasses that are not infected.
Describe the change in the resilience of an ecosystem when there is a decrease in the number of species.
1 point number of species.
- (The resilience of the ecosystem) will decrease.