From alpha to beta functional and phylogenetic redundancy
Plot-level redundancy or alpha redundancy is usually defined as the fraction of species diversity not expressed by functional or phylogenetic diversity. Redundancy is zero when all species in one plot are maximally dissimilar from each other. In contrast, redundancy tends to its maximum if the functional or phylogenetic differences between species tend to be minimal.To explore the ecological drivers of community assembly, ecologists also use dissimilarity measures between pairs of plots (a component of beta diversity).