Species diversity is a multidimensional ecological concept describing the variability of species within a community, typically quantified through measures that integrate both species richness (the number of species) and evenness (the relative abundances of those species). It underpins community structure, ecosystem functioning, and resilience by influencing processes such as resource use, trophic interactions, and stability against perturbations. Species diversity is often assessed using alpha diversity (within-community), beta diversity (turnover among communities), and gamma diversity (regional diversity), and is commonly measured with indices such as Shannon, Simpson, or Hill numbers, each emphasizing different aspects of richness and evenness.
The Amazon region, Earth's most important ecosystem, is home to more than 400 Indigenous groups that use thousands of rainforest plant species. They pass on their knowledge of the flora primarily through oral tradition, usually ...
Environment
10 hours ago
0
7
Forests are shaped by light competition. The trees that grow the tallest have access to the most sunlight, blocking the rays and rendering the shaded space around them inhospitable to shorter trees below. In this stem exclusion ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2026
0
12
The DNA in a single cup of water can track wildlife, monitor pollution and survey pathogens in waterways and their surroundings, all at the same time.
Ecology
Jul 7, 2026
0
8
Africa is home to many iconic national parks and marine reserves, such as Virunga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niokolo-Koba in Senegal, Kruger National Park in South Africa and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. ...
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
0
10
A new study published in the journal Alpine Entomology has found that alpine butterflies in the Swiss National Park are closely matching the pace of local warming in their range shift to higher elevations.
Plants & Animals
Jul 6, 2026
0
7
Healthy ecosystems depend on more than just having lots of species—they rely on the complex relationships between plants, prey and predators, according to new international research led by the University of Waikato and the ...
Ecology
Jul 3, 2026
0
16
The beaver and moose may be enduring symbols of Canadian wildlife, but neither is uniquely Canadian from a genetic perspective. But a team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has now discovered something rare: a ...
Ecology
Jul 2, 2026
0
124
Abandoned farmland can be transformed into wildflower-rich grassland habitat without the need for expensive and labor-intensive seeding, a new study by UCL researchers finds.
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
0
213
For millennia, farming in Switzerland did not reduce plant diversity but helped increase it, University of Basel researchers have shown in a detailed reconstruction covering the past 7,000 years. Only recent decades paint ...
Ecology
Jun 30, 2026
0
14
The number of plant species in many ecosystems in Europe has grown rather than shrunk over the last 100 years. However, this is not necessarily cause for celebration, as this local increase is primarily due to generalists ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 29, 2026
0
33
