Question

a population study shows that an isolated island had 200 lizards in 2015 and 350 lizards in 2020. a nearby larger island had 800 lizards in 2015 and 900 lizards in 2020. based on these data, which explanation about biodiversity and ecosystem scale is best supported? larger ecosystems always lose biodiversity faster. both ecosystems show the same proportional change. smaller ecosystems experience greater proportional loss. biodiversity only increases when ecosystems are connected to the mainland.

Explanation:

1. Calculate proportional change for the isolated (smaller) island: Initial = 200, Final = 350. Change = 350 - 200 = 150. Proportional change = $\frac{150}{200}$ = 0.75 (75% increase).
2. Calculate proportional change for the larger island: Initial = 800, Final = 900. Change = 900 - 800 = 100. Proportional change = $\frac{100}{800}$ = 0.125 (12.5% increase). Wait, no—wait, the question is about loss? Wait, no, the isolated island went from 200 to 350 (increase), larger from 800 to 900 (increase). Wait, maybe I misread. Wait, no, maybe the options are about loss in other contexts? Wait, no, the options: "Smaller ecosystems experience greater proportional loss"—wait, maybe the numbers are different? Wait, no, the user's problem: isolated island (smaller) 2015:200, 2020:350 (increase). Larger island 2015:800, 2020:900 (increase). Wait, maybe the options are misphrased, or maybe I made a mistake. Wait, no—wait, maybe the question is about relative change. Let's recalculate:

For the smaller island (isolated): (350 - 200)/200 = 150/200 = 0.75 (75% change).

For the larger island: (900 - 800)/800 = 100/800 = 0.125 (12.5% change).

So the smaller ecosystem has a larger proportional change (even though it's an increase here, but the option says "greater proportional loss"—maybe a typo, or maybe the original problem had different numbers? Wait, no, the user's image shows:

Isolated island: 200 lizards 2015, 350 2020.

Nearby larger island: 800 2015, 900 2020.

Options:

• Larger ecosystems always lose biodiversity faster. (Incorrect, both increased)

• Both ecosystems show the same proportional change. (0.75 vs 0.125, no)

• Smaller ecosystems experience greater proportional loss. (Wait, but here it's gain. But maybe the option is about relative change magnitude. So the smaller one has a larger proportional change (75% vs 12.5%), so even if it's gain, the proportional change is greater. So this option is the best supported, as the other options are incorrect.

• Biodiversity only increases when ecosystems are connected to the mainland. (No info about connection, so incorrect)

Thus, the correct answer is "Smaller ecosystems experience greater proportional loss" (assuming the option's "loss" is a misnomer, or maybe the problem intended different numbers, but based on the given data, this is the only option that fits the proportional change magnitude).

Answer:

Smaller ecosystems experience greater proportional loss.