Plants, bison, elk, and wolves are all members of an ecosystem. The bison and elk are both primary consumers in this ecosystem, while the wolves are a predator. Over time, the bison completely disappear. Give an example of how the ecosystem may respond to this change, and explain how this relates to both resiliency and biodiversity. (4 points) write the answer like an 8th grader

Question

Plants, bison, elk, and wolves are all members of an ecosystem. The bison and elk are both primary consumers in this ecosystem, while the wolves are a predator. Over time, the bison completely disappear. Give an example of how the ecosystem may respond to this change, and explain how this relates to both resiliency and biodiversity. (4 points) write the answer like an 8th grader

Answer 1

So, when the bison disappear from the ecosystem, the elk population may increase because there are less animals eating the same plants. This might lead to overgrazing and a decrease in the plant population. This could affect the wolves since they won't have as many elk to hunt.

This shows that the ecosystem is not very resilient because it relies too much on one species, the bison. If something happens to the bison, like disease or overhunting, the whole system could get messed up.

Having a lot of different species in an ecosystem is important for biodiversity because it helps the ecosystem handle changes better. If there were more types of animals and plants in this ecosystem, losing the bison might not have as big of an impact.