Biodiversity Survey
Field Study 2 & 3
Overview: Students follow the scientific method to explore the biodiversity and abundance (insects, birds, plants) to determine if an upland or a wetland has abundance of animals.

Time: 60 minutes

Location: Outdoors

Learner Outcomes:

  1. Students will be able to differentiate between three different kinds of insects
  2. Students will be able to make and test a prediction about macro-invertebrate abundance in two water habitats (still and moving)

Materials

  1. White Trays (1 per two students)
  2. Ice cube trays (1 per to students
  3. Suckers and tweezers (1 per two students)
  4. Various pictures of birds (1 per student)
  5. Binoculars
  6. Cameras
  7. Field journals
  8. Bird and insect field guides.

Preparation

  1. Using the nets collect large tray (to fill smaller trays) of insects from two areas (river or ditch and a pond).
  2. Each round refill the student's white trays with fresh water from the two areas, depending on what group they are in.

Clean-up

  1. Return all insects to their habitats and clean and dry trays.


What's that moving in the water?

Explain. . .

  • Organize students into a seated circle, inside or outside depending on the weather.
  • Wetlands are very important because they provide food for birds. What foods are these birds eating? Seeds, other birds, mice, INSECTS.
    Insects are one of the most important foods wetlands provide.
  • By looking around, where are some of the places we might find insects? Air, under rocks, on plants, in the water.
    In a wetland, the water is one of the best places to find lots of insects.
  • We have moving water like the river and the ditches (indicate by pointing) and we have still water like ponds (indicate by pointing).
  • We are going to make a prediction about many types of birds that there are in a wetland. (Bird Group)
  • In your journal, write down how many insects we are going to find in the water and then how many in the upland. (Insect Group). .Share some student predictions.

Do . . .

  1. Group 1: To test our prediction we will need to do some sampling. For the bird group you need to go out and spend the next 45 minutes identifying different species ( pictures, drawing and counts)
  2. Group 2: Half of the group will count insects in the water and half the group will count insects from upland - to see if we were close in our predictions. (insect Group)
  3. In our journals, we can tally insects and birds we find in our sample.
  4. Use the field guides to try and identify some of the insects and count how many kinds you find.
  5. Students can sketch their organisms in their journals.

Discuss . . .

  • Were our predictions right?
  • Why do you think the pond/river has the most bugs?
  • Which one has the most diversity in terms of insects?
  • Which one has more food for birds?
  • How many bird types are there? Why so many different types/

 

Go to Page 20