At the community level, ecological diversity is categorized into three types. Choose the correctly matched option for ecological diversity:

Gamma diversity – Diversity of organisms over the entire geographical area

Ecological diversity refers to the variety of different ecosystems, habitats, and ecological processes found within a specific geographical area. It exists at the community level, which means it involves the interactions between various species living in the same area. Ecological diversity is crucial for maintaining a balanced and healthy ecosystem and supporting a wide range of plant and animal species.

The three types of ecological diversity are as follows:

(a) Alpha diversity: Alpha diversity is the diversity of species within a single community or habitat. It measures the number of different species present in a particular area and reflects the local species richness.

(b) Beta diversity: Beta diversity refers to the variation in species composition between different communities or habitats within a larger region. It measures the turnover or change in species as one moves from one habitat to another, indicating how distinct these communities are from one another in terms of species composition.

(c) Gamma diversity: Gamma diversity is the diversity of species over the entire geographical area, encompassing all the different ecosystems and communities within that region. It represents the total number of species found in a broader landscape or geographical extent, including multiple habitats and ecosystems.

So, the correctly matched option for ecological diversity is:

(c) Gamma diversity – Diversity of organisms over the entire geographical area