Download Population Diversity

Order-of-Magnitude Estimation
Population Diversity (Level 1)
The Question
On average, diverse is the population of organisms in your town?
Background
Many animals and plants lie in the cities and towns of our world. By counting the numbers and kinds of
species in a particular location that is 1m square can we extrapolate population density and diversity
within the confines of our home town?
The Method
-Measure and area outdoors, 1 meter square
- count the numbers and kinds of organisms in your space.
-Look around your environment and identify any known trees in the visual area.
-calculate populations based on your observations and extrapolate that data to represent your
town.
The Solution
Education Standards
This OoM Estimation problems meets the following standards in bold:
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
• Life Sciences
– From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
– Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
– Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
– Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
• Earth and Space Sciences
– Earth’s Place in the Universe
– Earth’s Systems
– Earth and Human Activity
Common Core Standards (CSS):
• Counting & Cardinality
• Operations & Algebraic Thinking
• Numbers & Operations in Base Ten
• Measurement & Data
• Ratios & Proportional Relationships
• The Number System
• Statistics & Probability