Species diversity and ecological stability Flashcards
What is one common way to measure biodiversity
Simpson’s Diversity Index
What is species diversity
The number of different species present in an ecosystem and relative abundance of each of those species
In the Simpson’s Diversity Index formula what does “D” mean
D = Species diversity index
In the Simpson’s Diversity Index formula what does “N” mean
Total number of organisms of all species
In the Simpson’s Diversity Index formula what does “n” mean
Total number of organisms of an individual species
In the Simpson’s Diversity Index formula what does “Σ” mean
Sum of
The higher the value of D the…
..more species diversity in an area
What does higher biodiversity generally result in
More stable ecosystems
Why is it important to measure species diversity
It identifies ecosystems with higher or lower biodiversity and can also show whether it is increasing or decreasing
Species diversity is often low in more hostile environments which are dominated by abiotic factors. What is an example of an environment with low species diversity
- Antarctica
- Desert
Species diversity is often high in less hostile environments which are dominated by biotic factors. What is an example off an environment with high species diversity
- Tropical coral reefs
- Tropical rainforests
