1. Science 1
biodiversity

2. What is biodiversity?
Biological diversity - or biodiversity:

3. Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity
The Amazon region may contain as much as 1/3 of all life on Earth
There are 80,000+ species of plants in the Amazon (compared to 20,000 species in the U.S.)
There are 2,000+ species of fish in the Amazon River Basin compared to 250 species of fish in the Mississippi River Basin
There are species of birds in Peru alone compared to 850 in all of North America
150 species of beetles were found on a single tree in Peru
300 different tree species were found in a single hectare (2 ½ acres) near Explorama lodge: the highest tree diversity in the world!
All Photos by Amy Urling

4. What factors naturally influence biodiversity?
Climate / Distance from equator
Land size

5. Why is biodiversity important?

6. Monoculture vs. Polyculture
Monoculture: single crop planted over a large area
Polyculture: multiple crops interspersed

7. Measuring Species Diversity
Species Richness:
Species Evenness:
Simpson's index (D): the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to two different species/categories
Shannon-Wiener index (H): measures the order/disorder in a particular system. This order is characterized by the number of individuals found for each species/category in the sample.

8. Calculating biodiversity
The closer the diversity index is to 1, the more likely it is that the habitat is diverse and healthy.
Purpose of placing a numerical value on the biodiversity of an area:
to compare with other areas
to determine changes over time
to determine how to manage a site
Biodiversity Calculator:

9. Biodiversity Inquiry Lab
Which of the following 4x12ft. garden areas will have the highest invertebrate biodiversity?
METHODS:
Visual surveys
Pitfall traps