Different biodiversity components of a nature reserve in southern Spain

Abstract

Biodiversity has often been considered to be the same as species richness and is often assessed both of flora and fauna. In this article we suggest a procedure which can be used to quantify biodiversity at plant community level implementing indices similar to those commonly used in the quantification of species biodiversity, i.e., richness of plant community, Shannon diversity of plant community, abundances, endemicity of the plant community and syntaxonomical singularity. As a case study, we have chosen the plant communities of a natural reserve in southern Spain, the Paraje Natural Punta Entinas-Sabinar. The technique provides a useful and relevant indicator of the environmental quality of an area.