Beta Diversity in The Strict Sense (True Beta Diversity)
Gamma diversity and alpha diversity can be calculated directly from species inventory data. The simplest of Whittaker's original definitions of beta diversity is
β = γ/α
Here gamma diversity is the total species diversity of a landscape, and alpha diversity is the mean species diversity per habitat. Because the limits among habitats and landscapes are diffuse and to some degree subjective, it has been proposed that gamma diversity can be quantified for any inventory dataset, and that alpha and beta diversity can be quantified whenever the dataset is divided into subunits. Then gamma diversity is the total species diversity in the dataset and alpha diversity the mean species diversity per subunit. Beta diversity quantifies how many subunits there would be if the total species diversity of the dataset and the mean species diversity per subunit remained the same, but the subunits shared no species.
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