My AP Biology Thoughts

Unit 8 Episode # 30 

Welcome to My AP Biology Thoughts podcast, my name is Chloe and I am your host for episode 30 called Unit 8 Ecology: Simpson Diversity Index.  Today we will be discussing how diversity in an ecosystem can be measured mathematically on a scale from 0 to 1.

Segment 1: Introduction to Simpson Diversity Index

• The Simpson Diversity Index measures the diversity in a habitat while taking into account the number of species present and the abundance of organisms in each species. There is a simple equation to this Index which will give you a number from 0 to 1 as your answer, 1 being infinite diversity, and 0 being no diversity at all. 

Segment 2: Examples of Simpson Diversity Index

• The Simpson Diversity Index is important because it can help measure how diversity changes in response to a natural event or human impact. For example, scientists could measure the diversity of a habitat before and after a forest fire, and analyze the Simpson Diversity index to understand how the diversity was affected by the fire. Biodiversity in a habitat is important because each species has a specific role, and a significant decrease in the number of species could have a detrimental effect on the habitat. Keystone species are especially important to a habitat because a majority of species rely and depend on them. If the keystone species gets wiped out, it is more than likely for the Simpson Diversity index to drastically decrease.

Segment 3: Digging Deeper into Simpson Diversity Index

• When natural selection results in adaptive radiation, the Simpson diversity index can change drastically. For example, Darwin’s Finches created 13 different species which is an increase in the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Another example is extinction. When a natural disaster causes the diversity index to decrease, many niches are left unoccupied, and the habitat can fall apart leading to extinction. 

Thank you for listening to this episode of My AP Biology Thoughts.   For more student-ran podcasts and digital content, make sure that you visit www.hvspn.com.  See you next time!

Music Credits:

• "Ice Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
•  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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