# A student investigates the biodiversity of two woodland areas. One woodland has been managed by humans for timber production. The other woodland has been left undisturbed for over 100 years. Describe how the student could use quadrats to compare the plant species diversity of the two woodland areas.

> AQA A-Level Biology (7402) — 3.4.7 Investigating Diversity · Describe · 5 marks

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Place quadrats at random positions in each woodland area
2. Use the same number / size of quadrats in each woodland area
3. Record / count the number of different plant species (in each quadrat / area)
4. Repeat the process and calculate a mean number of species (per quadrat / per area)
5. Compare the total number of different species / mean number of species between the two woodland areas to determine which has greater biodiversity

## Key terms

- [quadrat](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/quadrat)
- [biodiversity](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/biodiversity)
- [species](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/species)

## Related

- [Revision notes for AQA A-Level Biology (7402)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Describe" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-student-investigates-the-biodiversity-of-e5222f11) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.