Relative abundance distribution

In the field of ecology, the relative abundance distribution (RAD) or species abundance distribution describes the relationship between the number of species observed in a field study as a function of their observed abundance. The graphs obtained in this manner are typically fitted to a Zipf–Mandelbrot law, the exponent of which serves as an index of biodiversity in the ecosystem under study.[1]

Notes and references

  1. Mouillot, D; Lepretre, A (2000). "Introduction of relative abundance distribution (RAD) indices, estimated from the rank-frequency diagrams (RFD), to assess changes in community diversity". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (Springer) 63 (2): 279–295. doi:10.1023/A:1006297211561. Retrieved 24 Dec 2008.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, July 24, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.