Ecologists are interested in quantifying different kinds of biodiversity. In each of the two studies outlined here, which kind of biodiversity are ecologists studying? a. Ecologists draw blood samples from basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) specimens caught from a single large population in the Atlantic Ocean. From each blood sample, the ecologists isolate DNA. Comparing several DNA sequences across the individuals that were sampled, the ecologists are able to estimate the variation in DNA sequences in the entire population.

b. Ecologists establish 20 small areas, called plots, randomly scattered across a California grassland. They count the number of different plant species present in each plot. By noting how many species appear in the plots, the ecologists are able to estimate the number of species in the entire grassland.