- Make a system diagram that explains what happens when a species goes extinct in an ecosystem, and talk about the importance of biodiversity in relation to this in 150-250 words.
Biodiversity is part of what helps an ecosystem thrive. Each organism feeds off of another organism in the system and maintains a balance. Everything within the ecosystem is limited by everything else. Animal populations can only grow so large until they exceed the carrying capacity of that ecosystem. If the system is diverse, an animal may have multiple food choices. The more diverse the system is the more stable the populations would be. It is also very precarious in the sense that if one population declines, and a group is dependent on that population for food, it make that population decline. The system diagram shows this relationship, and then shows the effect on the plant life that the extinct population would feed on. By having a large biodiversity in an area it can help stabilize these populations.
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Hi! My name is Adriana. I like the way you outlined your diagram, it is different from others I have seen before. You did a good job describing how ecosystems sustain themselves generally. However, I would have liked to see a more specific example of this system. I talked about the desert conservation in California. Here is a link to my post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/04/15/california-desert-conservation/