Question

Severe weather events can create ecological disturbances, which can impact biodiversity. Think about a severe weather situation you have experienced near your home or have witnessed on the news. In 3–5 sentences, identify the severe weather event and explain how it created ecological disturbances that impacted biodiversity. Make sure your answer explains how biodiversity was impacted.

Answer 1

I watched news coverage of Hurricane Maria striking Puerto Rico, which brought intense winds, heavy rain, storm surge, and landslides. The storm physically stripped forests, uprooted trees, and pushed saltwater into freshwater wetlands and coastal forests, destroying habitat and food resources for many plants and animals. As a result there were sharp declines in local populations (especially habitat specialists and slow-recovering species), reduced species richness in damaged areas, and disrupted food webs from the loss of key trees and pollinators. The disturbance also opened space for invasive species to colonize, producing long-term shifts in community composition and reducing genetic and functional biodiversity.