Biodiversity of Leaf Litter

Renee Mtendera
Julia Roesler
Andrew Knudsen
Fatou Sall
Introduction:
Leaf litter is an essential to healthy soil. The decomposition of the leaves provide
nutrients to the soil, in order to keep it moist and fertile. The dead organic matter then provides
habitats for many r-selected species such as, ants, worms, ticks, bacterial microorganisms, etc. In
this case, leaf litter is considered to encircle a wide selection of bio-diversified species. The level
of biodiversity in a given ecosystem helps indicate whether it is healthy and stable, which is why
scientists have come up with numerous mathematical formulas, in order calculate it. The
Simpsons Diversity Index is one of those most used mathematical measures for finding
diversity. It closely analyzes a habitats richness and evenness in order to give an accurate
reading of how diverse it can be. Species richness refers to the measure of different species in a
given area. The more species in a habitat, the richer the sample is for the Simpsons Diversity
Index. Species evenness examines the abundance of the different species, which make up the
richness of an area. In order to examine the dead organisms from the leaf litter, a Berlese tunnel
was used to extract the R-Selected Species from leaf litter samples. Since insects are known to
live in soil and litter, it is understood that they will respond negatively to light. Therefore, a light
source is used to force the arthropods to move downward, where they will fall into a funnel, and
then into a container of alcohol, for microscopic viewing.

Problem:
What is the biodiversity of the leaf litter in the woods behind HHS?

Hypothesis:
The biodiversity of leaf litter in the woods behind HHS is not very high, due to the weather and
other factors; I doubt that the richness of the species in the woods was accurate enough to find
the actual diversity of the trail.

Parts of the experiment:

Control group: Sample of Soil
Experimental group: Leaf Litter
Independent variable: Samples taken
Dependent variable: Species in Biodiversity
Control variable: Soil

Materials:

Leaf Litter
Soil
Dissecting Microscope
Alcohol
Berlese Funnel
Source of Light

Procedures:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Collect a sample of leaf litter on the trail and put it into a big paper bag.
Examine the sample and surroundings so you see the area is composed of.
Place your sample into the empty gallon container under the light source.
Place a small beaker of the alcohol solution under the funnel. Small organisms should
travel down the funnel and into the funnel to be collected.
5. After a few days, collect your leaf litter and examine the organisms you have collected
under the microscopes.
6. Calculate the number of each species you have, and identify them. Use the Identification
pages to name each species.
7. Use the information to calculate the diversity indices for your sample.

Data/Data Analysis:

Species

Abundance (ni)
2
14
4
5
2
3
7
2
1
4
5
1
4
6
1
2
2
2
67

Isopod
Mite
Ant
Predaceas Mite
Thrip
Psocid
Springtail
Harvestman
True Bug
Aphid
Protura
Nematoda
Diplura
Beetle Mite
Paurapoda
Spider
Japygid
Roach
Totals

Ds =

ni (ni1)
N (N 1)

Ds =
2 ( 1 ) +14 ( 13 ) + 4 ( 3 ) +5 ( 4 )+ 2 ( 1 ) +3 ( 2 ) +1 ( 0 ) +4 (3 )+ 5 ( 4 )+1 ( 0 ) + 4 ( 3 ) +6 ( 5 ) +1 ( 0 ) +2 ( 1 )+ 2 ( 1 ) +2(1)
67 (66)

Ds =
Ds=

304
4422

= .068

.068

1-.068 = .932 ; very diverse

Conclusion:

The results of the experiment disproved the general hypothesis, proposed at the beginning
of this experiment. The woods behind Heritage High School have a high biodiversity, according
to the samples of leaf litter collected. Stated in the hypothesis, it was proposed that weather as
well as other biotic and abiotic factors were inconclusive to the given result. These two factors
had nothing to do with the biodiversity of the woods and therefore weakened the hypothesis. The
leaf litters biodiversity was higher because, it was able to contain large amounts of organisms,
as well as equal amounts of the same species. Since the biodiversity came up to .932, a number
very close to 1, it showed a high number of diversity in HHS forest.
Although the calculations looked correct, there were many sources of error in this
experiment. An example of an error is the fact small amounts of data collected compared to the
size of the area being measured. The general trail area that was measured is large compared to
the small amounts of samples that were taken. This makes the biodiversity calculated inaccurate
due to numerous outliers and differences in diversity of the different species. In order to get more
accurate results, Scientist would have to take at least 3 samples in different areas of the
ecosystem to properly see the biodiversity in the leaf litter of the area.
When microscopically looking at the dead organisms, it was easy to understand how they
moved away from the light and shot down the tunnel. The R-selected species found in the leaf
litter were not accustomed to light and therefore hid from it. The samples of the leaf litter were
definitely low in density, but then carried numerous amounts if organisms inside of it. Because
the leaves dried up they became more prone to being light weight and shriveled up, so therefore
the denseness of the litter weakened and weakened as the light source continued to bare down on
it with its rays.
Biodiversity is an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Without biodiversity,
detrimental threats could to an ecosystem ca occur, ad many species of animals could become
extinct. Without biodiversity, many species will have the same niche will not be able to survive.
Biodiversity must undergo the appropriate conservatory and sustainable development strategies
that will preserve it.

Works Cited
"Berlese Funnels - Collecting Methods - Mississippi Entomological Museum Home." Berlese
Funnels - Collecting Methods - Mississippi Entomological Museum Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
Mar. 2015.
"Biodiversity of Leaf Litter." APES Lab Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.
"Seasonal Science: What Lurks in the Leaf Litter?" Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
"What Is Biodiversity? - National Wildlife Federation." What Is Biodiversity? - National Wildlife
Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.