Species diversity
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to assess the species diversity of a community, one would need to know the number of different species present as well as the relative abundance of the different species
- Species diversity is a function of species richness, the number of species in a given locality and species evenness, the degree to which the relative abundances of species are similar
- The composition of species in a given ecosystem is the result of long lasting evolution
- Each species has adapted to its own niche, which is characterized by certain features (e.g. temperature range, availability of food or light) enabling the species to reproduce and thus maintain its population
- The loss of one species affects many other species and causes imbalance
- As a result, several functions within and of the system are not carried out any more
- Any species that will take over the lost specie's niche will most certainly not replace all of the functions it used to perform