Ch 44 Species Richness/Diversity

species biodiversity

a community made up of more species than another

geographic biodiversity

a community where the species are more widely distributed

genetic biodiversity

a community where the populations have a higher genetic diversity

species richness

number of species in the community

factors:

• mountains

• niche specialization

• geological age

• greater surface area

• climate/productivity

species evenness

the distribution of species’ abundance

species time hypothesis

temperate regions have less rich communities than tropical regions because they are younger

species area hypothesis

larger areas contains more species than smaller areas because they can support larger populations

species productivity hypothesis

greater productivity by plants results in greater overall species richness

eltons diversity stability hypothesis

disturbances in a species rich community would be cushioned by large numbers of interacting species and is not as affected as it would be on species poor