Question

1. calculate the species richness and relative abundance for the following communities.

community a

species name	species abundance	relative abundance
slippery elm	78	17.97
black walnut	309	71.19
red maple	12	2.77
species richness=	total # of species =

community b

species name	species abundance	relative abundance
slippery elm	475
black walnut	402
red maple	423
bur oak	435
species richness=	total # of species =

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate species richness for Community A

Species richness is the number of different species. In Community A, there are 4 species (White Oak, Slippery Elm, Black Walnut, Red Maple), so species richness = 4.

Step2: Calculate total abundance for Community A

Add up the abundances of all species: $35 + 78+309 + 12=434$.

Step3: Calculate relative abundances for Community A (already given in the table, but for completeness)

Relative abundance of White Oak = $\frac{35}{434}\times100\approx8.06\%$, Slippery Elm = $\frac{78}{434}\times100\approx17.97\%$, Black Walnut = $\frac{309}{434}\times100\approx71.19\%$, Red Maple = $\frac{12}{434}\times100\approx2.77\%$.

Step4: Calculate species richness for Community B

There are 5 species (White Oak, Slippery Elm, Black Walnut, Red Maple, Bur Oak), so species richness = 5.

Step5: Calculate total abundance for Community B

$450+475 + 402+423+435 = 2185$.

Step6: Calculate relative abundances for Community B

Relative abundance of White Oak = $\frac{450}{2185}\times100\approx20.6\%$, Slippery Elm = $\frac{475}{2185}\times100\approx21.74\%$, Black Walnut = $\frac{402}{2185}\times100\approx18.4\%$, Red Maple = $\frac{423}{2185}\times100\approx19.36\%$, Bur Oak = $\frac{435}{2185}\times100\approx19.91\%$.

Answer:

Community A: Species Richness = 4, Total # of Species = 4
Community B: Species Richness = 5, Total # of Species = 5
Relative abundances for Community B: White Oak $\approx20.6\%$, Slippery Elm $\approx21.74\%$, Black Walnut $\approx18.4\%$, Red Maple $\approx19.36\%$, Bur Oak $\approx19.91\%$