Question

the serengeti is a biodiversity ecosystem, home to over 70 large mammals and 500 bird species. there are 314 plant species and hundreds of insects and other small organisms. our models include a very small sample of the organisms that are part of the system. it would be impossible for scientists to count every single organism in the serengeti system. they use a measure called a diversity index that helps them understand the relationship between the number of species and their estimated population size. one group of scientists estimated the diversity index for herbivores in the southern part of the serengeti in the short - grass plains for more than 20 years.
between 2000 and 2010 there was an increase in deforestation in the serengeti leading to habitat fragmentation for many of the native herbivores.
their findings are shown in the graph below.
shannon diversity index for herbivores in the short - grass plains over 26 years.
data source: green, d.s. et al. (2019)
which explanation below best describes the relationship between the two variables shown in the graph above?
the data shows an increase in the biodiversity in the herbivore population over time.
the data shows that ecosystem disturbance cause a slight decrease in the biodiversity in the herbivore population over time.
the data shows no correlation between disturbances and biodiversity.
the data shows that ecosystem disturbance cause no change in the biodiversity in the herbivore

Explanation:

The graph shows a trend in the Shannon biodiversity index for herbivores over time. Between 2000 - 2010, there was deforestation (a disturbance). The index (which measures biodiversity) shows a slight downward trend over the years, indicating that ecosystem disturbances (like deforestation) cause a slight decrease in biodiversity.

Answer:

The data shows that ecosystem disturbances cause a slight decrease in the biodiversity in the herbivore population over time.