Which indicators can help assess ecosystem health?

Prepare for the NPTEL Wildlife Ecology Exam with our comprehensive quiz. Study with multiple choice questions and detailed explanations to enhance your understanding of ecology concepts. Get ready for success!

Assessing ecosystem health is crucial for understanding the overall functioning and sustainability of an environment. Indicators that effectively reflect the status of an ecosystem often include measurable factors that directly relate to its biological integrity and resilience. Pollution levels and biodiversity are key components in this assessment.

Pollution levels provide insight into the extent of environmental degradation affecting air, water, and soil quality. High pollution can lead to decreased habitat quality and harmful effects on both plant and animal life. Therefore, monitoring pollution is essential in evaluating the ecosystem's capacity to support various forms of life.

Biodiversity, on the other hand, encompasses the variety of species within an ecosystem, reflecting its complexity and stability. A diverse ecosystem is generally more resilient to changes and stressors, such as climate change or human impact. Low biodiversity, conversely, can indicate an unhealthy ecosystem that lacks the necessary interactions between different species to thrive.

While increased construction activities, number of visitors to a park, and amount of agricultural yield may provide some information about human impact or specific economic activities, they do not directly measure the ecological balance or health of the ecosystem itself. These factors can lead to insights regarding human influence on ecosystems, yet they are not reliable indicators of the inherent health of the natural system. Thus, pollution levels

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