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Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
Variety of living & non-living things
3 basic components: genetic diversity, species
richness, and ecosystem diversity
Genetic diversity-the variety of DNA in an
individual or organism (unique characteristics)
Species richness-the number of different species
in an area (food chain)
Ecosystem diversity-the variety of environments
in an area
Indicator of ecosystem health
Biomes
A major regional or global biotic
community, such as a grassland or
desert, characterized chiefly by the
dominant forms of plant life and the
prevailing climate.
Forest, tundra, aquatic, grassland,
desert
Biomes
Forest- a dense growth of trees, plants, and
underbrush covering a large area
– Tropical
– Boreal
– Temperate
Tundra- a vast treeless plain, with little
vegetation and cold temperatures
– Arctic
– Alpine
Biomes
Aquatic biome-consisting of, relating to, or
being in the water
– salt water and fresh water
Grassland-dominated by grass or grass like
vegetation, such as prairie or meadow
– Savanna
– Temperate
Desert-a dry, often sandy region of little
rainfall, extreme temperatures and sparse
vegetation
– Hot/dry, semi-arid, coastal, cold
Why is biodiversity important?
A way of life
Healthy ecosystem
Oxygen
Clothes
Food
Cycle of interdependence
Threats to Biodiversity
Pollution
Global Warming
Deforestation
Overexploitation
Urban areas
Littering
War
Ways to Protect Biodiversity
Decrease use of aerosols
Find new fuel substitutes
Public transportation, walk, bike
Recycle
Use only what is necessary
Designate part of your lawn to biodiversity
Encourage routine neighborhood clean-up
The purpose of our study
The purpose of our study was to observe
six different environments and determine
which had the highest level of biodiversity.
Hypotheses
The wetland habitat would have the
highest level of biodiversity.
The wetland habitat would have the
highest soil moisture percentage.
The area with the most canopy cover
would have the lowest air temperature.
Study sites
C&O Canal
Downtown Cumberland
Finzel Swamp
Carey Run Nature
Sanctuary
Private property, Lavale,
MD
Savage Mountain Hiking
Trail
 Edge habitat
 Urban
 Wetland
 Planted forest
 Open field
 Natural forest
Methods
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


Field Methods
Observations
Air temperature
Canopy cover
Soil sample
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

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Laboratory Methods
Measured 30 grams
of soil on electronic
balance
Dried in drying oven
for 24 hours
Weighed soil again
Calculated soil
moisture
Calculations
[(wet weight-dry weight)/wet weight] x 100
Example:
[(30.00 – 23.16) / 30.00] x 100
[6.84 / 30.00]
[0.23] x 100
final answer = 23% soil moisture
Observations
C&O Canal
Edge habitat
 Birds, trees, deer,
squirrels
 Plants, flowers,
leaves, grass, sun
 Mosquitoes, flies,
dragonflies, beetles
Downtown
Cumberland
Urban area
 Fountains, trees,
plants, birds, flowers
 Stores, people, cars,
pollution
Observations
Finzel Swamp
Wetland
 Shrubs, flowers,
marsh grasses, trees,
blueberries
 Mosquitoes,
butterflies, worms,
clamshell
 Water habitat
Carey Run Nature
Sanctuary
Planted forest
 Red pine trees
 Pine needles, sticks
 No grass
 Deer, birds, dead
trees
 Odor from decaying
matter
Observations
Savage Mountain
Hiking Trail
Natural forest
 Ferns, trees, leaves,
poison oak/ivy
 Insects
 Deer, birds, bears
Open Field
 Gravel road ,tall
grass, short grass,
dead leaves
 Rattlesnakes, deer,
mice, rodents
 Butterflies,
mosquitoes, birds
Results
Biodiversity
 Wetland
 Edge habitat
 Natural forest
 Open field
 Planted forest
 Urban
Soil Moisture
 Natural forest
 Wetland
 Edge habitat
 Planted forest
 Open field
 Urban
Biodiversity/Soil Moisture graph
Relationship between Biodiversity and Soil Moisture
7
6
Rank
5
4
Biodiversity
Soil Moisture
3
2
1
0
Wetland
Edge
Natural Forest Open Field
Habitat
Planted
Forest
Urban
Results
Canopy Cover
 Planted forest
 Natural forest
 Edge habitat
 Urban
 Wetland
 Open field
Air Temperature
 Natural forest
 Wetland
 Edge
 Planted forest
 Open field
 Urban
Canopy Cover/Air Temp. graph
Relationship between Canopy Cover and Air Temperature
7
6
Rank
5
4
Canopy Cover
Air Temperature
3
2
1
0
Planted
Forest
Edge
Natural
Forest
Open Field
Habitat
Wetland
Urban
Hypotheses, revisited
Wetland would be the most diverse.
Accepted
Wetland had the most biodiversity.
Hypotheses, revisited
Wetland would have the most soil
moisture.
Reject
Natural forest had the most soil moisture.
Wetland had the second highest soil
moisture level.
Hypotheses, revisited
The area with the highest canopy cover
would have the coolest air temperature.
Rejected
The planted forest had the highest canopy
cover but the natural forest had the lowest
air temperature.
Importance of our results
The importance of our results is to make
us aware of the habitats around us and
how we can protect them.
Knowing which habitats have the most
biodiversity will help us to focus our
conservation efforts in the best way
possible.
Limitations
Time
Time of day
Estimate of canopy cover
Estimate of biodiversity
Number of study sights
Number of soil samples
Weather
Improvements
More time
Nighttime study
Measure canopy cover
Count plants and animals (biodiversity)
Study sites (more of each habitat)
Soil sample (deeper and more locations)
Further study
Would different geographic areas, such as
coastal areas or different states, have different
results?
Do different kinds of wetlands have different
habitat characteristics and biodiversity?
Do weather conditions affect soil moisture
content and biodiversity?
How do certain species or animal communities
use the resources of an area, and how can they
be improved?
Thank you