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Students culture six phytoplankton species in 50-mL beakers under five nutrient levels for two weeks, then count cells with hemocytometers to compare community composition. Biodiversity quantified by Simpson’s reciprocal index shows a significantly curvilinear, U-shaped pattern, with highest diversity at the lowest nutrients and reduced diversity after nutrient addition, linking nutrient influxes to eutrophication and biodiversity loss.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/using-algal-microcosms-in-introductory-biology-lab-part-nutrient-levels-and-biodiversity/594989/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/using-algal-microcosms-in-introductory-biology-lab-part-nutrient-levels-and-biodiversity/594989.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Mary Man","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How is biodiversity measured in this laboratory activity?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Biodiversity is quantified using Simpson’s reciprocal index, based on cell counts and comparisons of the relative abundances of six phytoplankton species.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What experimental setup do students use to test nutrient effects?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Students establish microcosms of six phytoplankton species in 50-mL beakers and expose them to five different levels of inorganic nutrients for two weeks.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What relationship between nutrient level and biodiversity does the study find?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The effect is significantly curvilinear and best described as U-shaped: most diverse at the lowest nutrient level, least diverse with a small amount of added nutrients, and intermediate at the highest nutrient levels.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},594989,1792224553,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":52,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},7421720224475,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Using algal microcosms in introductory biology lab.  \nI: The influence of nutrient levels on the biodiversity of an ecological community  \nMichael J. Wise1,2* and Rachel Collins2  \n1 Environmental Studies Program, Roanoke College, Salem, VA 24153  \n2 Department of Biology, Roanoke College, Salem, VA 24153  \n*[Corresponding author:](Corresponding author: wise@roanoke.edu)[ ](Corresponding author: wise@roanoke.edu)[wise@roanoke.edu](Corresponding author: wise@roanoke.edu)  \nAbstract  \nThe protection of earth’s biodiversity requires a sophisticated understanding of how human activities can affect the relative abundances of species in natural ecological communities. Here, we report on an introductory biology laboratory activity in which students quantified biodiversity while investigating one of the most important controlson the biodiversity of an ecosystem: nutrient availability. Students established microcosms of six species of phytoplankton (“algae”) in 50-mL beakers and exposed them to five different levels of inorganic nutrients. After two weeks, students used hemocytometers to count cells and compare the relative abundances of the algal species (i.e., their community composition) at different nutrient levels. The effect of nutrient level on biodiversity (measured by Simpson’s reciprocal index) was significantly curvilinear, and best described as “U-shaped.” Specifically, the algal community was most diverse at the lowest nutrient level, least diverse with a small amount of added nutrients, and intermediate in diversity at the highest nutrient levels. This convenient, quantitative investigation provided students an opportunity to consider how anthropogenic influxes of nutrients into ecosystems can lead to eutrophication, and how this phenomenon can have negative effects by decreasing the biodiversity of ecological communities.  \nKeywords: biodiversity, eutrophication, microcosm, nutrient availability, phytoplankton, species richness, structured inquiry   \nIntroduction  \nThe central goals of conservation biology include identifying threats to biodiversity and evaluating methods for protecting biodiversity within ecosystems (Perrings et al., 2011; Pereira et al., 2012) . In order to accomplish these goals, biologists need tobe able to quantify biodiversity in a consistent and easily communicated fashion (Jacobs et al., 2014) . The biodiversity of a biological community encompasses two main components: 1) the number of different taxa (e.g., species or genera) and 2) the relative abundances of the different taxa. These components are respectively called “richness” and“evenness.” Statisticians have devised numerous methods to take into account both richness and evenness in a single index of biodiversity. Among the most common is the Simpson’s reciprocal index, which was employed in the laboratory activity described in this paper.  \nOne of the fundamental drivers of biodiversity inan ecosystem is the level of resources, such as inorganic nutrients, available to organisms (Huston, 1980; Wilson & Tilman, 1991; Stevens & Carson, 2002; Worm et al., 2002; Passy, 2008; Cardinale et al., 2009a; Cardinale et al., 2009b) . A relatively nutrient-  \nrich environment is likely to support more individuals, and is thus likely be more productive, than a nutrientpoor environment. In turn, it is natural to expect a positive relationship between nutrient levels and biodiversity in an ecosystem (Srivastava & Lawton, 1998; Dodson et al., 2000) . However, the reverse can also be true. For instance, consider what happens when large quantities of nitrogen or phosphorus are released into lakes or estuaries. Populations of a few species of algae may take advantage of the nutrient abundance and irrupt in a phenomenon called eutrophication (Smith & Schindler, 2009; Chislock et al., 2013; Ansari & Gill, 2014) . The total number of organisms in the ecosystem may increase, but only for a few species, and at the expense of individuals of other species. Thus, the","cbCaikCis1krrHuC","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikCis1krrHuC","pdf",551774,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Biodiversity components: richness and evenness\n## Nutrient levels as drivers of biodiversity\n## Laboratory experiment design and learning outcomes","[{\"question\":\"How is biodiversity measured in this laboratory activity?\",\"answer\":\"Biodiversity is quantified using Simpson’s reciprocal index, based on cell counts and comparisons of the relative abundances of six phytoplankton species.\"},{\"question\":\"What experimental setup do students use to test nutrient effects?\",\"answer\":\"Students establish microcosms of six phytoplankton species in 50-mL beakers and expose them to five different levels of inorganic nutrients for two weeks.\"},{\"question\":\"What relationship between nutrient level and biodiversity does the study find?\",\"answer\":\"The effect is significantly curvilinear and best described as U-shaped: most diverse at the lowest nutrient level, least diverse with a small amount of added nutrients, and intermediate at the highest nutrient levels.\"}]","Using algal microcosms in introductory biology lab - Part nutrient levels and biodiversity | PDF",1792080231,25]