Biodiversity Within a Community

Biodiversity

The variety of organisms in an area

Habitat

The place where a species lives

Community

All living organisms of different species in an area

Ecosystem

A community and its abiotic environment

Interspecific variation

Variation between different species

Intraspecific variation

Variation between individuals of the same species

Species richness

Number of different species present

Species evenness

Relative abundance of each species

How genetic diversity can be measured

Observable characteristics; DNA sequences; mRNA sequences; amino acid sequences

High index of diversity indicates

Greater biodiversity

Monoculture

Growing one species over a large area

How monocultures reduce biodiversity

Reduce species richness and genetic diversity

How maintaining hedgerows increases biodiversity

Provides habitats and resources for more species

How crop rotation increases biodiversity

Improves soil quality and reduces reliance on fertilisers

Effect of climate change on biodiversity

Changes habitats, species distribution and extinction risk