Science 1 biodiversity

What is biodiversity? Biological diversity - or biodiversity:

Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity The Amazon region may contain as much as 1/3 of all life on Earth There are 80,000+ species of plants in the Amazon (compared to 20,000 species in the U.S.) There are 2,000+ species of fish in the Amazon River Basin compared to 250 species of fish in the Mississippi River Basin There are 1800+ species of birds in Peru alone compared to 850 in all of North America 150 species of beetles were found on a single tree in Peru 300 different tree species were found in a single hectare (2 ½ acres) near Explorama lodge: the highest tree diversity in the world! All Photos by Amy Urling

What factors naturally influence biodiversity? Climate / Distance from equator Land size

Why is biodiversity important?

Monoculture vs. Polyculture Monoculture: single crop planted over a large area Polyculture: multiple crops interspersed

Measuring Species Diversity Species Richness: Species Evenness: Simpson's index (D): the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to two different species/categories Shannon-Wiener index (H): measures the order/disorder in a particular system. This order is characterized by the number of individuals found for each species/category in the sample.

Calculating biodiversity The closer the diversity index is to 1, the more likely it is that the habitat is diverse and healthy. Purpose of placing a numerical value on the biodiversity of an area: to compare with other areas to determine changes over time to determine how to manage a site Biodiversity Calculator: http://www.alyoung.com/labs/biodiversity_calculator.html

Biodiversity Inquiry Lab Which of the following 4x12ft. garden areas will have the highest invertebrate biodiversity? METHODS: Visual surveys Pitfall traps