Biodiversity Answers

Ecosystems with greater biodiversity have an increased stability.

What is a possible cause for a decrease in ecosystem productivity?

Organisms can have positive or negative impacts on the ecosystem they live in. The cane toad, or Rhinella marina, was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1932 by sugar cane farmers. Farmers released the toads in their crops to help control pests that were damaging the sugar cane. The cane toad has few natural predators, as it secretes a poisonous toxin from its skin that deters larger organisms from eating it. As a result, the cane toad population thrived and grew to number hundreds of thousands by 1935. Photo by Patrick Gijsbers Which role does the cane toad play in the Hawaiian Islands?

An increase in biodiversity generally causes _______.

Consider the following food chain: Plants are eaten by grasshoppers, which are eaten by mice, which are eaten by snakes. What is likely to happen if a new organism that feeds off mice is introduced?

A variety of different mechanisms in nature help create diversity in organism populations. The tundra found in the northernmost parts of the planet is the world’s youngest biome. The tundra is home to a variety of plants and animals. Organisms that can be found in the tundra include shrubs, mosses, caribou, polar bears, and wolves. Which mechanism do the different organism populations found across the tundra exemplify?

How can an increase in biodiversity lead to an increase in ecosystem stability?

Which of the following is not a possible reason for migration?

The water hyacinth is an invasive species that can spread extremely fast, blanketing a water surface in a very short period of time. It can limit boat traffic, swimming, and fishing, and it can deprive native plants and animals of sunlight and oxygen, thus reducing the local biodiversity. This situation demonstrates _______.