HardBiologyHigh School (11–12)Ecology and EnvironmentNumerical

Two meadows each have 1000 plants of four species…

Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.

Two meadows each have $1000$ plants of four species. In meadow M the counts are $900$ , $50$ , $30$ and $20$ . In meadow N the counts are $250$ , $250$ , $250$ and $250$ .

Which meadow has the greater richness?

Find Simpson's index of each meadow, to three decimals.

A student says that the two meadows are equally diverse because both have four species. Say what is wrong with this.

Need a reminder? The key ideaShow

Genetic diversity is the variety inside one species. Species diversity is the variety of species in a region. Ecological diversity is the variety of ecosystems. Simpson's index of diversity is $D = 1 - \sum (n/N)^2$ , where $n$ is the count of one species and $N$ is the count of all (not in the NEET syllabus).

The worked solution

Have you tried it?

Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.

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