EXPLORE ACTIVITY 10: Quantifying Biodiversity

Objectives

At the end of the performance of this on-classroom activity (1-2 hours) the student should be
able:

1. To explain how biodiversity is quantitatively determined using the Simpson index.

2. To estimate plant biodiversity in one portion of the University campus using the
Simpson Index.
3. To explain how biodiversity is affected by habitat fragmentation.
4. To illustrate what habitat fragmentation is.

N.B. You should read and understand the procedures included under explore activity 9, i.e. qualitative
biodiversity characterization before embarking on this task.

Background
.
In one area (X) of a tropical rain forest, there are 43 species of plants. In terms of numbers of species, it
is more diverse than a neighboring area (Y) that contains only 26 species. Supposed, that in the section
with 26 species, the species were all roughly comparable in numbers of individuals. In the section with 43
species, a few species were prevalent and the rest were rare.

Which area would then be most diverse X or Y?

Ecologists have used various measures as a means to quantify biodiversity. One simple measure is the
Simpson index. To calculate for this index, you need to know the number of individuals for each
particular species (n) and the sum of those numbers (N). Expressed as:

D = SUM (n/N)2
As an example, in an ecosystem where three different types of species are found; where one species has
10 members, a second has 40, and a third has 20:

D = (10/70)2 + (40/70)2 + (20/70)2 = 0.429.

So in calculating D, we are summing the squares of the proportion each species makes to the total.

D is actually inversely related to diversity. When D = 0 (its theoretical minimum), there is infinite diversity.
When D = 1 (its maximum), there is no diversity as all of the individuals are from just one species. To
express this in a realistic way, Ecologists will often use the reciprocal of D which is 1/D. This figure now is
the effective number of species in the area.

In the above example, the effective number of species is 1/0.429 or 2.33. Although there are three
species in that area, because two species is common (the one with 40 and 20 species respectively) and
the other one is relatively rare (the one with 10 species) there is less diversity than there would be if all
three species are equally frequent. Three equally numerous species would have a D of 0.333 and 1/D of
3. The maximum number of effective species is equal to the actual number of species and is achieved
only when all species are equally abundant.

Things Needed
There should be 100 or 125 (for groups with 4 and 5 members respectively) small colored objects to
represent individuals in an ecosystem. For every member, have five (5) small items (e.g., strips of paper,
toothpicks, matchsticks, colored candies, etc.) to be represented by five different colors (five red, five
green, five white, etc.), for a total of 100 or 125.

Procedure
Follow the step-by-step process on calculating the diversity index using Simpson’s in the example
population. Then, test the effects of habitat fragmentation on populations you will create, using the
materials described under materials to represent individuals of different species.

Exercise 1: Practice calculating diversity.

1.1. Calculate D and then the effective number of species in a community that consists of the
following:
Species A – 45
Species B – 32
Species C – 13
Species D – 6
Species E – 4

1.2. Questions:
1.2.1. How does D for this scenario compare to the numbers worked out in the example?
1.2.2. How does this population compare to the example population with three species where one
dominates, or the example of two equally frequent species?

Exercise 2: Make (and fragment) a habitat.

2.1. Make an ecosystem using the colored items as described previously (e.g., the strips of paper,
matchsticks, or colored candies) to represent individuals of five different species. Each member will put
in 25 items—five each of the five different colors—until the ecosystem is complete. Each color will
represent a different species; for example, if there are 4 or 5 members, there should be 100 or 125 total
items for the group. Calculate D and the effective number of species for the total population. Take a
random sample of 25 items from the total, and calculate D and the effective number of species for its
sample.

2.2. Questions:
2.2.1. What is habitat fragmentation?
2.2.2. Discuss how habitat fragmentation is illustrated in this exercise.
2.2.3. Give some real life scenarios when, where, and how habitat fragmentation take place.

Exercise 3:

3.1 Borrow the results of group 8 who performed qualitative biodiversity characterization, and compute for
the Simpson Index in the quantification of biodiversity of group 8’s area of study.

3.2. Questions:

3.2.1. How would you describe quantitatively the biodiversity of the ecosystem in group 8’s study site?