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Unit 1: Basic Ecological Concepts and Principles Related to Agricultural Systems
Assessing Ecosystem Structure: Diversity. One characteristic that ecologists often use to describe and compare the networks of species and populations in an ecosystem is its level of diversity. Diversity is more than just the number of species and organisms in an ecosystem. The different aspects of diversity that ecologists study and measure include:
Type of Diversity |
Description |
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Species |
Number of different species in the system. |
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Genetic |
Degree of genetic variability within and among species. |
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Vertical |
Number of distinct physical layers or levels in the ecosystem. |
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Horizontal |
Pattern of spatial distribution of organisms across an area. |
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Structural |
Number of habitats, niches and trophic levels in the system. |
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Functional |
Complexity of interaction, energy flow and nutrient cycling among system components. |
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