How does high species richness generally increase an ecosystem's resistance to a targeted disturbance?
Answer
The community as a whole is less likely to be completely wiped out.
High species richness contributes to resistance because having a wider array of species present means that a specific event is less likely to eliminate the entire community.
Related Questions
What is the ecological term for an ecosystem's capacity to absorb a shock and continue providing fundamental services?What essential scaffolding supports ecosystem stability by providing variety at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels?If multiple species perform the same vital role, such as fixing nitrogen or pollinating flowers, what is this mechanism called?Which aspect of ecosystem stability describes how quickly the system returns to its pre-disturbance state after the stress has passed?How does high species richness generally increase an ecosystem's resistance to a targeted disturbance?The species portfolio effect draws an analogy from which field to suggest why diverse responses stabilize ecological function over time?What is the inherent characteristic of a system where functional redundancy is low, meaning only a few species handle a key function?In a mixed-species forest, how does diversity help buffer against the spread of a pathogen targeting one specific tree species?What term describes a landscape mosaic possessing a varied arrangement of different habitat types next to each other, leading to high regional stability?To accurately measure long-term resilience, what kind of projection should analysis focus on, according to scaling stability factors?What does high biodiversity suggest about the 'wiring' connecting fundamental ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling?