Field Investigations: Bug Biodiversity and Ecosystem Benefits

Students will discover the relationship between biofuel crop production and invertebrate biodiversity in these field investigations as well as the "effects those organisms have on pollination rates and weed seed predation." Instructors will have the option to choose from six field-sampling methods and explore school-yard biofuel plots, agricultural fields, or existing natural ecosystems. This activity is targeted at kindergarten through undergraduate (grades k through 16), and requires a basic understanding of the meanings and importance of biodiversity, the roles of invertebrates (insects) in ecosystems, plant-insect interactions (i.e. pollination, predation), and some experience conducting scientific investigations. Three to five 50-minute class periods are needed to complete the field investigations. The activity package, called "Field Investigations: Bug Biodiversity and Ecosystem Benefits Package," can be downloaded as a .zip file (4.3 MB) and includes teacher instructions and answer key, student pages, sample graphs for field investigations, and Biodiversity Front Newsletter.