Measuring biodiversity

• how would you estimate species richness?

  • make observations within the habitat and record all the species present
  • may perform sampling, but will also perform further visual checks in case any species were missed
• how would you estimate species evenness of plants?

  • survey the frequency of plants using the appropriate sampling method
  • large plants - counting number of individuals
  • small plants - estimating or measuring percentage cover
• how would you estimate species evenness of animals?

  • measure population density, by calculating the number of animals of each species per unit area
  • large animals - count the individuals
  • small animals - sample using trapping method, mark-and-recapture technique
• diverse habitats are more stable and are more able to withstand environmental change