The biodiversity of Warai woods, Warai river and Dixel Lake. Observing the flora and fauna in different ecosystems and determining the biotic and abiotic factors influencing them.
The biodiversity of Warai woods, Warai river and Dixel Lake
Rhea Silva
ESS
Dp 1, MBIS
March, 2009
Observing the flora and fauna in different ecosystems and determining the biotic and abiotic factors influencing them.
Discussion: Biodiversity is the number of different varieties of species living in one ecosystem. Hence if there are many kinds of different species living in an ecosystem, the biodiversity is higher. Higher biodiversity increases the survival rate of the species. This is because, if one particular species is contaminated, extinguished or diseased; there is still a chance for the predators to feed on other species and not be dependant on one type of species for their survival. For example: Mosquitoes were the only insects available for lizards to feed on, and due to human influence in that area, all the mosquitoes died and the lizards were unable to catch prey and hence would fight for their existence. But if there was a higher biodiversity in that area, even though mosquitoes were isolated from that area, lizards would still have a chance to feed on flies and other insects and hence they would survive thus keeping the ecosystem in a more stable condition. Hence the stability of the ecosystem and the survival of its species depends on the biodiversity of the species. You could use the Simpson’s diversity index to calculate the biodiversity of an ecosystem, where greater the index, the greater the biodiversity. The biodiversity in the lake and river would be quite low due to human interference. The lake is a tourist attraction hence the cultivation of gaudy plants and shrubs would come in the way of naturally occurring plants thus reducing the biodiversity. Also, the pollution caused by the building of infrastructure in and around the ecosystem would be another factor that decreases the biodiversity in the lake and river. The Warai woods would have a reasonably high biodiversity because it is a dense forest thus allowing for animals to live and plants to grow peacefully without much human interference. There would be no variables in this practical since no factors are being investigated.
