Functional Redundancy
The situation where multiple species perform similar ecological functions, allowing ecosystem functions to be maintained if some species are lost.
Real World
In African savannahs, zebras, wildebeest, and elephants all graze on grass; when rinderpest disease wiped out wildebeest populations in the 1890s, other grazers maintained grassland function, demonstrating functional redundancy in practice.
Exam Focus
When asked to explain ecosystem stability, explicitly name the insurance effect of functional redundancy and link it to biodiversity.
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