Scientists use several methods to measure biodiversity, including canopy fogging, quadrat sampling, transect sampling, and netting. The method used depends on the types of organisms being counted and the habitat. To protect biodiversity, scientists document species identities and locations in museum collections and computer databases. Analyzing species distributions has identified "biodiversity hotspots" with exceptionally high diversity in small areas.

1. Methods of measuring
Biodiversity
Lekhan Lodhi
Research Scholar
Department of Zoology
DHSGSU
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2. Biodiversity
 Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found in a specific region
 Total number of species on Earth range from 5 million to 100 million.
 Preserving and protecting individual species and the ecosystems they inhabit are critical
to maintaining biodiversity on Earth.
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6. How Do Scientists Measure Biodiversity?
 Scientists use several methods to measure biodiversity.
 These include
a. canopy fogging,
b. quadrat sampling,
c. transect sampling, and
d. netting.
 The method used depends on the types of organisms ecologists are counting and
on the habitat.
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7. Methods of Measuring Biodiversity
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9. Documenting Biodiversity and Its Distribution
 To protect Earth’s biodiversity, scientists need a
system for recording the identity of each species
and where it exists.
 Museums house many collections of preserved
specimens, such as the insects shown in Fig., as a
record of Earth’s biodiversity
 As well as including specimens from recent
investigations—such as insects from canopy
fogging—they also contain many specimens from
early explorations, some hundreds of years old. Th e
Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa and the
Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto have massive
collections of biological specimens from all over the
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10.  Since most ecosystems are now influenced by human activities, it is helpful for
land-use planners to know the locations of different species, especially rare or
sensitive ones. Computer databases can handle huge volumes of such records.
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11.  Hotspots of Biodiversity
 In analyzing the distribution of the world’s biodiversity, ecologists have found that
there are “hotspots” of diversity. A biodiversity hotspot is a place where there is an
exceptionally large number of species in a relatively small area
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