Question

Determine whether each statement refers to species diversity or genetic diversity.

Every organism in an ecosystem relies on other species for survival:
Reduced options for mates can lead to inbreeding:
Decreased diversity can lead to increased susceptibility to disease:
The loss of a producer could result in the loss of consumers:
When a population becomes small, diversity is lost:

Answer 1

1. Species diversity — refers to interactions among different species (food webs, mutualisms).
2. Genetic diversity — reduced mate choice within a species causes inbreeding and loss of allelic variation.
3. Genetic diversity — low genetic variation in a population increases vulnerability to disease (fewer resistant genotypes).
4. Species diversity — losing a producer affects other species that depend on it (consumers) in the ecosystem.
5. Genetic diversity — small populations lose alleles through drift and inbreeding, reducing genetic variation.