Lesson 2: Measuring Biodiversity
Duration of Days: 3
Lesson Objective
Calculate species richness and evenness using the Simpson’s Diversity Index.
Is an ecosystem with 1,000 birds of one species healthier than one with 100 birds of ten species?
How many species are in this ecosystem?
How evenly are species distributed?
How does species composition differ between habitats?
HS-LS2-7: Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
Practical application of formulas and multi-step problem solving.
Students learn to quantify ecosystem health using species richness and species evenness.
(DOK 3)
See "Materials / Resources / Text / Speakers" field
Students are provided with data from two different forest plots, one a monoculture and one a diverse old-growth forest, and must calculate which has a higher diversity index and explain why the diverse plot is more resilient to disease.