Landforms present in this region include the upland terra firme ( non-flooded ) mostly on nutrient-poor white sand soils are found here that host forests of lower height, a more open forest canopy, and lower alpha diversity, but with many endemics.
12.
Large values of " q " lead to smaller alpha diversity than small values of " q ", because increasing " q " increases the effective weight given to those species with the highest proportional abundance and to those subunits with the lowest species diversity.
13.
Some studies have indicated that alpha diversity is a good proxy for phylogenetic diversity, so suggesting that term has little use, but a study in the Cape Floristic Region showed that while phylogenetic and species / genus diversity are very strongly correlated ( R2 = 0.77 and 0.96, respectively ), using phylogenetic diversity led to selection of different conservation priorities than using species richness.
