Biology / Unit 14 Bio 3701 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Species Richness and Species Diversity
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The idea
Species richness counts the distinct species in a community; species diversity combines richness with evenness, how equally individuals distribute across species.
In practice
Two communities with equal richness can differ in diversity if one is dominated by a single species and the other is even.
Where people slip
A high species count alone does not guarantee diversity — uneven abundance can lower it at constant richness.
Your place on the trail
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