How do human activities commonly disrupt natural ecosystems?

Prepare for the Leaving Certification Ecology Exam with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Ensure your success!

Human activities commonly disrupt natural ecosystems primarily through actions like pollution, deforestation, and habitat fragmentation. Pollution introduces harmful substances into air, water, and soil, which can poison organisms, disrupt food chains, and lead to a decline in biodiversity.

Deforestation, which involves the clearing of forests for agriculture, urban development, or other purposes, results in habitat loss for countless species. This not only reduces biodiversity but also affects ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and soil retention.

Habitat fragmentation occurs when large habitats are broken into smaller, isolated patches, which can prevent species from accessing the full range of resources and disrupt their natural behaviors, such as migration and reproduction. These disruptions can lead to decreased populations and increased vulnerability to extinction.

Thus, the actions associated with this choice highlight significant and detrimental ways in which human activities impact natural ecosystems, leading to the overall degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem health.

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