雅思阅读

📖 Reading Passage

The concept of 'ecological resilience' has gained prominence in environmental science, referring to an ecosystem's capacity to absorb disturbance and reorganize while undergoing change, so as to retain essentially the same function, structure, and feedbacks. Unlike mere resistance, which implies a static state, resilience emphasizes dynamic adaptation. For instance, a coral reef may suffer bleaching due to rising sea temperatures, but if it can recover its species composition and functional roles over time, it demonstrates resilience. However, human-induced stressors, such as overfishing and pollution, can erode this capacity, pushing systems past critical thresholds into alternative, often less desirable states. Understanding these thresholds is vital for effective conservation, as interventions must be timed before irreversible shifts occur.