Q.With a suitable example, explain why an ecosystem with an interconnected food web is ecologically more stable than one held together by a single isolated food chain.

Step 1. In a single, isolated food chain -- for example, grass -> grasshopper -> frog -> snake -- if the grasshopper population were to sharply decline, the frog would lose its only food source, and this shortage would then cascade upward, disrupting the snake and every level above it, since there is no alternative pathway for energy to reach them. Step 2. In a real food web, however, that same frog is likely to also feed on other prey, such as small worms or other insects, so a decline in grasshoppers specifically would not necessarily starve it, because it has alternative feeding links to fall back on. Step 3. This redundancy is precisely why an ecosystem held together by a rich, interconnected food web is generally considered ecologically more resilient than one relying on a single narrow food chain -- the loss or fluctuation of any one species is far less likely to disrupt the flow of e …

• Stating that food webs are 'more stable' without explaining the specific mechanism (alternative feeding links providing redundancy). …