Question

A farmer decides to stop growing crops in a low-lying field that occasionally floods, opting to let it return to a wetland and to receive a conservation tax break at the same time. A researcher from a local university receives permission to monitor the plant community in the field to see how it changes over time. The table shows the relative species abundance results (how common one species is compared to another) from the first four years of the study. After examining the abundances of these species for each year, rank the years from most diverse to least diverse.

Most Diverse
1. Year 3
2. Year 4
3. Year 2
4. Year 1
Least Diverse

Answer 1

Species diversity, a key concept in ecology, indicates how species interact within a community. The table data, if provided, would allow for ranking of diversity using indices that consider species richness and evenness. Over time, ecological succession may lead to increased diversity in the wetland.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question relates to the study of a plant community's species diversity over time in a field that was allowed to revert to a wetland. This diversity is a crucial concept in community ecology and helps researchers understand how species interact and compete for resources within a habitat. While the specific data from the study is not provided in the question, we can discuss how species diversity can be assessed and ranked.

Generally, researchers use indices such as the Shannon Diversity Index or Simpson's Diversity Index to quantify diversity, considering both the number of species present (richness) and their relative abundance (evenness). A community with a more even distribution of species where no single species dominates is considered more diverse. As the wetland develops, one might expect to see an increase in diversity as different species colonize the habitat and establish populations.

Analyses of such ecological data can provide insight into the processes of succession, wherein species composition and abundance change over time, typically after a disturbance like the flood mentioned. Through succession, early colonizing species (pioneer species) are gradually replaced by other species, which may lead to a more stable and diverse community (climax community).

In order to answer the student's question directly, we would need the specific data on species abundance for each year to calculate a diversity index. Nevertheless, the concept behind the question is to analyze the changes in plant community structure in the context of ecological succession and conservation of biodiversity.