Download Name: ________ Biology Period ______ Date: ______/______

Name: ________________________________________________________
Biology Period _________
Date: ________/________/________
Biodiversity Investigation
Introduction:
There's a lot of talk these days about preserving biodiversity. Why? What exactly is biodiversity?
The word is a contraction of "biological diversity.” Simply put, biodiversity is the variety of living things in
the world. And it’s important to protect because the diversity of species in an ecosystem is one way to
determine ecosystem health.
The value of maintaining biodiversity is ecologic, esthetic, and economic. It is human nature to
wonder, "How can this help me?" Beyond preserving the pure wonder and beauty of nature, maintaining
biodiversity can help humans in food production, medical discoveries, and other substances that could
have commercial value. Maintaining a great variety of food crops protects us from total destruction of
food by disease. It is true what botanists say about the possibility of finding cures for human diseases in
the yet undiscovered plants. Twenty-five percent of all prescription medicines in the United States have
active ingredients that were originally derived from plants.
Purpose:
In this investigation, you will determine which community has a higher level of biodiversity—the student
hangout or Portland Japanese Garden.
Materials:
pencil, paper, color pencils (optional)
Procedures:
 Make quick observations of both the student hangout ecosystem and Japanese Garden ecosystem.
Jot a couple of notes in the space below on the type of biotic and abiotic factors you see.
Table 1: Pre-Observation of Ecosystems
Student Hangout
Portland Japanese Garden
Abiotic Factors:
Biotic Factors:
Abiotic Factors:
Biotic Factors:
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
 Based on your pre-observation, hypothesize which ecosystem will have the higher level of
biodiversity.
Hypothesis: The ____________________________________ ecosystem will have higher levels of biodiversity because
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
 Now, split up in pairs to each ecosystem and carefully observe all the biotic factors (plant species).
Sketch every type of plant specie you see. Practice good and sound science—make sure your
drawings are recognizable, detailed, and clear. Add color if possible, or label your drawing.
 Write down characteristics of the plant. Is it tough & thick? Is it leafy? Contains pines/cones? Have
flowers? On average, how many leaves does each plant have?
 Lastly, count the total number of every type of plant specie in the two separate ecosystems.
Plant Specie
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Table 2: Student Hangout
Plant Sketch
Plant Characteristics
Number of Plants
Plant Specie
Table 3: Japanese Garden
Plant Sketch
Plant Characteristics
Number of Plants
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
Analysis & Conclusion: Write a well-written paragraph that includes all the requirements below. You will
be assessed on science content/knowledge and your ability to back up your statements with evidence.
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Paragraph #1:
Explain the answer to the purpose of this lab: Which community has the higher level of biodiversity?
Provide evidence (actual numbers!) from the lab and give details.
Was your hypothesis supported or refuted from the data you collected?
Explain any errors that may have occurred during the lab that could’ve led to inaccurate data. What
would you do differently next time?
Paragraph #2:
Explain why it’s important to have high levels of biodiversity and why its important to study.
Which one would you conclude has most likely experienced some sort of human disturbance (Student
Hangout or Lonely Hill)? Explain.
If a plant virus was suddenly introduced to the ESAT ecosystem, which of the two communities would
more likely be susceptible to devastation by the virus? Why?