Explain why a stable ecosystem with high biodiversity is less likely to collapse than an ecosystem with low biodiversity when one species is removed.

In a high‑biodiversity ecosystem there are many species that can occupy the same ecological role or niche. If one species is removed, another species can step in to fill that role, acting as an alternative food source or predator, so the food web remains largely intact.

In contrast, a low‑biodiversity ecosystem has few species that can replace a missing one. When a species is removed, the populations that depended on it have no alternative, leading to direct declines. This loss can trigger a cascade of population changes, causing a collapse of the food web.

Therefore, the redundancy of species in a biodiverse ecosystem buffers against collapse, whereas the lack of redundancy in a low‑biodiversity system makes it vulnerable to disruption.