Question

How is biodiversity measured?

Answer 1

Variations of life at various levels of biological organization are measured based on the three levels of biodiversity which show the diversity of genes in species, diversity of species level, and diversity at a higher level of organization.

Complete answer:
The existence of biodiversity is not only at the species level but also at levels of biological organization ranging from macromolecules within the cells to the biotic community in a large area. Biodiversity is measured in three levels namely genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecological diversity. Within the species, the diversity of genes is called genetic diversity. At the species level, the diversity of species is called species diversity. For example, amphibian diversity on the western ghats is greater than eastern ghats. Diversity at a higher level of organization is called ecological diversity. For example, India has greater ecosystem diversity with its deserts, rainforests, wetlands, estuaries, and alpine meadows than many other countries such as Scandinavian country Norway. Biodiversity can also be measured based on the species richness in a particular area.

Additional information:
- The number of species present per unit area is called species richness. As the number of species increases, there is an increase in species richness.
- Within a region, with increasingly explored areas, species richness increased but up to a limit. This is observed by Alexander Von Humboldt.
- The relation between richness of species and area for a wide variety of taxa gives a nonlinear curve in the logarithmic scale.

Note: logS=logC+Z log A is the equation that describes relationships between richness of species and area of a wide variety of taxa on a logarithmic scale. In this equation, S is species richness, A is an area, Z is the slope of the line, and C is Y-intercept.