Ecosystems are affected differently by disturbance and in how well they bounce back after a disturbance. Disturbance- An event, caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition.

Watershed- All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland.

Resistance- A measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem.

Resilience- The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance.

Restoration Ecology- The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems.

A Watershed helps us understand how disturbances affect ecosystem processes. It shows nutrient and energy recycling. It contains all of the water in an area. It carries nutrients to a certain part.

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis- The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels.