Question

biodiversity contributes to ecosystem stability by:
decreasing the variety of habitats
increasing resilience to environmental changes
reducing the number of species in an ecosystem
making ecosystems more vulnerable to disturbances

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• "Decreasing the variety of habitats" is incorrect because biodiversity typically increases habitat variety, not decrease it, and less habitat variety would not contribute to stability.
• "Increasing resilience to environmental changes" is correct. Biodiversity means a greater variety of species and genetic material. This variety provides more functional redundancy and different ecological roles, so the ecosystem can better withstand and recover from environmental changes (like climate shifts, natural disasters, or invasive species), thus increasing its stability.
• "Reducing the number of species in an ecosystem" is incorrect. A reduction in species number (lower biodiversity) makes an ecosystem more vulnerable and less stable, as there are fewer species to perform essential ecological functions.
• "Making ecosystems more vulnerable to disturbances" is incorrect. Biodiversity has the opposite effect; it buffers ecosystems against disturbances, making them less vulnerable.

Answer:

B. Increasing resilience to environmental changes