Species richness and the relative abundance of each species determine
A) the species composition of an ecosystem.
B) the species diversity of a community.
C) the species composition of a population.
D) the species diversity of a biosphere.
E) the species diversity in a niche.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Species richness refers to the total number of different species in a community, while relative abundance refers to the proportion of each species within the community. Together, species richness and relative abundance determine the species diversity of a community, which is often used as a measure of ecosystem health and stability. The other answer choices (A, C, D, and E) are not accurate because they either refer to a smaller or larger scale than a community, or they do not take into account both species richness and relative abundance.

Species Richness and the Relative Abundance of Each Species Determine