diversity lab

Biology

Ecology
Diversity Index Lab
Introduction
The measure of the biodiversity of organisms in a given area is known as the diversity index. The diversity index values will vary between 0, which would indicate no diversity, and 1, which is very diverse. Any values above 0.5 usually indicate a relatively diverse population. For example, a healthy forest or woodland should have a diversity index of
0.7. An area that is not very diverse, like a cornfield, might have a diversity index of 0.02 or less.
In this investigation, each bag of candy represents a different habitat. Each color represents a different plant in the habitat.

Materials
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notebook paper
1 small bag of fruit candies of different colors
1 small bag of chocolate candies of different colors
2 dishes or plastic containers

Procedures
1. Pour each bag of candy into a separate container or dish so you can see all the colors in each bag. Assign a letter to each color of chocolate candies and fruit candies, and record your key.

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2. Without looking, randomly choose nine candies from each container one at a time.
Using the letter symbols, record each candy as it is removed. Record your results using the following table.
Color

Color

Color

Color

Color

Color

Color

Color

Color

Number of different colors in total

Fruit
Candy
Trial 1
Fruit
Candy
Trial 2
Fruit
Candy
Trial 3
Chocolate
Candy
Trial 1
Chocolate
Candy
Trial 2
Chocolate
Candy
Trial 3

3. Count the number of species in each sample. Each color represents a different plant in the habitat.
Example: R, Bl, G, G, Y, Y, G, Bl, Bl has 4 species of plants.
4. Calculate the diversity index of both the bag of chocolate candies and fruit candies number of species using the following formula for each trial: Diversity Index = number of samples
4
Example: R, Bl, G, G, Y, Y, G, Bl, Bl is ≈ 0.44
9

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