What do you mean by alpha diversity, Biology

Assignment Help:

Q. What do you mean by Alpha diversity?

Alpha (a) richness refers to the number of species found in small, homogenous area. Alpha diversity refers to the diversity in a particular area or ecosystem and is usually expressed by the number of species (i.e. species richness) in that ecosystem.

Alpha diversity is characterised by several widespread patterns that are characteristic of most taxa and are strongly correlated with physical environmental gradients. For example,

· Marine and terrestrial environments in tropical regions have more species of higher taxonomic groups than those in higher latitude communities.

· Richness of species in terms of most taxa is positively correlated with habitat structural complexity.

· Structurally simple habitats like open oceans, grasslands, etc. generally support fewer species than structurally complex communities such as forests and coral reefs. In the open oceans maximum richness of most groups is found at depths between 2000-4000 m. In contrast coral species richness peaks at depths between 15-30 m because corals obtain their energy from photosynthetic organisms embedded in their tissues, and are thus confined to the photic zone.

· Island communities are poor in species than comparable mainland communities.


Related Discussions:- What do you mean by alpha diversity

Fats requirements for ulcerative colitis, Q. Fats requirements for ulcerati...

Q. Fats requirements for ulcerative colitis? Usual foods, which contain fats (invisible or inherent fat), are permitted but not fried foods, as they are not easily digested due

What is the type of reproduction that occurs in roundworms, What is the typ...

What is the type of reproduction that occurs in roundworms? What typical element do nematode sperm cells have? Nematodes reproduce sexually. The nematode sperm cell does not h

DIGESTION, GIVE ADETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIETY OF FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY ...

GIVE ADETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIETY OF FUNCTIONS PERFORMED BY THE LIVER

Sour taste, Sour taste is usually due to the presence of acids such as acet...

Sour taste is usually due to the presence of acids such as acetic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid. Upon dissociation, the acids give H ions which impart acidity. More the H ion con

Categorisation of neuropsychological assessment, Categorisation of Neuropsy...

Categorisation of Neuropsychological Assessment One can divide neuropsychological assessment into two areas: i) Comprehensive and ii) Specialised assessment. Comprehen

Define briefly about the copper, Define Briefly about the Copper? As ea...

Define Briefly about the Copper? As early as the times of Hippocrates, copper compounds were used to treat various diseases. However, in the 20" century, it was noticed that an

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex The Pyru...

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex The Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex (PDC) is one of the single central enzymes of aerobic metabolism. After completion of this animation you shoul

Mollusca, family ,genus, class order , species of mollusca

family ,genus, class order , species of mollusca

Pleural biopsy, Pleural Biopsy Pleural biopsy is one of the diagnostic...

Pleural Biopsy Pleural biopsy is one of the diagnostic procedure which may  cause lot of anxiety in  the patient. Procedure Pleural biopsies may be preformed surg

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd