Community tips
Every community comprises a given group of species, and their number and identities are distinguishing traits. Most communities are so large that it is not possible to enumerate all species; microorganisms and small invertebrates are especially difficult to census. However, particularly in small, well-bounded sites such as lakes or islands, one can find all the most common species and estimate their relative abundances. The number of species is known as species richness, while species diversity refers to various statistics based on the relative numbers of individuals of each species in addition to the number of species. The rationale for such a diversity measure is that some communities have many species, but most species are rare and almost all the individuals (or biomass) in such a community can be attributed to just a few species. Such a community is not diverse in the usual sense of the word. Patterns of species diversity abound in the ecological literature; for example, pollution often effects a decrease in species diversity.
- Check pollution, flooding, subsidence, landfill sites, schools, crime rates and planning information in your neighbourhood at Home Check
- Resist the urge to do nothing and join the War on Apathy Campaign! War on Apathy is a community-based, interactive media campaign that benefits WoA-registered nonprofit organizations by granting them media exposure and free advertising in several ways. It offers a wide variety of ways in which people can become involved, and invites all nonprofit organizations in need of help to submit a request to participate in WoA.
- Have a look at The Big Ask from Friends of the Earth
