Digital SAT Reading and Writing Practice Question #331

Traditional ecological models posit that ecosystems with high native biodiversity are intrinsically more resistant to invasive species, a concept known as 'biotic resistance.' However, landscape-scale studies consistently reveal a positive correlation between native and invasive species richness. Ecologists hypothesize this paradox occurs because the broad environmental factors, such as favorable climate and abundant soil nutrients, that support high native diversity also inherently facilitate the establishment of non-native species. Therefore, evaluating an ecosystem’s vulnerability to invasion based solely on its native biodiversity is fundamentally flawed because ______