Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis proposes that local species diversity is greatest when ecological disturbance is neither too rare nor too frequent. At low disturbance levels, the most competitive species tend to dominate and crowd out weaker ones, while at high disturbance levels, many species are wiped out entirely. At an intermediate level of disturbance, species suited to both early and late stages of recovery can coexist, so periodic disruptions such as fires or storms can actually raise biodiversity by preventing any one species from taking over completely. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/