Title: Analyze how the level of biodiversity in an ecosystem influences the availability of natural resources.
Course: Introduction to Natural Resources and Ecology Systems (18504) > Section: Understanding Natural Resource Management

Analysis should include

- explaining the influences of abiotic and biotic factors
- describing the components of a food web and the relationships between organisms (e.g., predator, prey, commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, consumer, producer, decomposer)
- explaining how biodiversity develops through evolution, natural selection, and adaptation
- explaining the importance of biodiversity to ecosystem function and availability of natural resources
- analyzing the interdependence of organisms within an ecosystem (e.g., food webs, niches, impact of keystone species, etc.)
- assessing the dependence of organisms on nonliving components (e.g., climate, geography, energy flow, nutrient cycling).

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are some examples of mutualism, commensalism, predation, and parasitism in an ecosystem?
- How do abiotic factors affect an environment and an ecosystem?
- How do biotic factors affect an environment and an ecosystem?
- What is a keystone species?
- Why are some species in an ecosystem designated as keystone species?
- How do prey and predator interactions influence the food web?
- How does the carrying capacity of an environment affect the predator-prey relationship?
- How do migrant species play a role in the ecosystem?
- How can management choices improve an ecosystem?