Shannon Index Lab Discussion

Our results yield an outcome that refutes the prior hypothesis we had made. Because a lower Shannon Index results in a higher species diversity, we would have expected that the Sylvan area would have a lower number than Orchard Hill. Our results give us a Shannon Index for Sylvan that is higher than that of Orchard Hill, telling us that the area around the Hill has a higher species diversity than Sylvan. While these results don’t match our expectations, there are a few explanations as to why. First of all, the area around Orchard Hill may be more ideal for plant life (ex. less predators, easy access to rain). From the blind eye, we pointed the stream in Sylvan out as a huge factor favoring species diversity- yet other factors may have also been in effect. Another reason for our results can be due to the method and how the experiment was conducted. This experiment was very open to human error, and the results may not have been completely correct. Identifying, counting, and making sure to stay in the area allotted was difficult to do; and it was hard to collect data without injuring the environment around us by trampling over everything. We had originally set out to get at least 15 different species from each area, which ended up being tough to do.