Lichen World 2 : Lichen Biology and Surveying

Abstract

This package is not primarily about lichens, but about measuring species diversity in ecological communities. It explores various aspects of measuring species diversity and abundance, using data from lichen communities growing on gravestones in graveyards in the Yorkshire Dales, England. 'Lichen World' includes a virtual sampling program, based on throwing quadrats and counting the number of species in each quadrat, which provides data that can be used to plot a variety of different species diversity indices and abundance models. This sampling program can be used to investigate basic ecological questions on sampling regimes and comparative methods of measuring species diversity, as well as more specific questions on lichen community ecology. Background information is supplied on the lichens and lichen communities sampled. Full instructions for the sampling program are provided in the courseware unit and should be consulted before use.