Balance in nature
Stable, but never fixed.
A steady pond
A pond has fish, plants and insects that stay in similar numbers for years.
What keeps this steady?
What this lesson covers
The idea
An ecosystem stays in balance when interactions among organisms and their environment keep populations and resources stable; this balance is dynamic, not fixed, and natural or human-made changes can disrupt it.
A steady pond
A pond has fish, plants and insects that stay in similar numbers for years.
What keeps this steady?
- Interactions that keep populations and resources stable
- Nothing, it is luck
- Humans feed all of them
Balanced or not
Open both tabs.
A dynamic balance
An ecosystem stays in balance when interactions among organisms and their environment keep populations and resources stable. This balance is dynamic, not fixed. Natural or human-made changes can disrupt it.
An ecosystem is in balance when interactions keep populations and resources stable. The balance is dynamic, not fixed, and natural or human-made changes can disrupt it.
Notes
The balance of an ecosystem is dynamic; natural or human-made changes can disrupt it.
Check yourself
An ecosystem stays in balance when interactions keep populations and resources …
The balance of an ecosystem is …
What can disrupt the balance?
Which one is an example of a human-made change that can disrupt balance?
- stable — correct. Yes!
- zero. They stay stable, not zero.
- growing without limit. They stay stable.
- fixed for ever. It is dynamic and can change.
- dynamic, not fixed — correct. Yes!
- never present. An ecosystem can be in balance, but it is dynamic.
- Nothing at all. Natural or human-made changes can disrupt it.
- Only the Moon. Natural or human-made changes can disrupt it.
- Natural or human-made changes — correct. Yes!
- Large-scale harvesting of frogs — correct. Yes!
- A calm night. That is not a change that disrupts balance.
- A gentle breeze. That is not a human-made change.