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Activity 2 Finding out more: Biodiversity counts

Time: 55 minutes

This activity has been adapted from an activity on the State
Botanical Garden of Georgia website: http://gen.uga.edu/
documents/biodiversity/activities Resources

• Ziploc bags – 1 per
Objectives group
• This indoor activity helps learners understand the concept of • Macaroni
counting organisms in a plot study or line transect prior to • Pasta Screws
doing any outdoor activity. (Fusilli)
• Learners build a food chain and explore the inter-relationships • Dried beans
between species in a habitat • Stones

Teacher guidelines

1. Pre-lesson preparations:
Prepare one “habitat” bag for each group ahead of time by
placing “species” in a plastic ziploc bag. “Species” are beans,
two types of pasta and stones. Each bag has a different
combination of numbers of species. For example, one bag
has many of one species, one bag has a few of some of the
species, and the other bags have different combinations of
species and numbers of individuals. The bag with just one
species should have many individuals to keep this group busy
while other groups are counting. Write a number on each bag.
2. Divide learners into 4 to 6 groups. Assign each group
a number and give each group a “habitat” bag with
“species” inside.

3. Explain to learners that the bag is like a habitat and is a home
to the species within its borders. The items in the bag are
“species”. Make analogies to local or regional habitats and the
species that live there to help learners to understand that their
group’s bag and its contents is a model of a real habitat.
4. Give each group a ‘Biodiversity Counts’ worksheet with a
species key and a pencil. Ask groups to work together to
count the different species and record the numbers on the
worksheet. This can be done either by pouring the contents
of the bag onto the table or floor and moving the items
around to sort them. (Using the worksheet with the tally
section on it helps prepare learners for counting the species
in a plot sample.)

5. Using the ‘Biodiversity Counts’ worksheet, groups record
the names and numbers of individuals of each species and
tally them. The key is used to help learners know what to
call the species and also gives them good practice in using
reference materials.

Life and living | Plants and animals on Earth 17

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