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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Schoolyard Bioblitz
Supported by The Caterpillar Foundation
By Kim Franklin
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Teaching Scientific Practices Through an Investigation of Biodiversity:
The Schoolyard Bioblitz
Overview: Students will develop an understanding of the concept of biodiversity and the
connections between organisms and their environment. They will engage in the scientific process
by asking questions about biodiversity in their schoolyards, by designing a plan to carry out a
‘bioblitz,’ analyzing the resulting data, and developing new questions based on their results. The
biodiversity data gathered by students during the bioblitz will be shared with other schools as
well as scientists through an online data-sharing network called iNaturalist. They will analyze
their own data but may also compare their data to data collected by students at other schools.
Data analysis will lead to the development of new questions and hypotheses that may be
explored in future investigations. In addition to advancing their STEM skills, students will
develop a deeper appreciation of nature and an understanding of the importance of biodiversity.
Core Questions:
● What are the major components of biodiversity?
● What is a ‘bioblitz’?
● Why is biodiversity important?
● What are the main drivers of biodiversity loss?
Arizona Academic Standards
Common Core Mathematics:
Grades 1, 2, & 3:
Grades 4 & 5: Represent and Interpret Data (bar graphs, pie charts); Extend Understanding of
Fraction Equivalence and Ordering
Grade 6:
Grade 7: Draw informal comparative inferences about two populations
Grade 8:
Science:
S1C1: Formulate predictions, questions or hypotheses based on observations
S1C2: Design and conduct controlled investigations
S1C3: Analyze and interpret data to explain results; Formulate new questions
S4C3: Analyze the relationships among various organisms and their environment
Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices:
● Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
● Planning and carrying out investigations
● Analyzing and interpreting data
● Using mathematics and computational thinking
● Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
● Engaging in argument from evidence
● Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
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Background
The concept of biodiversity encompasses genetic diversity, species diversity and
ecosystem diversity. In this lesson we focus on species diversity, which is arguable the simplest
measure of biodiversity. Scientists have formally described nearly 2 million species from our
planet, but this total makes up only a small proportion of the actual number of species on our
planet, which a recent estimate puts at 8.7 million species, give or take 1.3 million. This means
that the overwhelming majority of species on our planet still await discovery!
Who makes up these 2 million described species and over 6 million undescribed species?
Animals make up about 1 million of our described species, plants about 250,000 described
species, and fungi about 100,000 described species. The remaining species are protists (singlecelled organisms that are not bacteria) and bacteria. Within Kingdom Animalia arthropods
(animals with exoskeleton and jointed appendages, including arachnids, insects, and crustaceans)
make up over 85% of described species.
So why do we care about biodiversity? Biodiversity provides us with myriad natural
resources that sustain human life on our planet. The most basic of these resources are clean air
and water, which are provided by healthy ecosystems made up of complex webs of interacting
species. One of the best examples is that of New York City, which boasts the largest unfiltered
water storage and supply system in the nation. In fact the water is purified, but the purification is
performed by the soil, microbes, plants and animals in the watershed that lies northeast of the
city. Preserving this watershed has eliminated the need to build a water filtration system with an
estimated construction cost of $6-8 billion and annual operating costs in the hundreds of
millions. Other resources derived from biodiversity include food, medicine, and raw materials
used in a wide variety of industries. For example, the FAO estimates that of the slightly more
than 100 food crops that comprise over 90% of global food supply, 71 are pollinated by bees,
primarily wild bees. Or consider that 25% of prescription drugs in the U.S. contain ingredients
derived from plants. Furthermore, there are many values of biodiversity that are more difficult to
quantify. How much might the enormous biodiversity of southern Arizona contribute to the value
of the region’s tourism industry?
The biodiversity of our planet is declining dramatically. This decline has direct
consequences for the human population, such as the loss of species that we once depended upon
for food and the deterioration of healthy ecosystems that provide us with a wide variety of
services. Human actions are driving this decline in biodiversity. The most significant driver has
been habitat loss and degradation. Over 83% of the ice-free land surface has been directly
impacted by humanity (Sanderson et al. 2002). The other main drivers of biodiversity declines
include invasive species, climate change, and nutrient enrichment, primarily the result of heavy
fertilizer use.
Although the biodiversity of our planet is declining overall, scientists have been
documenting recent increases in urban biodiversity. In the arid Southwest, you’ll find the highest
concentrations of biodiversity in places with water. Increasingly, these places include our cities.
For some species, our cities can also be places to find abundant food resources. Consider the
floral resources available to bees in our cities or the abundance of rodents and pigeons available
to the red tailed hawks and great horned owls that live with us in Tucson. Not only do many of
our cities hold a wealth of biodiversity, but these species also perform valuable services for us,
free of charge. Recently scientists measured the quantity of food waste processed by ants and
other arthropods on the streets on New York City, finding that these animals consume about 14
pounds of food waste per city block per year!
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A bioblitz is a rapid biodiversity survey. Conducting a bioblitz in the schoolyard is an
excellent way to engage students in science and hopefully give them a sense of appreciation for
the biodiversity in their own neighborhoods. Also known as a biological inventory or
biological census, a bioblitz is an event in which a group of people attempts to find and
document as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.
The primary goal of a bioblitz is to get an overall count of the different types of plants,
animals, fungi, and other organisms that live in a place. A bioblitz brings together volunteer
scientists, as well as families, students, teachers, and other members of the community. Because
bioblitzes can be conducted by basically anyone and happen in a short period of time—usually
24 hours—it is a good activity to do in the schoolyard with students. However, bioblitzes have
been conducted all over the world. The National Geographic Society conducted one in the
Saguaro National Park in 2011. Working together, scientists and the Tucson community
documented nearly 1,000 species in the park in just 24 hours. But the desert doesn’t stop at park
boundaries. We are excited to start learning about the species that are living with us in our city
through the efforts of students across Tucson!
Recommended Reading:
Causes and Consequences of Biodiversity Declines http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/causes-and-consequences-of-biodiversitydeclines-16132475
Why Conserve Biodiversity? - http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/conservationof-biodiversity-13235087
National Geographic: Bioblitz
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/bioblitz/?ar_a=1
National Geographic Bioblitz Educational Resources http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/programs/bioblitz/?ar_a=1
Saguaro National Park Electronic Field Trip Educational Resources http://www.electronicfieldtrip.org/saguaro/10modules.php
Vocabulary
Bioblitz – an effort that enlists the help of both scientists and non-scientists in documenting as
many species as possible in a defined area over a short period of time (‘Bio’=life; ‘blitz’=fast)
Biodiversity – the diversity, or variety, of plants and animals and other organisms in a particular
area or region; the number of species within a defined area
Habitat – the place in which an organism lives, including its physical and biotic characteristic
Microhabitat – the smaller, more specific habitat within the larger habitat in which a species
lives (eg. under a rock, on a certain species of plant)
Species – a distinct type of organism capable of reproducing with other individuals of the same
type, but not with any other type of organisms
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Materials
Cameras
Pencil and field notebook or Species Observation Worksheet and clipboard
Hand-held GPS system (optional)
Binoculars (optional)
Day 1: Concept introduction and preparation for fieldwork
Core Questions
● What is biodiversity?
● Why is biodiversity important?
● What is a bioblitz?
● What types of challenges face scientists as they try to measure biodiversity?
Introduction of Core Concepts
Introduce the core concepts of biodiversity, species, and bioblitz through the provided
presentation or other means.
Optional Activities
Activity 1: (10 minutes) Put students into teams. Give teams a variety of categories for which
they are to generate a list of species (eg. Sonoran Desert species, plants, animals, mammals or
endangered species) Allow them to work for 5 minutes, writing down all the species they can
think of. The team with the most organisms written down wins.
Activity 2: Watch the video on the 2011 Saguaro National Park Bioblitz and discuss the
differences between a bioblitz at the scale of Saguaro National Park versus the scale of a
schoolyard or neighborhood.
Have students form groups and design a plan for a bioblitz in the schoolyard. Each group
will need at least one camera. If permitted, students may use their phone cameras. If students will
be using their own camera, make sure they are capable of transferring the photos they take from
their cameras to a computer; they must either have a usb cable to connect their phone to a
computer or have email capability on their phone. One or more students in each group should be
assigned to be the photographer(s) and official data recorder(s).
Day 2: The Bioblitz
Review the purpose of the bioblitz and have students review their plans. Important reminders for
students:
 Photos should allow others to identify the observed species (eg. photos of plants should
include photos of the whole plant, leaves, flowers, and other important parts; photos of
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insects should include photos taken at different angles and might include photos of the
structures they build).
Photos should be linked to the written observations on the Species Observation
Worksheet or field notebook.
Students should expect to find plants and a variety of animals (mostly insects, but also
lizards, birds, and mammals).
Students should explore all the different habitats present in the schoolyard. Moist areas or
areas with standing water are especially good places to look for plants and animals.
Students should spend at least a few minutes sitting quietly to collect observations of
lizards, birds, & mammals.
GPS Lesson (Optional): See Explanation of GPS, which explains how to use hand-held GPS
units to record the precise location of observations.
Get into Groups: Students should have been assigned to groups on Day 1. Remind students of
the roles of different group members. At a minimum each groups needs a photographer and
official data recorder.
Distribute Materials: Distribute the Species Observation Worksheet and clipboards (optional),
GPS units (optional), binoculars (optional), and plant press (optional) to students. Also remind
the students to bring their cameras (not optional). If not using the Species Observation
Worksheet, students should be prepared to record their observations in a notebook of some sort.
Collect Observations (Conduct the Bioblitz!!): Allow the students at least 30 minutes to
explore the schoolyard environment and make observations of all species that they encounter.
Species Identification: Most likely the students will not know the names of the majority of the
species they observed during their schoolyard explorations. It is not necessary to name each
species, but it is necessary to differentiate one species from another in order to tally the total
number of species observed during the bioblitz. Species identification does provide students with
the opportunity to learn more about the biology and ecology of the organisms they observed.
There are several options for species identification:
(1) Students can work in their groups on identification in the classroom with field guides and
other resources (eg. electronic field guides if access to internet is available) provided by
teachers/ed specialists. The Easy Field Guide Series from American Traveler Press
provides the opportunity to introduce dichotomous keys for certain species groups (eg.
cacti).
(2) Each student can be assigned a number of observations for identification as a homework
assignment. A list of identification resources should be provided.
(3) Students (if using their own cameras) or teachers (if using borrowed cameras) can upload
their observations to iNaturalist and invite others to identify the pictured species (see
below).
Uploading Observations to iNaturalist: Observations lie at the core of iNaturalist. An
observation is basically a species you observed, a time, and a place. Uploading species
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observations to iNaturalist is easy. Hopefully students will have taken a photo of each species
they observed. Although observations without photos may be uploaded, this is discouraged.
After all observations are uploaded, iNaturalist will tally the total number of observations and
total number of species for you. See the iNaturalist instruction sheet for more information.
Alternative to iNaturalist: If your students do not have access to iNaturalist, you can still create
a list of all observations and all species recorded by the class. Remember that the same species is
likely to have been recorded by more than one group. Thus your species total will almost
certainly be lower than your observations total.
Day 3: Data Analysis and Discussion
Core Questions:
● What is a habitat? a microhabitat?
● What do organisms need to survive and reproduce?
● What are native and non-native species?
● What is a descriptive question? a causal question?
Background
Measuring biodiversity is not easy. The simplest measure of diversity is just a count of
the total number of species in a given area at a given time. This is known as species richness.
There are also a variety of species diversity indices, none of which are without controversy.
Calculating species diversity indices requires the collection of abundance data for each species
(i.e. the number of individuals observed for each species), which is not the focus of a bioblitz.
A habitat is the place in which an organism lives. Let’s consider a species found in the
Sonoran Desert. The Gila woodpecker is a species of bird found throughout the Sonoran Desert
in low elevation desert scrub habitat. Although desert scrub is a habitat in its own right, there are
many other smaller habitats contained within this larger habitat. Smaller habitats contained with
larger habitats are called microhabitats. For example, cactus rots are important microhabitats
within the desert scrub environment. A cactus rot is created when a cactus dies or is damaged
and begins to decompose. Many species of bacteria, yeasts, and arthropods make their home in
cactus rots.
In the schoolyard, different habitats may be distinguished from each other by differences
in landscaping. For example, much of the schoolyard may be irrigated and landscaped mostly
with non-native plants, while a portion of the schoolyard may be not be irrigated and planted
with only native desert species. We might describe the former as urban desert habitat and the
latter habitat as remnant desert scrub habitat. Within each of these habitats we could likely find
many different microhabitats. More to come…
Data Analysis & Discussion Questions
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1. Make a bar chart showing the species totals for each schoolyard habitat that was explored.
Which habitats within the schoolyard had the greatest species diversity? Why were some habitats
more diverse than others?
2. Make a bar chart that shows the species totals for plants and animals separately, for each
schoolyard habitat that was explored. Which habitats had the greatest diversity of plants and
animals? Are these the same habitats for each group of organisms? Why might one habitat
support a larger number of plant species while a different habitat supports a greater number of
animal species?
3. Explain some problems that scientists face when they try to quantify the biodiversity of a
given area?
4. What happens when new plants are introduced to a habitat? Do they have a negative impact on
the native plants growing there?
Optional Activities
Field Guide
Have the class create a field guide for the plants they found. Each page should include a sketch
of the plant and a description of its flower, leaves, size, bloom time, and a general description of
the habitat, as well as a map of the range where the plant can be found. Gather the field guide
pages together to use as reference for studying plants throughout the school year.
Classifying Organisms
To help them study all the varied organisms that live on our planet, scientists have devised a
system of classification that includes five different kingdoms—Archaea, Eubacteria (“true”
bacteria), Protista, Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia. Have students name three species considered
part of each kingdom, with the exception of Archaea, which may not be familiar to most
students. Ask students to identify each organism as unicellular or multicellular and to describe its
nutrition, movement, and whether it reproduces sexually or asexually.
Growing Schoolyard Biodiversity
More to come…
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