Lesson 4: Biodiversity
Duration of Days: 8
Lesson Objective
Evaluate the health of an ecosystem by measuring species richness and diversity indices
How does the loss of species biodiversity alter the stability, functionality, and resilience of ecosystems?
How is species biodiversity measured and quantified through richness and evenness?
How can conservationists effectively minimize the loss of biodiversity and restore threatened ecosystems?
What is the relationship between species diversity, ecosystem services (e.g., pollination, food supply), and human well-being
HS-LS2-2 (Factors affecting biodiversity).
Multi-step mathematical calculations; precision in data collection.
The purpose of this lesson is to transition students from qualitative observations (e.g., "this reef looks healthy") to quantitative ecological analysis. While "biodiversity" is often used as a general term, this lesson teaches students that it is actually a measurable value comprised of two distinct components: Species Richness (the number of different species) and Species Evenness (the relative abundance of those species).
(DOK 3)
See "Materials / Resources / Text / Speakers" field
Students will complete a Biodiversity Audit:
-
Students are given two virtual tide pools.
-
Pool A: 5 species, with 20 individuals each.
-
Pool B: 5 species, but one species has 96 individuals and the other four have 1 each.
-
Students must identify which pool has higher evenness and explain which community would likely collapse first if a disease targeted the most common species.
-
-
Using data inspired by the Science Circuits (e.g., comparing salt concentration vs. species count), students will calculate the Simpson’s Diversity Index for a freshwater lake versus a brackish estuary.
-
Based on your calculation, does the "stress" of salt concentration increase or decrease the overall biodiversity index?
-
-
Case Study, using knowledge and information from assignments, applying it to a real world case study. How does it affect species richness.