2025 - M/J - 8291/11 | Q2
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(a) A scientist investigates the biodiversity of a grassland biome.
(i) Describe how a quadrat is used in a random sampling strategy to estimate the populations of plant species in a \(1 \mathrm{~km}^{2}\) area.
In your answer include:
(ii) State two limitations of using a quadrat to estimate the populations of plant species in random sampling strategies.
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(b) Table 2.1 shows the populations of the plant species in the grassland biome.
Table 2.1
| species | population (number of individuals \(n\)) |
\(\dfrac{n}{N}\) | \(\left(\dfrac{n}{N}\right)^2\) |
|---|---|---|---|
| shiny star grass | 35 | ||
| butter gerbera | 360 | ||
| heart vine | 95 | ||
| sheepfig | 230 | ||
| hairy crabgrass | 120 | ||
| \(N =\) | \(\Sigma\left(\dfrac{n}{N}\right)^2 =\) |
\(n =\) number of individuals
\(N =\) total number of individuals
(i) Complete Table 2.1.
(ii) Calculate Simpson's index of diversity, \(D\), using the formula:
\[ D=1-\left(\Sigma\left(\dfrac{n}{N}\right)^{2}\right) \]\(D =\)
(iii) The scientist compared the Simpson's index of diversity of a different grassland biome to a tundra biome. The values are shown in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2
| biome | Simpson's index of diversity |
|---|---|
| grassland | 0.81 |
| tundra | 0.33 |
Compare the biodiversity of the two biomes.
(iv) Table 2.3 describes the climate, soil type and vegetation in grassland and tundra biomes.
Complete Table 2.3.
Table 2.3
| biome | ||
|---|---|---|
| grassland | tundra | |
| climate | different seasons with moderate temperatures | |
| soil type | thin (shallow) soil with few nutrients | |
| vegetation | grasses, shrubs and small trees | |