ESS Topic 2.

3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

2.3.1 Construct simple keys and use published keys for the identification of
organisms.

Read pp.309-312 in the IBO ESS Course Companion.

In class, develop a dichotomous key for all the organisms listed in Figure
16.4: "A picture key of pond animals". Your key should start with the largest
groups of organisms and split them into successively smaller groups until
each organism is alone in its own group. No characteristic should be used
twice to subdivide different groups.

Heres another selection of critters to classify with your own dichotomous

key:

Complete the "To-do" activity accompanying Figure 16.5: "A selection of

arthropods" on p.312
ESS Topic 2.3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

2.3.2 Describe and evaluate methods for estimating abundance of

organisms.

Because it's usually impractical to sample every single organism in an

ecosystem, we use statistical sampling to estimate the abundance of species
within the ecosystem.

A transect is a line across an ecosystem along which quadrats may be placed

for sampling.

Quadrats are square frames of a specific size, in which we count the number
of each species of organism.

The size of the quadrat depends on the size of organism anticipated (i.e.
small quadrats for small organisms and large quadrats for large
organisms).
The number of quadrats used for sampling depends on the number of
species found. If we plot the number of species found against the
number of quadrats used, once the number of species is stable, it's no
longer necessary to add more quadrats - we can assume we've found
all the species in the sample area. Refer to Fig. 16.6 on p.315 of the
IBO ESS Course Companion.
Placing quadrats: Quadrats can be placed randomly, continuously, or
systematically.
Random quadrats - use random number tables (easily generated
online) to determine placement of quadrats. Click here for an
example of how to do this.
Continual quadrats - place quadrats adjacently along a transect
line and every species along the line. This is quite accurate but
can be extremely time-consuming.
Systematic quadrats - place quadrats along a transect at regular,
pre-determined intervals.
Estimating abundance depends on the type of organism being sampled.

Plants are stationary, so we can use the percentage cover to estimate

their abundance. Simply put, estimate the % of each quadrat covered
by each species' leaf area. The total % in a quadrat do NOT have to
total 100%!
We can also count the density of individuals - how many per square
meter.
Frequency of individuals is the % of the number of quadrats where a
particular species is found (i.e. Acacia senegalensis was present in 47
of 92 quadrats, for a frequency of 51%).
Here's a Youtube video podcast showing how an AP Environmental Science
class in North Carolina uses some of these field sampling techniques.
ESS Topic 2.3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

Capture, mark, release, recapture: Animals within an ecosystem are caught

and marked so that they may be tracked in the future, then released back
into their habitat. At a subsequent time, another capture event is held, and
previously-marked animals are noted in the field notes. We must be careful
to make sure that the way the animals are marked doesn't make them more
prone to be killed and eaten by predators or harm their chances of survival in
any other way (i.e. making it more difficult to hunt or find food for
themselves).

The Lincoln Index is an important tool for estimating population size via
capture-release programs. This method is frequently used but is not perfect.
See some of the assumptions on p.317 of the IBO ESS Course Companion for
further explanations. In class, compelte the Lincoln Index calculations on
p.317. The formula for calculating the Lincoln index is explained below:

N = (n1 x n2)/m2 where:

N = total population
n1 = number of animals first marked and released
n2 = number of animals captured in the second sample
m2 = number of marked animals in the second population

2.3.3 Describe and evaluate methods for estimating the biomass of trophic
levels in a community.

Biomass, as the name implies, is a measurement of the mass of living

material at a trophic level or within an ecosystem. Because water is NOT
living, we do not include it in our calculations.

Since all organisms are made of roughly the same organic molecules in
similar proportions, a measure of their dry weight is a rough measure of the
energy they contain. Therefore, material brought into the lab must be dried
completely before measuring its mass. Normally, this is accomplished by
placing the material in a warm - not hot - drying oven and allowing it to dry
completely over a day or two before weighing it.

Use the Lincoln index (above) to estimate the total population of a secies
of organisms.
Once the mass of an average organism within the population is known,
that mass can be multiplied by the estimated population to determine
the total biomass of the population of that species.
This process is repeated until all species at a trophic level have been
accounted for.
ESS Topic 2.3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

(Source:
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/F/FoodChains.ht
ml)

2.3.4 Define the term diversity.

Diversity (commonly 'biodiversity' when discussing ecological principles) is a

measure of the relative abundance of different living organisms within an
ecosystem. Diversity is not simply the number of different species found in
an ecosystem - consideration must be given to the relative abundance of all
species within the system.

Two ecosystems may have the same number of species (called 'species
richness'), but vary considerably in their diversity. If one or two species make
up most of the total number of living organisms within the system, that
system is considered less diverse than one in which the numbers of every
species are relatively similar (called 'species evenness').

Look at the example on p.318 (recreated below). Both ecosystem 1 and

ecosystem 2 have the same species richness - they each contain 3 different
species. They also have similar numbers of organisms (70 and 72,
respectively). However, the vast majority of organisms in ecosystem 2 are
from a single species - species 'A'. Because the distribution of species in
ecosystem 2 is skewed heavily to species A, ecosystem 2 is considered less
diverse than ecosystem 1. How does Ecosystem # 3 compare to #1 and #2
in terms of species richness and species evenness?

Diversity of different ecosystems

Species # of Individuals

A 25

Ecosystem #1 B 24

C 21

A 65

Ecosystem #2 B 3

C 4

Ecosystem #3 A 28
ESS Topic 2.3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

Species # of Individuals

B 32

C 12
Because ESS examines the science of ecosystems, we must be able to
quantify or measure the diversity of ecosystems for the sake of comparison.
How do we do that? Read below...
ESS Topic 2.3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

2.3.5 Apply Simpsons diversity index and outline its significance.

Simpson's diversity index is a mathematical model used to compare the

relative biodiversity of different ecosystems. A full explanation can be found
on p.318 of the IBO ESS Course Companion. In short, the higher the
numerical value of Simpson's diversity index, the greater the biodiversity of a
system.

D = [N*(N-1)]/[(n*(n-1)]

Where...

D = diversity index
N = total number of organisms of all species found
n = number of individuals of a particular species

Complete the "To do" activities # 1-3 on p.318 in class. In addition, respond
to the following prompts in your notebook:

1. Calculate the diversity index 'D' for a sample from ecosystem #3, the
North American temperate deciduous forest. Sample data are listed in
Table 1, below.
2. What would happen to 'D' if all the oaks were harvested, leading to a
40% decline in the squirrel population, a decline of 25% in the
woodpecker population, and a 30% decline in the warbler population in
ecosystem #3?

Table 1: Species distribution in the eastern deciduous forest of North

America, October 2009.

Species # of individuals per

species

Red oak (Quercus rubrum) 55

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) 60

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) 32

Eastern white-tail deer (Odocoileus 88

virginianus)
ESS Topic 2.3 - Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem

Species # of individuals per

species

Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus 110

carolinensis)

Red bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes 50

carolinus)

Yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica 42

coronata)

This site has a good step-by-step explanation of Simpson's Diversity Index.