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Investigating diversity

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Question 6

A marine biologist investigated the benthic community surrounding a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Table 1 shows the number of individuals of each invertebrate species recorded within a designated sampling quadrat.

Table 1

SpeciesNumber of individuals (nnn)
Riftia pachyptila15
Rimicaris exoculata24
Bathymodiolus thermophilus11
Alvinella pompejana9
Bythograea thermydron6
Thermarces cerberus5

Calculate the index of diversity (ddd) for this hydrothermal vent community using the formula:

d=N(N−1)∑n(n−1) d = \frac{N(N-1)}{\sum n(n-1)} d=∑n(n−1)N(N−1)​

Show your working and give your answer to 2 decimal places.

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Investigating diversity Questions

  1. A Level
  2. /Biology
  3. /Investigating diversity