Marion Pfeifer, gave a seminar discussing her work on how to monitor, and why this work is strangely novel.
She began by explaining how most studies only study forests rather than the modified areas, which leaves a large gap in our understanding of tropical ecosystem dynamics.
As such, Marion is has been planning a project looking into biodiversity in human modified-tropical landscapes, but this leads to a bigger question.
How do we monitor landscape biodiversity?
Standard methods for monitoring biodiversity are as follows:
- Species List – a list of all species in the area
- Index of Abundance – a number of individuals of a species found per unit of effort (eg. 11 good dogs per km).
- Estimating Population Size – using data to predict the size of the entire population.
An index of abundance is best in Marion’s situation, as they are ideal for comparing species counts across different areas, and are much less expensive than population estimates.
So now we know how to do the study, we need to understand what the hypotheses are, that are being studied.
Human Activity Reduces Natural Biodiversity
This is a well established fact and Marion’s hypotheses seek to expand on this, which is why there are over half a dozen hypotheses!
Out of the two hypothesis there is a key one: Crop yield increases when close to natural habitats (when there is an increased biodiversity).
Although this study hsn’t been carried out yet, it holds a lot of potential to be a pivotal piece of research for both agriculture and conservation.
This work will assist in conservation efforts as it may help to encourage a greater biodiversity on and around plantations and small farms, which will help promote potentially endangered species.
Conservation has always been a passion for me
From being young I was drilled in recycling, never to litter and to be as sustainable as possible, and Marion has well demonstrated how a single research project can have so much potential.
In future I would love to work in conservation, as it is very fulfilling to know that the work you do, goes towards creating a better and more sustainable world.
Lukas Edwards, 18th February 2020
Biology Express: Zoology 