Temperate
Forest Analysis
- Go to Shikellamy State Park. In your team mark out a 10X50 meter
plot. Count and identify all of the trees that are larger than
3"dbh (you can estimate this by attempting to wrap your hand around a
tree at shoulder height. You count the tree if the trunk is large
enough so that your thumb and forefinger do not touch.
- How many different species did you encounter?
GRAND TOTAL: ___________________
- Use the Shannon Diversity Index to estimate diversity of the
10x50 meter plot that you sampled. This diversity index is a common means of comparing diversity between different sites. It requires that the site be sampled randomly or completely and that the organisms occupy
the same scale. Use the numbers that you generated above and calculate the diversity of your site.
Shannon Diversity = -SUM[(Pi)*(log Pi)] where Pi = number of individuals within species i
/ grand total number of individuals.
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Pi |
log Pi |
Pi*logPi |
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SUM=___________________________
- Use the species-area relationship to estimate the number of trees in Shikellamy State Park.
- Incorporate the Shannon-Weaver Index (H), and a species-area graph with an estimate for the the number of
trees in the state park
