A generalized donor-recipient controlled ecosystem model (nutrient) was utilized to study the specific effect on system sensitivity of a change in either system structure, connectivity or recipient control. A decrease in system connectivity or increase in recipient control is associated with a system becoming more sensitive to parameter variation. This is valid especially in cases where the grazing web subsystem is dominant. A decrease in connectivity deleteriously affects system sensitivity by the formation of chain structures, since a variation in the parameters (fluxes) associated with them can cause large state variable change. Recipient control affects system sensitivity owing to the inherent sensitizing affect of self-control, this being most important in the grazing web dominant structures.