What does community structure refer to? (3)

the composition of species in a community, the relative abundance of each species, and the relationships among the species

What is an ecotone?

boundaries made by sharp changes in environmental conditions and species composition over a relatively short distance

Explain why species richness is often higher at an ecotone than not at an ecotone.

Some species can move between environments created by ecotones while others can specially adapt to the ecotone environment. Species from neighbouring communities can also sometimes bleed into the ecotone.

What makes a community interdependent?

species within the community depend on each other to exist

What makes a community independent?

species in the community do not depend on each other to exist

What is species richness?

The number of species in a community

How is relative abundance different from regular abundance?

Abundance can be explained in absolute terms, but relative abundance is specifically the proportion of individuals in a community represented by each species

How do rank abundance curves plot species abundance?

They plot the relative abundance of each species in a community in rank order from the most to least abundant species

What is species evenness?

A comparison of the relative abundance of each species in a community.