Question

Select the statement(s) that accurately predicts the impact that erosion has on food webs and ecosystems.

Erosion will cause land to be better cleared for farming and use by people.

Runoff due to erosion will affect the small organisms at the bottom of the food web.

Pollution of water ecosystems due to erosion runoff will cause loss of aquatic species and habitat.

Erosion of land does not majorly impact ecosystems or food webs.

Erosion of topsoil will cause the loss of nutrient-rich soil and eventually loss of plant life.

Answer 1

Accurate statements: 2, 3, and 5.

- Runoff due to erosion will affect the small organisms at the bottom of the food web. — True. Sediment, nutrients and pollutants carried by runoff smother or change habitat and water chemistry, harming microbes, benthic invertebrates and plankton that form the base of food webs.

- Pollution of water ecosystems due to erosion runoff will cause loss of aquatic species and habitat. — True. Sedimentation, increased turbidity, and associated pollutants (nutrients, pesticides, heavy metals) degrade habitat, reduce oxygen, and can cause species declines or local extinctions.

- Erosion of topsoil will cause the loss of nutrient-rich soil and eventually loss of plant life. — True. Losing topsoil reduces soil fertility and water retention, lowering plant growth and productivity and cascading up the food web.

Incorrect statements:
- “Erosion will cause land to be better cleared for farming and use by people.” — False. Although erosion can remove vegetation, it degrades soil quality and long-term agricultural productivity.

- “Erosion of land does not majorly impact ecosystems or food webs.” — False. Erosion can have major, cascading impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the food webs they support.