Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems

Question 1

How do natural disruptions vary over time and space?

Answer 1

Natural disruptions can occur on the scale of days to years to millennia. Large disruptions last longer and commonly affect large areas, but they are relatively rare in any particular location. The resistance of an ecosystem in a measure of how much a disturbance can affect the flows of energy and matter. The resilience of an ecosystem is the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disruption.

Question 2

Periodic Disruption

Answer 2

Occurring regularly (Day and night, moon’s effect on oceans tide)

Question 3

Episodic Disruption

Answer 3

Occurring somewhat regularly (Cycles of high rain and low rain that occur every 5 to 10 years)

Question 4

Random Disruption

Answer 4

Occurring Randomly (Volcanic erruption, hurricanes)

Question 5

Resistance

Answer 5

A measure of how much a disruption can affect the flows of energy and matter.

Question 6

Resilience

Answer 6

The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disruption.

Question 7

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis

Answer 7

The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance will favor a higher level of diversity of species than those with high or low disturbance levels.