Lab # _____: Exploring Biodiversity Where We Are
Lab Skills: 3, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, 23, 26, 28, 29
Background:
“I am interested in the importance of plant diversity.
For an ecologist, diversity means the number of
different species in a community. A lot of research
shows that communities with many species are
healthier than those with just a few species. You may wonder what a healthy
community looks like. Well, diverse plant communities usually produce bigger
plants. Bigger plants mean more food and shelter for insects and other animals that
live in those communities. Diverse plant communities are also more stable. Even if
one species is having a bad year, there will be other species around to keep
growing and supporting the ecosystem. Diverse plant communities also get fewer
diseases and insect pests. Diverse communities are better for humans too!”
Crossing Boundaries Conservation Scientist
-- Susan Cook-Patton
We are going to investigate plant and
insect (arthropod) biodiversity right here
on school grounds. Our area of focus has
two habitat types: grass/turf and natural
fields. You will hypothesize about the
relative diversity of plants, flowers, and
insects between these two habitat types
and then conduct a brief field study to test
your hypothesis.
Working with your lab partner, you will
collect data on plant and insect diversity in
grass/turf and natural field habitats. At
each site, you will need to keep track of
different types of plants and insects by
sampling some factors that influence
biodiversity at each survey site.
Hypothesis: We think that… (share which
habitat you think will have more
biodiversity.)
Procedure:
1. Choose a study area for both grass/turf
(A) and natural field (B) habitat types.
Indicate your locations with an A or B
on the map of the school property on
your answer sheet and also provide a
Figure 1. Google Earth view of Pulaski Middle – Senior High School property
brief description of each location.
2. On your answer sheet, briefly describe the major vegetation types, density (how close together or far apart organisms
are situated), and any other distinguishing characteristics of Location A – Grass/Turf Area and Location B – Natural
field. Also report today’s weather and any unique or special circumstances that may influence your results.
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3. Be sure to conduct your data collection in the following order at each location. This will ensure you don’t disturb the
insects in your study area before you get a chance to count them. You just need to group insects by family. For
plants, you don’t have to identify species but just keep track of each distinct variety that you find.
A. Insect
richness
B. Plant
richness
C. Flower
number
D. Plant
height
4. To begin, place the quadrat frame on the ground somewhere in the grass/turf location. Record the time of day that you
sampled each location on your answer sheet. Remember, it is important that you count the insects within the entire
quadrat frame first! Obtain the latitude and longitude data for your sample site from your teacher whom will be tracking
each spot with a GPS device.
5. Now collect data and record onto your data collection answer sheet. As soon as you perform all counts and observe
the biodiversity at the grass/turf location, continue on to the natural field area and repeat the procedure.
6. The last step is to pool all lab groups’ results and calculate overall averages for each of the four aspects of biodiversity
that we investigated. These final results will allow us to form conclusions based on a large sample size.
Analysis:
A. How did your group’s results compare to the final class averages for insect richness and the number of plant species?
B. Which habitat do you conclude has greater biodiversity? How does your conclusion relate to your original hypothesis
for this investigation?
C. Do you think today’s weather had a significant impact on your results? Why or why not?
D. Were there any unique conditions or circumstances that may have influenced your results? If so, name them and
explain what impact you think they had.
E. Why are conclusions based on the class averages more reliable than they would be if they were based solely on your
group’s data?
I’m a
stinkbug!
I’m an
aphid!
I’m a
praying
mantis!
I’m a
weevil!
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Name(s): ________________________________________________________________________________________
Exploring Biodiversity Where We Are Data Collection Answer Sheet
Label
location of
A and B on
map
Brief
description
of major
vegetation
and other
features
Location
A
(Grass/Turf)
Location
B
(Natural Field)
Latitude
and
longitude
Time of day
Today’s
weather
Unique
conditions
that may
influence
results
A. Insect Richness Tally – count the number of each type of insect and tally in the appropriate box.
Type
Location A
Location B
Ants
Aphids
Beetles
Bees
Butterflies / moths
Caterpillars
Crickets / grasshoppers
Flies
Ladybugs
Larva / grubs
Praying mantids
Spiders
Stinkbugs
Weevils
Other insects
Total insects
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B. Plant Species Checklist – count the number of plants of each type that are touching the string on your quadrat
frame. You do not need to identify species, but you do need to keep track of which plant type is which letter.
Type
Location A
Location B
A
B
C
D
E
F
Total plant species
C. Flower Tally – count each flower within your quadrat frame. Simply record the total number of flowers.
Location A
Location B
# of flowers
D. Plant Height – perform a measurement of plant height to the plant that touches the string crossing your quadrat
frame every 20 cm. Record all measurements in cm rounded to the nearest tenth.
Location A
Location B
Plant height (cm)
Average plant height
Class Results – pool results from all lab groups and calculate total class averages for Locations A and B.
Location A
Location B
Insect Richness Tally
Plant Species Checklist
Flower Tally
Plant Height
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