Question

clearing ecosystems creates more farmland but reduces biodiversity that is helpful for developing disease - resistant crops.
clearing ecosystems creates less farmland but increases biodiversity that is helpful for developing disease - resistant crops.
clearing ecosystems creates less farmland and reduces biodiversity that is helpful for developing disease - resistant crops.

Explanation:

To determine the correct statement, we analyze the impact of clearing ecosystems:

• Clearing ecosystems (like forests, wetlands) typically converts natural land to farmland, so it should increase farmland (eliminating the second and third options which say "less farmland").
• Also, removing natural ecosystems reduces biodiversity (since many species lose their habitats), and biodiversity is important for developing disease - resistant crops (e.g., through genetic variation in wild relatives of crops). So the first statement accurately describes that clearing ecosystems creates more farmland but reduces biodiversity useful for disease - resistant crops.

Answer:

The first statement: "Clearing ecosystems creates more farmland but reduces biodiversity that is helpful for developing disease - resistant crops."