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.
If a tree falls in the forest, it can create an opening for more incoming light, and that makes a significant impact on the surrounding environment, according to new research. An international science team has used supercomputer ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 4, 2026
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12
Members of the arachnid class—think spiders, scorpions and harvestmen (daddy long legs)—are often the targets of revulsion, disgust and fear. Yet, they are crucial for ecosystems to thrive. Given the crash in worldwide biodiversity, ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2026
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110
Fish caught in the same trawl and sold under the same name may in fact have significant genetic differences. Beneath the surface of the Skagerrak lies a biological diversity that is rarely seen in fishmongers. "If management ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 26, 2026
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11
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers identified 10 new species and seven new groups (genera) of Hawaiian leaf-roller moths. While new species are frequently discovered, the description of a new genus of insects is a ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 25, 2026
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18
A pair of disturbances common in Western Canada's boreal forests, when combined, may have an unexpected benefit of limiting the spread of non-native plant species, a University of Alberta study shows. The research gauged ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 25, 2026
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12
The world has far more bees than anyone realized. Scientists have, for the first time, estimated just how many species of bees are out there on a global scale, offering a clearer look at how these vital pollinators are distributed ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 24, 2026
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199
Can students be on the front lines of conservation? A new Canada-wide study, published in Metabarcoding and Metagenomics, suggests they can. The efforts of some 5,000 students produced data detailed enough to reveal complex ...
Ecology
Feb 23, 2026
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11
Species numbers alone do not fully capture how ecosystems are changing. In a global study, scientists analyzed long-term data from nearly 15,000 marine and freshwater fish communities. They found that fish food webs have ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 19, 2026
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69
There may be twice as many vertebrates on the planet as previous estimates claimed, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. That's not because of any errors ...
The United States government is rolling back conservation policies in a way that demonstrably risks accelerating already at-risk coral reefs around its island territory, Guam, in the Pacific Ocean. Part of the issue is the ...
Ecology
Feb 18, 2026
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