Question

How does speciation and extinction rates affect species diversity in an ecosystem.

Answer 1

Answer: The frequency at which new species emerge and are lost over evolutionary time is established by the rates of speciation and extinction.

Answer 2

Biodiversity, at the level of the species, is basically set by the balance between speciation and extinction. If the rate of speciation is higher than the rate of extinction, the number of species present will grow, and conversely, if extinction rate is higher, the number of species present will fall.