Biodiversity Jenga
Author
Sarah Morrisseau
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Vital Signs Program
Questions
Why does biodiversity matter to an ecosystem?
How does the removal and/or addition of a new species affect the overall balance of an ecosystem?
Overview
Pair up Bill Nye the Science Guy and Jenga to engage students with the concept of biodiversity, and to underscore the
importance of maintaining healthy, diverse ecosystems. Students remove native species from an ecosystem, and add
non-native or invasive species. They see and understand how these actions may ultimately compromise the health and
stability of an ecosystem.
Science & Technology Standards (MLR)
E1. Biodiversity. Students differentiate among organisms based on biological characteristics and identify patterns of
similarity.
E2 Ecosystems. Students examine how the characteristics of the physical, non-living environment, the types and
behaviors of living organisms, and the flow of matter and energy affect organisms and the ecosystem of which they are
part.
E2a.
List various kinds of resources within different biomes for which organisms compete.
E2b.
Describe ways in which two types of organisms may interact including competition, and predator/prey.
Learning Objectives
 Students will gain an individual and collective understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem health that will support
their future watershed investigation.
Grade Level
7
8
Setting
Classroom
Activity Type
Exploratory
Hands-on activity
Materials
Bill Nye the Science Guy, Biodiversity Part I video (Season 1 Episode 9)
 Available free: http://tv.blinkx.com/show/bill-nye-the-science-guy/Br8O69m8lZ6B6bGyYSHj5tRDvYI
 Available on Netflix
Computer, Internet, and projector
(or) Television, DVD, and DVD player
Jenga (or pieces of wood) – one game per class, or one game per team (4-5 students per team)
Time Needed
5 minutes for Bill Nye video
15 minutes for Jenga
10 minutes to discuss and reflect
Activity Procedure
1. Watch Bill Nye the Science Guy, Biodiversity Part 1 of 3 (stop the video at 4:50!)
2. Play Ecosystem Jenga like Bill does at 3:09 in the video
Ecosystem Jenga Rules
1. The Jenga tower represents an ecosystem. Use an ecosystem that is familiar to your students and/or the
ecosystem where you plan to do your biodiversity investigation.
2. Each block represents one different native species in that ecosystem. Give students specific examples of plants
and animals that live in your local ecosystem.
3. Take turns taking one block out at a time. Removing one block represents the removal of one species from your
ecosystem.
Note: You may or may not want to include reasons why species are removed from ecosystems as the result of
natural processes, natural disturbance, and/or human disturbance. Reasons include succession, storms, floods,
habitat loss, changing climate conditions, predator/prey relationships, and competition with another species for
resources.
4. After you take a native species block out, you must introduce a new species to the ecosystem by replacing a block
on top of the tower. Use an invasive species that is of concern in Maine as your introduced species (purple
loosestrife, Asian longhorn beetle, Asian shore crab, variable milfoil, hydrilla, etc.).
Note: All blocks that are placed on the top of the Jenga tower represent the same species. If you’re careful not to
knock it down (!), your ecosystem will slowly shift from one that is diverse, to one that has all the same species.
5. Collect data in a table. Keep track of the number of native species you remove, and the number of new individuals
you introduce before your ecosystem collapses.
6. Discuss your results. Ask students to explain what happened. Does this really happen? Could this happen in your
local watershed?
Reflection or Formative Assessment Ideas
In small groups, ask students to sketch what happened to the ecosystem over time in comic strip fashion. For example,
the first frame will show a diverse ecosystem, the second and much less diverse system with one species starting to take
over, and finally a collapsed system or one on the brink of collapse.
Publish the comic strips as a newspaper page.
Extension Ideas
1. If you have more than one team of students playing, and you don’t mind inviting some competition, ask teams to see if
they can remove more species from their ecosystem than other teams can. Adding an element of competition tends to
focus students and encourages more careful removal and placement of species blocks. Of course, competition also
has potential to distract from learning goals, so take a proactive approach to keep students focused.
2. If you own the Jenga game and plan to only play Biodiversity Jenga from here on out, you can add things to each
block to support your learning goals (species names, reasons for removal, instructions to remove more species, etc.).
3. Have your shop class make the blocks!
4. Label a block “keystone species” (herring, beaver), and put it in a critical spot in your Jenga tower (lower edge). When
this block is removed, it will collapse the food web and the entire ecosystem.
Resources
Have a great resource to enhance or extend this activity? Share it with the Vital Signs community in the Open Resource
Exchange using comment section for this lesson plan.