Understanding Species Diversity in Ecology

Steps:

• Identify the question's focus: the count of distinct species in a habitat.
• Recall ecological definitions for each term.
• Match the description to the term emphasizing species variety.
• Eliminate options that describe broader or narrower concepts.

Why A is correct:

• Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life forms in an area, specifically including species richness (number of different species).

Why the others are wrong:

• B. Community refers to interacting populations of multiple species, not just their count.
• C. Ecosystem includes living organisms plus non-living components like soil and water.
• D. Population describes individuals of a single species in an area.

Final answer: A