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Two parameters describe how an ecosystem copes with disturbance. What are they?
AResistance and residence
BResistance and resilience
CResilience and richness
DRichness and residence
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Resistance and resilience
1. Equilibrium is the steady state where organisms are in balance with each other and their surroundings.
2. Resistance measures how well an ecosystem stays at equilibrium despite a disturbance.
3. Resilience measures how fast it returns to equilibrium once disturbed.
4. An ecosystem pushed far enough can lose its resilience entirely and never recover.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 44 and 46, section 46.1 Ecology of Ecosystems_
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