IB ESS SL 1.2.17 Factors Affecting Resilience Question Bank
Analyse how diversity, connectivity, feedback and disturbance regime affect resilience.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Course
- ESS SL
- Level
- SL
Analyse how diversity, connectivity, feedback and disturbance regime affect resilience.
Outline how four different factors influence the resilience of an ecosystem.
Valid factors: greater diversity of components/species increases resilience;
complexity of interactions/developed food webs increase resilience; establishment of keystone species increases resilience;
larger storages/stores / more abundant/productive resources (nutrients, water, sunlight, reproductive rates, biomass etc) increase resilience (NB for credit, there must be indication of abundance in these resources, and if multiple examples are given like those in brackets, there is still only [1 max] allowed for this MP);
larger size of the system increases resilience; strong negative feedback systems increase resilience; strong positive feedback mechanisms may decrease resilience; human impact degrading structure/diversity/abundance will decrease resilience;
a steady state equilibrium/balanced inputs and outputs (as in climax communities)
increases resilience; systems being close to a tipping point decrease resilience;
Marking guidance:
Accept converse statements.
Award [1] for each correct factor identified, up to [4 max].
If valid factors are identified, but their effect on resilience is not, award [1] for each TWO factors up to [2 max] (ie FOUR factors). Eg identifying TWO factors and their effect on resilience, along with TWO factors but no specified effect would score [2+1=3] total OR eg TWO factors and their effect, along with ONE with no effect would score [2+0=2] total OR eg FOUR factors with no effect ([1+1=2] total).