Question

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding ecological disturbances? I. Communities that experience moderate disturbances often exhibit greater species diversity than other communities II. Moderate disturbances create openings / opportunities for colonizing species III. Major disturbances generally allow the vast majority of species to survive in disturbed areas leaving these areas quite open to large numbers of colonizing species.

Answer 1

Answer;

-Communities that experience moderate disturbances often exhibit greater species diversity than other communities,

-Moderate disturbances create openings/opportunities for colonizing species

Explanation;

-Ecological disturbances may be generated by abiotic, or nonliving, forces such as weather and wildfires, or they may occur as a result of biotic, or living, forces such as disease and invasions of exotic species.

-Disturbance can result from natural causes or from the activities of humans. Disturbance can be caused by physical stressors such as volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and over geological time, glacial advance, and retreat.

-Humans can also cause physical disturbances, for example, through construction activities. Wildfire is a type of chemical disturbance caused by the rapid combustion of much of the biomass of an ecosystem and often causing mortality of the dominant species of the community such as trees in the case of a forest fire.