Which of the following statements is true about species evenness?

Species evenness is a crucial concept in ecology that assesses how evenly individuals are distributed among the different species present in a community. When species evenness is high, it indicates that the populations of various species are similar in size, resulting in a balanced ecosystem. Conversely, low evenness suggests that a few species dominate the community, which can lead to ecological instability and reduced biodiversity.

In the context of the other statements, while species richness pertains to the total number of different species in a community, species evenness specifically focuses on how those species' populations compare to one another. It is also important to note that while species evenness can be informed by species richness, they are distinct factors; thus, species evenness is not unrelated to species richness but rather complements it. Lastly, while habitat quality may be influenced by both species richness and evenness, it is not the definition of species evenness itself. Therefore, the statement that accurately captures the essence of species evenness is that it reflects the distributions of species populations in a community.