Lab – Biodiversity Index

Name:

Class: Date: …… / …… / ……

Introduction
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and
microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.

There are several important reasons for us to gain an understanding of the dynamic nature of biological diversity, particularly in terms
of maintaining ecological balance. It is no secret that humans have an enormous impact on species and ecosystem diversity, yet,
throughout our existence, biodiversity has faithfully provided us with enormous economic, medical and social benefits as well as many
other natural services. As such, it is essential that we actively choose to minimize the negative impacts that our actions have on the
environment.

There are many ways to measure biodiversity, and scientists do not agree on one method. However, scientists do agree that more
than one measurement is necessary to gain an accurate picture of the diversity within an area. These measurements often include
species richness and evenness calculations, which are then used within an index, which offers a simple number that can be interpreted
with ease.

The Biodiversity index is a complex measure of biodiversity that combines species richness and species evenness to create a
measurement. Based on this number, we can determine whether the site has a low or high level of biodiversity. The scale ranges from
0-1, with 0 representing low biodiversity and 1 representing high biodiversity. We can also use this number to compare biodiversity
between different sites.

Research question
Which ecosystem do you think will have a higher biodiversity index?

Hypothesis
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Materials
Labeled containers filled with little objects. The little objects represent the different species that live in a 1 square meter area of that
habitat. The different colors and shapes represent different species of animals and plants.

Procedure
1. Pick one habitat container.
2. Remove the objects from the container and record the data in the Results table.
3. Once the beads are counted, calculate the biodiversity index for the habitat and record it in the table above.
4. Rotate the bottles with other groups and repeat the steps until your table is complete.
Results
Make your calculations below. Then, fill out Table 1 with the corresponding information.

Table 1: Biodiversity Index results

Number of individuals Total number of

Habitat Type Number of species Biodiversity index
of each species individuals

Tropical Rainforest

Coniferous forest

Deciduous forest

Desert

Grasslands
Analysis and Conclusion
1. How could scientists use your data to make decisions?

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2. Imagine that an area studied has 5 plants, but they are 5 different species. The biodiversity index would be 1.
Does this area truly have such a high biodiversity index? Explain your reasoning.

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3. Do you think this activity helped you learn more about biodiversity? Explain your answer.

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4. Look for information about other ways by which we can calculate the level of biodiversity of a habitat and explain
it in brief words. Don’t forget to mention your source at the end of your answer!

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Criteria Aspect(s) Result

ii. outline a testable hypothesis about the biodiversity of a habitat and
B: Inquiring and explain it using scientific reasoning
Designing iii. Design scientific investigations

C: Processing i. present collected and transformed data

and Evaluating ii. interpret data and describe results using scientific reasoning