Name: measuring biodiversity
Uploaded: 2019-01-29T11:04:46.000Z
Duration: 5 min 41 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

north-carolina-k-12-science-standard-course-of-study

North Carolina K-12 Science Standard Course of Study

9-12

Earth and Environmental Science

Earth's Systems

ESS.EES.4.5

Measuring Biodiversity

lab manual sub articles

Lab Manual Sub Articles

<p>Biodiversity. The word evokes the splendor of a great forest, or the teeming richness of the ocean, and is simply defined as the variety of organisms in an ecosystem of interest. To protect biodiversity, scientists must be able to measure it. This means figuring out how many different species are living together in a particular space. What is a convenient way to count species? </p>

<p>Trying to count everything in an entire ecosystem would be impossible, so scientists use a tool called the quadrat, which is a frame of fixed size placed randomly in the environment in which to do the counting. After cataloging the species and individuals found in this small section, the process is repeated, placing more quadrats at random, or alternatively, at set positions along a line through the environment, referred to as a transect.</p>

<p>In order to then estimate the total number of species in an area, species accumulation curves are used. If the cumulative number of species found in a quadrat are plotted against the number of quadrats sampled, a curve will emerge. For example, in this data set, when four quadrats were investigated, it was found that there were 10 unique species. Six contained 17 and so on. The asymptote of this type of curve represents an estimate of the number of species supported by an environment. In this case, it&#39;s about 30. But while measuring diversity at a single site is incredibly useful, comparing sites over a greater area can give us an even larger scale indication of diversity. </p>

<p>In 1972, the ecologist Robert Whittaker described three major kinds of biodiversity, alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha diversity refers simply to the number of species in an area and is often referred to as species richness. For example, at this site there are seven different species, so the alpha score is seven. A second site, site B, has five species, and a third, site C, has seven. But by comparing between sites, we can determine what is called the beta diversity, the sum of species unique to each area. So if we compare site A with site B, we see three species in common between the two. Counting the remaining species, we find that there are six. This means that there is a beta diversity between site A and site B of six. Sites A and C also have three species in common, leaving eight unique ones. This is a beta diversity of eight. Sites B and C have two common species between them, or a beta diversity value of eight. Finally, gamma diversity is the number of different species in all sites combined. In this example, there is a gamma diversity of 12. So to summarize the three kinds of biodiversity, we can look at them this way, alpha, beta, and gamma. As well as recording diversity, scientists often refer to species evenness, meaning how many individuals of each type are present. For example, these two sites have the same richness, or alpha diversity, as they both have seven species. But site A is relatively overrun by rabbits with low numbers of the other species, whereas site B has a pretty even distribution of species, so it is considered to have greater evenness compared to site A. Scientists generally considered ecosystems with higher richness and evenness, i.e. many evenly distributed species, to be the healthiest. Disturbed habitats, often due to the actions of humans, like farming or pollution, often have poor richness and evenness. Being able to compare sites is critical because it allows researchers to determine the relative health of ecosystems. <br />
In this laboratory, you will carry out quadrat and transect sampling at three different environmental sites, as well as carrying out a laboratory simulation, and then analyze the data collected to describe the observed biodiversity.</p>


measuring biodiversity

<p>Diverse ecosystems are important for the health of the planet and our survival as humans; it is therefore incredibly important for us to understand and measure biodiversity, which is defined as the variability among living organisms in an ecosystem. Biodiversity can be measured at many different levels including genetic, species, community, and ecosystem.  One way to measure biodiversity is to assess species richness of an ecosystem, which is the total number of distinct species within a local community. While having many species generally coincides with having a diverse and healthy ecosystem, the evenness also needs to be considered. Evenness refers to the equality of the proportion of each species within an area or community.  For instance, when one species dominates the area while the others are very rare, the biodiversity in this area is lower than in an area with species of equal abundance. Therefore, areas with many species that are relatively equal in abundance have the highest values of biodiversity.</p>

<h4>Estimating Biodiversity</h4>

<p>The differences in richness and evenness between two communities can be visualized by rank-abundance curves. If the number of species is equal, the shape of the line can tell us which community is more diverse. If the line is flat, there is high evenness among species. However, if the line quickly dips, the evenness is low. If richness and evenness are both different between two communities, biologists must use equations to calculate diversity. These equations weight the importance of each component differently, and a consensus on which equation is the best at calculating diversity is still debated.</p>

<p>Sometimes there are too many species in an area that it is unrealistic to count every single species. For example, a single tree in the Amazon Rainforest may contain hundreds of species of beetles. To circumvent this problem, ecologists use sampling tools called quadrats. A quadrat is simply a frame with a known internal area. For example, to measure the species richness of a one-acre field of grass, ecologists randomly place the quadrat in the field and count the species within the quadrat, instead of counting all of the species within the acre. They may also systematically sample by using transect tapes. Transects are stretched across the field, and quadrats are then placed along the transect at regular intervals. This method is semi-random and ensures ample coverage of sampling across the entire field to estimate its biodiversity.</p>

<p>While quadrats and transects may pick up most of the species, some rare species may go unnoticed. In this case, ecologists may use a species accumulation curve, which represents the cumulative number of species seen in a series of quadrats. The y-axis of the curve represents the total number of observed species, whereas the x-axis represents the number of quadrats for which species have been enumerated. The total number of species in the first quadrat represents the first point on the graph. Each successive point represents the number of new species found in each new quadrat sampled, plus all of the species from the previous quadrats. At some point, there will be few or no additional species found in each new quadrat sampled, and the curve will approach an asymptote, which is an estimate of the total number of species present. Even if the asymptote is never reached because of many rare species, biologists can estimate the total number based on this curve.</p>

<p>If comparisons need to be made among different areas or scales, alpha, beta, and gamma diversity measures are used. Alpha-diversity (&#945;) refers to the number of species in an area. Beta-diversity (&#946;) compares two different areas and is the sum of species unique to each area. Gamma-diversity (&#947;) is the number of species in many areas combined into a region. By using these measures, biologists can get an idea of diversity over space, including both small and large scales.</p>

<h4>Threats to Biodiversity and their Implications</h4>

<p>Biodiversity around the world is threatened by pollution, climate change, and invasive species. A main underlying reason for efforts to maintain biodiversity is based on ecosystem functioning. Ecosystems are made up of many working parts, including primary producers, herbivores, carnivores, and detritivores, all of which contribute to ecosystem function. If species are lost, the ecosystem may collapse. And if the ecosystem collapses, the services that it provides to humans will as well. Tropical coral reefs are a good example of this concept<sup>1</sup>. Spikes in water temperatures cause corals to lose their symbiotic algae cells. Without the algae, corals begin to starve, die, then degrade and lose their structure. When corals decay, they no longer provide cover for fish and the abundance of fish species declines, which in turn affects local fishermen, and the people that rely on fish for sustenance. Over time, dead coral reefs degrade on a larger scale and no longer provide a buffer for adjacent coastlines, eventually eroding the coast and destroying islands.  A highly diverse community is less likely to collapse because of functional redundancy<sup>2</sup>. For example, corals may vary in their sensitivity to high temperatures. If one coral is extremely sensitive to temperature, another may take its place in the community, but if there are only a few species, it is less likely that such a substitute will be available.</p>

<p>A significant number of medicines that we benefit from are a direct result of the diversity of life. The medicines that we now synthesize were once isolated from animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. There is a whole industry devoted to the discovery of new potential medicines by scanning various species for the presence of bioactive compounds. For example, plants produce chemicals for defense against infection and herbivores. Spiders and snakes produce diverse venoms.  Both classes of organisms have been the source of important medicines, like Taxol from yew trees, which treats breast, lung and ovarian cancers, or Ohanin from King Cobra venom, which is a painkiller<sup>3-4</sup>. Each species that becomes extinct may hold the key to curing currently untreatable diseases. The faster we lose those species, the smaller the chance of discovering solutions.</p>

<p>Once a species goes extinct, we will never be able to experience them. This type of thinking has driven the conservation of pandas, sea otters, and other charismatic animals. These species are called flagship species, and their conservation can result in protection of biodiversity. Even though these animals are only a small part of the whole ecosystem, preserving them means preserving the ecosystem they occupy. Efforts to save the sea otter on the West Coast of North America have resulted in healthy kelp forests housing many thousands of other species<sup>5</sup>. Without protection of the sea otters, herbivores like sea urchins, which are usually eaten by the otters, are capable of completely devouring kelp forests leaving barren rocks where very few species could survive.</p>

<h4>References</h4>

<ol class="references">
	<li><strong>Knowlton, Nancy.</strong> The future of coral reefs. <em>PNAS. </em>2001, Vol. 98 , (10) 5419-5425.</li>
	<li><strong>Andrea S. Downing, Egbert H. van Nes, Wolf M. Mooij, Marten Scheffer.</strong> The Resilience and Resistance of an Ecosystem to a Collapse of Diversity. <em>PLoS One. . </em>2012; , Vol. 7(9): e46135.</li>
	<li><strong>Wall, Monroe E.</strong> Camptothecin and taxol: Discovery to clinic. <em>Med Res Rev. </em>1998, Vol. 18, 5 (299-314).</li>
	<li><strong>Yuh Fen Pung, Peter T. H. Wong, Prakash P. Kumar, Wayne C. Hodgson, R. Manjunatha Kini.</strong> Ohanin, a Novel Protein from King Cobra Venom, Induces Hypolocomotion and Hyperalgesia in Mice. <em>J Biol Chem. </em>2005, 280, 13137-13147.</li>
	<li><strong>Estes, J.A., et al.</strong> Complex Trophic Interactions in Kelp Forest Ecosystems. <em>Bulletin of Marine Science, Volume . </em>2004, Vol. 7, 3: 621-638.</li>
</ol>


Diverse ecosystems are important for the health of the planet and our survival as humans; it is therefore incredibly important for us to understand and ...

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Learn how biodiversity is measured with richness, evenness, quadrats, and diversity curves, and why it protects ecosystems, medicine, and conservation.

Why Biodiversity Matters in Ecosystems | JoVE K12

Louisiana Student Standards for Science

High School

Earth Science

Human Sustainability

HS-ESS3-3

Life Sciences

ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy And Dynamics

HS-LS2-7

Environmental Science

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Biological Change: Unity and Diversity

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Arizona Science Standards

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Alabama Course of Study Science

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9-12.B.2.9

Unity and Diversity

9-12.EVS.2.3.a

Next Generation Science Standards

heredity-inheritance-and-variation-of-traits

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

HS-LS4-6

Earth and Space Science

Earth’s Systems

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Florida Department of Education

SC.912.L.15

SC.912.L.15.3

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Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

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Set up quadrats, transects, and a bead-based diversity simulation to compare plant species in different habitats and explore richness and evenness.

Sampling Plant Diversity with Quadrats | JoVE K12

Measure plant biodiversity with quadrats and transects, then compare richness and evenness using bead models, species curves, and rank abundance graphs.

Biodiversity Sampling with Quadrats and Beads | JoVE K12

<ul><li><a href="#" data-time="8">Quadrats and Transects Preparation
</a></li><li><a href="#" data-time="93">Diversity Lab Simulation Preparation
</a></li></ul>

<ol class="note-items"><li data-note-item="1" data-parent-collapse="">Quadrats and Transects Preparation
<button class="expand">Expand</button><ul class="lab-items"><li data-sub-note-item="1-1"><div class="lab-step">Start by tying a knot at the beginning, end and every 5 feet of six 20-foot pieces of rope.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-2"><div class="lab-step">Then, identify three outdoor areas near the classroom, each containing a variety of at least four plant species.  NOTE: Surprisingly, grassy areas often contain at least four plant species. Although most plants in these areas will be of a single grass species, there are usually many weeds, such as clovers or dandelions mixed in. Therefore, a well-kept grassy area without shade, a well-kept grassy area with shade, for example under a tree, and a weedy field could be used for the three different habitats that they students will be moving between.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-3"><div class="lab-step">Place two ropes parallel to each other within each of the habitats. It does not matter which direction the ropes face as long as the entire length of rope is within each area and a hula hoop can be placed on either side of the ropes within the habitat.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-4"><div class="lab-step">Finally, back in the lab set out enough plant identification guides for each student group to have at least one.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-5"><div class="lab-step">Also set out enough hula hoops so that each group has one to use as a sampling quadrat.
</div></li></ul></li><li data-note-item="2" data-parent-collapse="">Diversity Lab Simulation Preparation
<button class="expand">Expand</button><ul class="lab-items"><li data-sub-note-item="2-1"><div class="lab-step">Before beginning the species accumulation curves and richness evenness activity, place 50 colored beads into one paper bag. The bag should contain 15 black beads, 10 purple beads, 8 red beads, 5 green beads, 3 blue beads, 3 yellow beads, 2 pink beads, 2 brown beads, 1 orange bead and 1 white bead.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-2"><div class="lab-step">Label this bag Community A.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-3"><div class="lab-step">Then, add five beads of each color to the second bag and mark this bag Community B.
</div></li></ul></li></ol>

<div class="section-question"><h4 class="question-sect">What is biodiversity?</h4><p>Biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms in an ecosystem.
</p></div><div class="section-question"><h4 class="question-sect">What are alpha, beta, and gamma diversities?</h4><p>Alpha-diversity (&#945;) refers to the number of species in an area. Beta-diversity (&#946;) compares two different areas and it is the sum of species unique to each area. Gamma-diversity (&#947;) is the number of species in many areas combined into a region.
</p></div><div class="section-question"><h4 class="question-sect">What are the richness and evenness of an ecosystem?</h4><p>The richness of an ecosystem is the total number of distinct species within a local community. Evenness refers to the equality of the proportion of each species within an area or community.
</p></div><div class="section-question"><h4 class="question-sect">How do ecologists assess the species in an ecological system?</h4><p>Ecologists use sampling tools called quadrats. A quadrat is simply a frame with a known internal area. They may also systematically sample by using transect tapes. Transects are stretched across the field. Then, quadrats are placed along the transect at regular intervals. This method is semi-random and ensures ample coverage of sampling across the entire field to estimate its biodiversity.
</p></div><div class="section-question"><h4 class="question-sect">What are some of the reasons to maintain ecological diversity?</h4><p>If species are lost, the ecosystem may collapse. If the ecosystem collapses, the services that it provides to humans will be lost as well.  A highly diverse community is less likely to collapse due to functional redundancy. Moreover, a significant number of medicines that we now synthesize were once isolated from animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria, underscoring the importance of maintaining diversity of organisms for development of novel therapies.
</p></div>

Quadrats and Transects Preparation
ExpandStart by tying a knot at the beginning, end and every 5 feet of six 20-foot pieces of rope.
Then, identify three ...

<p>Start by tying a knot at the beginning, end and every five feet of six 20-foot pieces of rope. Then, identify three outdoor areas near the classroom, each containing a variety of at least four plant species. Surprisingly, grassy areas often contain at least four plant species.</p><p>Although most plants in these areas will be of a single grass species, there are usually many weeds, such as clovers or dandelions mixed in. Therefore, a well-kept grassy area without shade, a well-kept grassy area with shade, for example under a tree, and a weedy field could be used for the three different habitats that they students will be moving between. Place two ropes parallel to each other within each of the habitats.</p><p>It does not matter which direction the ropes face as long as the entire length of rope is within each area and a hula hoop can be placed on either side of the ropes within the habitat. Finally, back in the lab set out enough plant identification guides for each student group to have at least one. Also set out enough hula hoops so that each group has one to use as a sampling quadrat.</p><p>Before beginning the species accumulation curves and richness evenness activity, place 50 colored beads into one paper bag. 15 black beads, 10 purple beads, eight red beads, five green beads, three blue beads, three yellow beads, two pink beads, two brown beads, one orange bead and one white bead. Label this bag Community A.Then, add five beads of each color to the second bag and mark this bag Community B.Please take time to review the material list and the student protocol video to be fully prepped for the lab.</p>

<ul><li><a href="#" data-time="7">Quadrats and Transects
</a></li><li><a href="#" data-time="158">Species-Accumulation Curves and Richness/Evenness 
</a></li><li><a href="#" data-time="269">Results
</a></li></ul>

<ol class="note-items"><li data-note-item="1" data-parent-collapse="">Quadrats and Transects
<button class="expand">Expand</button><ul class="lab-items"><li data-sub-note-item="1-1"><div class="lab-step">In this activity, you will be using quadrats along transect lines to take biodiversity measurements of the plant species in three distinct habitats near your classroom. Begin by splitting into groups. Four works best.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-2"><div class="lab-step">Select one person in your group to be the data recorder. The other three will be the data collectors.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-3"><div class="lab-step">Next, take one quadrat, or hula hoop, per group and place it on one side of one transect, or rope, next to a knot to allow identification of the plant species encircled by your quadrat. HYPOTHESES: For this experiment, the alternative hypothesis is that the alpha diversity will be smaller than gamma, meaning that there will be differences in the species that are present in each different habitat. The null hypothesis for this activity is that the alpha and gamma will be equal, meaning that there will be no species diversity difference between the communities sampled.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-4"><div class="lab-step">Each data collector must survey and identify the different plant species or any morphologically distinct varieties within your group&#39;s quadrat, giving the name of each plant type that you identify to the data recorder. It may seem like there are only a couple of species present at first, but look closer. It may take several minutes to find them all. 
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-5"><div class="lab-step">In addition to recording the species name, the data recorder must also write a short description in the table, so that each species can be identified again in subsequent quadrats. <a href="https://www.jove.com/CDNSource/lm/labs/25/Table_1_Measuring_biodiversity.xlsx" style="display:block;margin:20px;" target="__blank">Click Here to download Table 1</a>
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-6"><div class="lab-step">Once all of the species within a quadrat have been identified, pick up your hoop and move on to the next knot along the same transect.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-7"><div class="lab-step">Continue surveying and moving to the next knot until you have completed the entire rope transect.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-8"><div class="lab-step">Once you have completed the rope, move to a transect in a different habitat, and begin identifying the different species within each quadrat along the new transect, until each group has identified plants along three lengths of rope, one in each habitat, for a total of 15 quadrats surveyed.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="1-9"><div class="lab-step">When all of the species data have been collected, carry the transects and quadrats back to the classroom.
</div></li></ul></li><li data-note-item="2" data-parent-collapse="">Species-Accumulation Curves and Richness/Evenness 
<button class="expand">Expand</button><ul class="lab-items"><li data-sub-note-item="2-1"><div class="lab-step">In the next activity, you will be calculating and comparing the species richness and evenness in two distinct populations, represented here by two opaque bags containing beads of various colors. For this exercise, start by taking one paper bag of beads per group.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-2"><div class="lab-step">Have one person reach into the bag and randomly pull out three beads without looking.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-3"><div class="lab-step">Write down the bead colors, as well as the total number of colors pulled from the bag in the table. <a href="https://www.jove.com/CDNSource/lm/labs/25/Table_2_Measuring_biodiversity.xlsx" style="display:block;margin:20px;" target="__blank">Click Here to download Table 2</a>HYPOTHESES: In this activity, the alternative hypothesis states that species evenness in the two communities will be different, while the richness will be the same. The null hypothesis might be that species richness and evenness will be the same in both communities.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-4"><div class="lab-step">Place the beads back in the bag after their colors are recorded.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-5"><div class="lab-step">Then, shake the bag and have the next person in the group draw another set of three beads.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-6"><div class="lab-step">Record the colors and numbers of beads that they pulled in the table.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-7"><div class="lab-step">Record the colors in the second row and the cumulative number of colors drawn in the last column.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-8"><div class="lab-step">Continue to take turns drawing three beads from the bag until 20 samples have been drawn.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-9"><div class="lab-step">Next, switch bags with a group with a bag from the other community, and repeat the exercise of drawing 20 samples, recording the color data in the appropriate community column of the table.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="2-10"><div class="lab-step">When all of the data have been recorded, return the beads to the bag and return the bags to your instructor.
</div></li></ul></li><li data-note-item="3" data-parent-collapse="">Results
<button class="expand">Expand</button><ul class="lab-items"><li data-sub-note-item="3-1"><div class="lab-step">To calculate the alpha diversity of the transect and quadrat data collected by your group, use the data your data recorder entered for each species and enter it into your diversity table. <a href="https://www.jove.com/CDNSource/lm/labs/25/Table_3_Measuring_biodiversity.xlsx" style="display:block;margin:20px;" target="__blank">Click Here to download Table 3</a>
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-2"><div class="lab-step">Then, fill out the alpha diversity for each habitat into the appropriate column in the table.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-3"><div class="lab-step">Use the species data from your quadrat and transect table and enter the beta diversity data into the appropriate data cells within the diversity table. NOTE: The beta diversity is the number of species that are unique between two habitats. In this video, there are three species in common between the two sites, but a total of six unique species, giving a beta diversity of six between site A and B.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-4"><div class="lab-step">To calculate the gamma diversity for your activity, use the data from your quadrat and transect table and enter the gamma diversity data into the appropriate data cell. NOTE: The gamma diversity is the number of species in all of the habitats within a single study. It is not the sum of all of the alpha diversities, because species that are common between habitats should be counted only once.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-5"><div class="lab-step">To construct species accumulation curves for both of the bead sampling communities, use your bead color selection data to plot the species by sampling effort. That is the number of total colors by sample in the graph for each bead bag community.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-6"><div class="lab-step">Then, estimate the asymptote of the plotted data by appearance. Predict the number of species you would expect to find in each community. Note any differences in appearance between the two curves. If it was easier to estimate the number of species in one of the communities, make a hypothesis to explain this observation.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-7"><div class="lab-step">To construct rank abundance curves for both of the bead sampling communities, use the color bead data to fill in the table for both community A and community B, listing the colors that were identified during the sampling in the color column, and adding the total number of beads of each color that was sampled in the abundance column. <a href="https://www.jove.com/CDNSource/lm/labs/25/Table_4_Measuring_biodiversity.xlsx" style="display:block;margin:20px;" target="__blank">Click Here to download Table 4</a>
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-8"><div class="lab-step">Now, assign a rank to each color in the rank column, designating the color of the highest abundance the highest rank, rank one, and the color with the lowest abundance the lowest rank, rank 10. If there are multiple colors with the same number, just assign them consecutive ranks.
</div></li><li data-sub-note-item="3-9"><div class="lab-step">Plot individual rank abundance curves for the number of individuals by species ranked for the most to least common in both community A and community B. Compare the steepness of the two rank curves. Compare the richness and evenness between the two communities. Identify the community that you consider more biodiverse. 
</div></li></ul></li></ol>

Quadrats and Transects
ExpandIn this activity, you will be using quadrats along transect lines to take biodiversity measurements of the plant species in ...

<p>In this activity, you will be using quadrats along transect lines to take biodiversity measurements of the plant species in three distinct habitats near your classroom. Begin by splitting into groups. Four works best.</p><p>Select one person in your group to be the data recorder. The other three will be the data collectors. Next, take one quadrat, or hula hoop, per group and place it on one side of one transect, or rope, next to a knot to allow identification of the plant species encircled by your quadrat.</p><p>For this experiment, the alternative hypothesis is that the alpha diversity will be smaller than gamma, meaning that there will be differences in the species that are present in each different habitat. The null hypothesis for this activity is that the alpha and gamma will be equal, meaning that there will be no species diversity difference between the communities sampled. Each data collector must survey and identify the different plant species or any morphologically distinct varieties within your group's quadrat, giving the name of each plant type that you identify to the data recorder.</p><p>It may seem like there are only a couple of species present at first, but look closer. It may take several minutes to find them all. Three to four minutes is typically sufficient.</p><p>In addition to recording the species name, the data recorder must also write a short description in the table, so that each species is able to be identified again in subsequent quadrats. Once all of the species within a quadrat have been identified, pick up your hoop and move on to the next knot along the same transect. Continue surveying and moving to the next knot until you have completed the entire rope transect.</p><p>Once you have completed the rope, move to a transect in a different habitat, and begin identifying the different species within each quadrat along the new transect, until each group has identified plants along three lengths of rope, one in each habitat, for a total of 15 quadrats surveyed. When all of the species data has been collected, carry the transects and quadrats back to the classroom. In the next activity, you will be calculating and comparing the species richness and evenness in two distinct populations, represented here by two opaque bags containing beads of various colors.</p><p>For this exercise, start by taking one paper bag of beads per group. Have one person reach into the bag and randomly pull out three beads without looking. Write down the bead colors, as well as the total number of colors pulled from the bag in the table.</p><p>In this activity, the alternative hypothesis states that species evenness in the two communities will be different, while the richness will be the same. The null hypothesis might be that species richness and evenness will be the same in both communities. Place the beads back in the bag after their colors are recorded.</p><p>Then shake the bag and have the next person in the group draw another set of three beads. Record the colors and numbers of beads that they pulled in the table. Record the colors in the second row and the cumulative number of colors drawn in the last column.</p><p>In this case, that's four:black, red, orange, and purple. Continue to take turns drawing three beads from the bag until 20 samples have been drawn. Next, switch bags with a group with a bag from the other community, and repeat the exercise of drawing 20 samples, recording the color data in the appropriate community column of the table.</p><p>When all of the data has been recorded, return the beads to the bag and return the bags to your instructor. To calculate the alpha diversity of the transect and quadrat data collected by your group, use the data your data recorder entered for each species and enter it into your diversity table. Then, fill out the alpha diversity for each habitat into the appropriate column in the table.</p><p>The beta diversity is the number of species that are unique between two habitats. Here, there are three species in common between the two sites, but a total of six unique species, giving a beta diversity of six between site A and B.Use the species data from your quadrat and transect table and enter the beta diversity data into the appropriate data cells within the diversity table. The gamma diversity is the number of species in all of the habitats within a single study.</p><p>It is not the sum of all of the alpha diversities, because species that are common between habitats should be counted only once. To calculate the gamma diversity for your activity, use the data from your quadrat and transect table and enter the gammar diversity data into the appropriate data cell. The values for the alpha, beta, and gamma diversities are all dependent on the areas being sampled.</p><p>Knowing these values, what can you say about the biodiversity of the three habitats that you sampled from? To construct species accumulation curves for both of the bead sampling communities, use your bead color selection data to plot the species by sampling effort. That is the number of total colors by sample in the graph for each bead bag community.</p><p>Then, estimate the asymptote of the plotted data by appearance. How many species do you predict are in each community? Do the curves look different between the two community types?</p><p>Is estimating the number of species easier for one community in comparison to the other? Why? To construct rank abundance curves for both of the bead sampling communities, use the color bead data to fill in the table for both community A and community B, listing the colors that were identified during the sampling in the color column, and adding the total number of beads of each color that was sampled in the abundance column.</p><p>Now, assign a rank to each color in the rank column, designating the color of the highest abundance the highest rank, rank one, and the color with the lowest abundance the lowest rank, rank 10. If there are multiple colors with the same number, just assign them consecutive ranks. Plot individual rank abundance curves for the number of individuals by species ranked for the most to least common in both community A and community B.Is one of the rank curves steeper than the other?</p><p>How do the richness and evenness compare? Which community would you consider more biodiverse?</p>

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Measuring Biodiversity

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