Unit 1: Basic Ecological Concepts and Principles Related to Agricultural Systems
The tallgrass prairie is an example of an ecosystem in its natural state. What about our managed agroecosystems? How is diversity expressed in those situations? As you might imagine, there is generally much less diversity in agroecosystems than in natural systems. Nonetheless, just as with natural systems, diversity among agricultural systems can differ greatly. Consider the two examples below. How would you compare these two systems in terms of the different aspects of diversity described on the previous page? Click each image to launch an activity that allows you to explore that question. (In Ecological Principle 4, we will return to the concept of diversity and address how it is related to the concept of ecological stability.)
