Week Three Lab Essay

1. Record your hypothesis about what will happen when Biuret solution is mixed with the solutions from test tubes 1, 2, 3, and 4 here. Be sure to use scientific reasoning to support your hypothesis.

Species diversity is characterised by the diversity within an ecological community (McGinley, 2014) that incorporates both the total number of species in a region and the degree to which the abundance of each of the species is similar; these concepts are termed species richness and species evenness respectively. The Simpson’s Index of Diversity is a measure of the biodiversity within a community and is derived the number of species and their relative abundances (Knox et al., 2014). The Simpson’s Index of Diversity score ranges from 0-1; the higher the score indicates a higher diversity.

The largest biodiversity species which live in the horn of Africa is Diversity and Endemism which the scientific and the common name called

diversity is low because only one area was sampled so this could account for the species being the same. If

Second, the reading states that park wildlife was affected as well. In contrast, the professor in the lecture averts that the small plants that grow create ideal

Unlike dominant species, a species that greatly affects a community due to its large biomass or abundance, keystone species are usually not the most abundant species in a community. Even though they are present in relatively small numbers, the individuals of a keystone species profoundly influence the entire community because they often effect the amount of available resources. Therefore, although both dominant and keystone species greatly affect a community, the removal of a keystone species can cause an ecosystem to collapse due to their small numbers and

Figure 7. A. Species classification for the 14 different species found in the area of study. B. Percentage based on the relative frequencies of each class in the area of study.

Of the multitude of labs and experiments performed in this class, each and every one of them exemplifies at least one aspect of the Nature of Science. One particular facet of the Nature of Science is that “Science is data driven (empirical), but also inferential.” This statement simply means that science consists of data that is obtained through mere observation and experimentation, but science also consists of inferences made from existing data. One example of an experiment conducted in this class in which the science was data driven was the Measure Twice, Cut Once lab. In this lab, plant diversity in a lawn ecosystem was measured using diversity indices such as species richness, percent cover, and species frequency just to name a few. In order to calculate and analyze the various diversity indices, empirical data was collected by dividing the lawn ecosystem into sixteen quadrats and physically observing the plants present in each quadrat.

Furthermore, many keystone species impact the environment. They are highly depended on by other species in their environment. If they were removed from the ecosystem, the environment would be affected dramatically. An example of a keystone specie is a bee. Many people may not realize it, but bees impact us in many ways. If we did not have bees our flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other crops would not be able to grow. Many keystone species have different types of symbiosis with other organisms. For example, mutualism is the type relationship bees have with plants and crops. Mutualism means that the bee is benefited by obtaining necessary nutrients from the plants and the plants are being benefited by being pollinated by the bee. There are many

On May 8th the grades Biology students went on an excursion to the rocky shore Pt. Cartwright. Rocky shores are where the land meets the sea. On the Rocky shore there are different zones that are based on tidal level, this means the rocky shore is a quickly changing environment and due to this unique condition it gives a large biodiversity. Biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. It is the variety within and between all species of plants, animals and microorganisms and the ecosystems within which they live and interact (Wwf.org.au).

The planet is made of up different ecosystems that encompass the animals, vegetation, and nonliving factors. The environmental conditions are dependent on the location and type of ecosystem. There are a large number of ecosystems, ranging from conditions found in the tundra to conditions found in the desert. Each of these types of ecosystem relies on a delicate balance maintained by the symbiotic relationships within its organisms and nonliving components. These symbiotic relationships are a result of the benefits provided by the organisms of the ecosystem. These benefits exist because of the biodiversity within the organisms. Therefore, biodiversity is responsible for the balance of ecosystems and the planet. However, biodiversity and the

Biodiversity or biological diversity is extremely important at Pistol Creek, and in other areas; this boosts the ecosystem’s energy where species can cause change in a positive or negative way. A healthy biodiversity has a number of natural services for everyone such as: ecosystem services, biological resources, and social benefits including research and education. Not only is this biodiversity helping humans in many different ways, this is also a cooperation between organisms which offers a balanced ecosystem.

The Shannon Diversity Index is a diversity index in ecological literature. The idea is that

The biodiversity of this world is not permanent; it can change by time and human activities. So we need to keep a balance between all three elements to enrich our Earth with benefits that biodiversity provides us.

Recent studies focused on biodiversity have begun to include the concept of functional diversity, which measures the range, value, and distribution of functional traits of organisms in a community ecosystem (Tilman et al. 1997; Mouchet et al. 2010). It is becoming increasingly accepted that biodiversity components of plant community, i.e. the species identity, abundance and divergence of functional traits, strongly affect ecosystem productivity, functioning, litter decomposition and soil nutrients dynamics (Wardle et al. 2004, 2012; Naeem & Wright 2003; Díaz et al. 2004; Hooper et al. 2005; Mouillot et al. 2005; Cortez et al. 2007; De Deyn et al. 2008).