An ecological community is more than just the sum of the attributes of the constituent species. Which one of the following options is NOT an attribute of ecological communities?​

Correct option is A

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An ecological community is a group of interacting species living in the same area, structured by interactions such as competition, predation, and mutualism. Attributes of ecological communities generally include patterns of species abundance, food web stability, and competitive interactions rather than individual species' stochastic extinction events.

Now, let’s analyze each option:

1. Local extinction of a species caused by demographic stochasticity (Incorrect – NOT an attribute of an ecological community)

   • Demographic stochasticity refers to random fluctuations in population size due to birth and death events at the individual level.
   • a characteristic of populations, not communitiesindividual species rather than the overall structure of the ecological communityThis is , as it affects .
   • Thus, this is NOT an attribute of an ecological community.

2. Logseries species abundance distributions (Correct – An attribute of an ecological community)

   • Logseries distribution is a mathematical model used to describe the relative abundances of species in a community.
   • It helps explain biodiversity patterns and is commonly used in ecological studies.
   • key feature of ecological communitiesis an attribute of an ecological communitySince species abundance patterns are a , this .

3. Stability of a food web in the face of disturbance (Correct – An attribute of an ecological community)

   • Food web stability refers to how well an ecosystem resists changes due to external disturbances, such as climate fluctuations or species invasions.
   • Ecological communities are often defined by the resilience and stability of their food webs, making this a fundamental attribute.

4. The limits to similarity of competing species (Correct – An attribute of an ecological community)

   • competitive exclusion principleThis concept, known as the , states that species with identical ecological niches cannot coexist indefinitely.
   • Ecological communities regulate species interactions to maintain diversity, making this a fundamental characteristic.

Since demographic stochasticity affects individual populations rather than entire ecological communities, the correct answer is Option 1.