Alpha diversity refers to the species diversity within a particular community or habitat in ecology and environmental studies. It quantifies the variety of species in a specific area or ecosystem, serving as a key indicator of species richness and evenness within that localized environment. This concept is differentiated from:
| Diversity Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Beta diversity | The variation in species composition across different ecosystems, highlighting shifts in species from one environment to another. |
| Gamma diversity | The overall species diversity within a broad geographic region encompassing multiple ecosystems. |
| Genetic diversity | The range of genetic variations present within a single species. |
Read the following passage and answer the next five questions:
Species interaction and productivity are two important components of any given ecosystem. In an ecosystem, interspecific interactions arise from the interaction of populations of two different species. Such interactions could be beneficial to both species, harmfulto both species, beneficial to one and harmful to the other, or vice-versa. There are also cases where only one species is harmed or benefitted, while the other remains unaffected. On the other hand, the productivity of an ecosystem starts with photosynthesis by green plants and is measured as the amount of biomass produced over a period of time. Such biomass becomes available for consumption to heterotrophs.
| List-I (Concept) | List-II (Proposed by) |
| (A) Ecology | (II) Norman Myers |
| (B) Ecosystem | (IV) Ernst Haeckel |
| (C) Human population growth | (I) Sir Arthur Tansley |
| (D) Hot spots | (III) T R Malthus |