Final answer:
Resistance is the ability of an ecosystem to stay in balance despite disturbances, while resilience is the speed at which an ecosystem recovers from a disturbance.
Step-by-step explanation:
In ecology, resistance is the ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances, while resilience refers to the speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed.
A suitably labelled diagram can help illustrate the difference between resistance and resilience. Imagine a graph with time on the x-axis and the state of the ecosystem on the y-axis. Resistance would be represented by a flat line that remains stable despite disturbances, indicating that the ecosystem is able to maintain its equilibrium. Resilience, on the other hand, would be represented by a line that dips when a disturbance occurs but quickly returns to its original state, indicating the ability of the ecosystem to recover and return to equilibrium.