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How Do Resistance and Recovery Differ?

  • Starter
  • Article
  • Ages 10+
  • 4 min read
A boulder beside green reeds bending in the wind at a pond edge in daylight.

Resistance means staying unchanged when disturbed, and recovery means returning to the earlier state after being changed. An ecosystem with strong resistance barely changes under a disturbance. One with strong recovery may change, then bounce back. The two abilities differ.

Contents
The boulder holds its form under the push; the stalks lean over but can stand up again.
  • The push
  • Boulder stays unchanged: resistance
  • Stalks lean then stand again: recovery
  • Ground

What you will learn

  • Tell resistance from recovery.
  • Recognise how each ability shows up after a disturbance.
  • See why the two abilities do not necessarily go together.

Before you start

No prior knowledge is needed. You only need to know that an ecosystem is a community of living things with the environment they live in.

What is resistance?

Resistance is staying unchanged under a disturbance. According to Coastal Wiki, resistance is about not falling down, while resilience is about getting back up. It defines resistance as the capacity of an ecological system to weather a disturbance without loss of integrity and function. Resistance also does not mean an ecosystem is locked in a steady stable state.

The University of Illinois likewise describes resistance as an ecosystem continuing to function without change under disturbance.

Before and after the push, the boulder looks the same.
  • Before the push
  • The disturbance
  • After the push: unchanged

What is recovery?

Recovery is coming back after a change. Coastal Wiki gives one definition of resilience as the capacity of an ecosystem to recover its fundamental structure, processes and functioning after disturbance. The University of Illinois puts it more briefly: an ecosystem recovering after disturbance. Here recovery means regaining structure and function; every individual component need not be identical to before.

The stalks stand upright, get pressed over, then return as before.
  • Before the disturbance
  • Pressed over
  • After recovering
The boulder is unchanged by the push; the reeds bend over and then stand up again.

How do the two abilities differ and relate?

Resistance concerns what happens during a disturbance; recovery concerns what happens afterwards. Coastal Wiki writes that intrinsic resistance and resilience are dictated by different processes and need not be positively correlated with one another. So a system can be strong in one and weak in the other.

The line that barely changes represents resistance; the line that drops deeply and gradually returns represents recovery.
  • Barely changes
  • Changes a lot, then returns
  • Starting state
  • When the disturbance hits

Real-world example

Picture an illustrative model. A large boulder and a clump of reeds face the same strong gust. The boulder does not budge: that is resistance. The reeds bend flat and stand up again when the wind drops: that is recovery. This is only a comparison to help picture it, not a description of a real ecosystem.

Common misunderstandings

Resistance and recovery are the same thing. Resistance is staying unchanged while disturbed; recovery is returning after being changed.

High resistance means good recovery. The two need not be positively correlated, so each needs judging separately.

Recovery means the system is never changed. Quite the reverse: recovery only means something once the system has been changed and then returns.

Frequently asked questions

What is resistance?

The capacity to weather a disturbance without loss of integrity and function, or to absorb its effects without notable change.

What is recovery?

The ability to recover after a disturbance, restoring fundamental structure, processes and functioning.

Does high resistance mean high recovery?

Not necessarily. The two are dictated by different processes and need not be positively correlated.

Summary

  • Resistance is staying unchanged when disturbed.
  • Recovery is returning to the earlier state after being changed, fast or slow.
  • The two need not go together, so they are judged separately.

Terms in this article

English and Vietnamese terms, with the meanings used here. Hover, tap or Tab to a term with a dotted underline for an explanation as you read.

resistancekhả năng chống chịu
The ability to stay unchanged, without notable change, under a disturbance.
resiliencekhả năng phục hồi
The ability to recover and return to the earlier state after being changed by a disturbance.
disturbancenhiễu loạn
An event that disrupts an ecosystem.
ecosystemhệ sinh thái
A community of living things together with the environment they live in.

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Sources

These sources are written for older readers. If they feel hard, read them with an adult.