1

How Does the Area and Time of Day Affect

Biodiversity near Sedge Island?
Charles Homoki
Abstract
Biodiversity is an important part of every aquatic environment. On Sedge Island, there are two
parts of the island with different structures in the water surrounding the island. One area is
straight (kayak launch), and the other forms a cove (clam lease). Is there a difference in
biodiversity between the two areas, and does the time of day affect the biodiversity? Seine data
collected on June 13, 2014 shows that biodiversity at the kayak launch was higher at night than
during the day, and at the clam lease, biodiversity was higher during the day than at night. The
mean biodiversity of the clam lease was also higher than that of the kayak launch.
Introduction
Biodiversity of organisms in an aquatic environment is essential to the well-being of the
ecosystem. However, determining the biodiversity in an aquatic environment can be difficult
because the organisms must be caught in order to assess the environment. A method that can be
used to collect many individuals in a marine or aquatic ecosystem is seining. Seining is an
efficient way to catch several fish at a time in areas such as ponds, lakes, or bays. This method of
fishing uses a long rectangular net with a weighted bottom edge and a buoyant top (Seining).
Two people hold the poles on opposite ends and run the net through the water, keeping the lower
end of the pole on the benthic side of the water. Once the net is brought through the water, the
two seiners lift the net up and bring it onto the shore. Then, the organisms captured in the net can
be identified and counted. This analysis quantifies the biodiversity of an ecosystem by measuring
the number of species present and the abundance of each species (Simpsons Diversity). This
index produces two values, I and Ds. The quantity I measures dominance, or the prevalence of
one species. Ds measures the probability that two randomly sampled individuals are from two
different classes (Diversity of Classes). In this study, the species biodiversity from the
Barnegat Bay near the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center (NREC).
On Sedge Island, there is a house that is used for lodging, cooking, and doing almost
anything. It is called The Sedge House, and it was built in 1919, where the old Leonard Warner
Lodge used to be (Miller 1994). The house used to belong to James R. Hensler, who gave the
island operation to John and Helen Hensler (Miller 1994) but it is now used for the Sedge Island

NREC field experience. Groups of people are able to go out to the island and spend time in the
field, learning about the ecology and biology of Barnegat Bay. They stay on Sedge Island and
live in the Sedge House for up to five days in this experience.
Methods
Study Site- The study was conducted at the Sedge Island NREC. Sedge Island NREC is located
across from Island Beach State Park in Seaside Park, New Jersey (Figure 1). It is in the middle of
Barnegat Bay. Two areas, the kayak launch and the clam lease, were sampled (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Sedge Island NREC location in Barnegat Bay.

Figure 2. Seine sample sites on Sedge Island NREC.

Procedure and Analysis- Both areas were seined three times during the day (7:00 PM), and at
night (10:00 PM). Each catch was then brought onto shore to be sorted through. Each species of
organism found in the net was recorded. These organisms were then released back into the water.
The data from each collection was then totaled for each site and used to calculate a Simpsons
Diversity Index. A Simpsons Index is a measure of biodiversity that considers the number of
species and the total number of individuals in a given sample. The value is between 0 and 1, and
the closer to 1 the Simpsons Diversity Index, the greater the biodiversity of the site.
Dominance Formula: I=n (n 1) / N(N 1)
i

Simpsons Diversity: Ds= 1-I

I= Dominance
N= Number of individuals
n = Total type of each species
i

Results
During the day, the clam lease, toward the Northwest side of the island, had the greatest
biodiversity and the least dominance of a single species. The mean Simpsons Diversity Index
was higher at the clam lease than it was at the kayak launch (Table 1). This is interesting because
the number of Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia) in the clam lease during the day, 120
individuals were collected, which was the highest number of individuals from one species
collected during the study. The biodiversity of the clam lease was higher during the day, but
during the night, the kayak launch had a higher biodiversity (Figures 3 and 4).
Table 1. Dominance and Simpson's Diversity Index for each site and each time sampled on June
13, 2014 at Sedge Island NREC.
Site- Time
Kayak Launch-Day
Kayak Launch-Night
Clam Lease-Day
Clam Lease-Night

Dominance
0.3262
0.2492
0.2276
0.251

Simpson's Diversity Index

0.6738
0.7508
0.7724
0.749

Figure 3. Biodiversity of each site at each time sampled.

Mean Dominance
0.2877

Mean SDI
0.7123

0.2393

0.7607

Figure 4. Simpson's Diversity Index for each site at each time sampled.

Discussion
The biodiversity was highest at the clam lease during the day. At the kayak launch,
biodiversity was higher at night, and at the clam lease, biodiversity was higher during the day.
The mean biodiversity was also higher in the clam lease. This could be due to the area sampled.
The cove provides more protection from the currents of incoming and outgoing tide. This is an
important factor for fishes, because spawning occurs between May and October for many fish
species in Barnegat Bay (What We Fish For). The cove provides an ideal environment for
adolescent fishes. The kayak launchs straight shape causes water to flow more strongly into the
area, which is not ideal for many species in the bay. The larger species that prefer stronger
currents typically stay in deeper channels (What We Fish For).
Conclusion
A cove shape provides a better environment for smaller species, and has higher biodiversity than
straight areas. Biodiversity was also greater or almost the same at night than during the day.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. John Wnek and Mr. Jason Kelsey for taking our research methods class
out to the field and allowing us to use their equipment in the field to make data collection
possible. I would like to thank the bus driver for providing transportation to the field location. I
would also like to thank the New Jersey division of Fish and Wildlife for allowing us to use the
Sedge Island NREC facility for research, and I would like to thank Tony and Jacky Raniero for
transportation to and from the island, and for taking care of the island.
References
"Diversity of Classes." Statsdirect.com. Stats Direct, Web. 18 June 2014.
Miller, Pauline S. The Great Sedges. Toms River, NJ: Ocean County Cultural & Heritage
Commission, 1994. Print.
"Seining." New Jersey Fishing. FishNet USA, Web. 18 June 2014.
"Simpson's Diversity Index." Countrysideinfo.co.uk. Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust, Web.
18 June 2014.
"What We Fish For." Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters. Web. 21 June 2014.