Ecosystem Evenness

Definition

Ecosystem evenness measures how evenly individuals are distributed among different species within an ecosystem. It indicates whether one or few dominant species exist while others have lower abundances, or if multiple species coexist at similar population sizes.

Analogy

Imagine a classroom where the teacher distributes candies to students. If each student receives an equal number of candies, then the ecosystem evenness is high. But if some students get many candies while others receive only a few, then evenness is low.

Related terms

Dominant Species: These are species that have the highest abundance or biomass in an ecosystem and exert significant control over other species.

Relative Abundance: This term refers to the proportion of individuals within a community that belong to a particular species.

Niche Overlap: When two or more species share similar ecological requirements and compete for limited resources within an ecosystem.