The simplest measure of species diversity is

Options

A. Species richness
B. Species evenness
C. endemism
D. Exotic plant

Answer

To answer the question "The simplest measure of species diversity is," we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Concept of Species Diversity
Species diversity refers to the variety of different species within a given ecosystem or area. It is an important aspect of biodiversity and can be measured in various ways.

### Step 2: Identify the Types of Measures of Species Diversity
There are several indices used to measure species diversity, including:
- Species richness
- Species evenness
- Endemism
- Exotic species

### Step 3: Define Each Measure
- **Species Richness**: This is the simplest measure of species diversity. It counts the number of different species present in a particular area, without considering the abundance of each species.

- **Species Evenness**: This measure looks at how evenly the individuals are distributed among the different species. It assesses the relative abundance of each species.

- **Endemism**: This refers to species that are native to a specific area and are not found elsewhere.

- **Exotic Species**: These are species that are not native to a particular area but have been introduced.

### Step 4: Determine the Simplest Measure
Among the measures listed, species richness is the most straightforward as it simply counts the number of species present, making it the simplest measure of species diversity.

### Conclusion
The simplest measure of species diversity is **species richness**.

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