Introduce ecology classes to biodiversity and interdependence in ecosystems with a PowerPoint presentation. Then, they get up-close and personal with the invertebrate world by collecting insects, classifying them, and graphing their data. Links to the slide show, instructions for insect sampling, and dichotomous keys for identification are all provided for your convenience. Expect to invest up to five class periods for this mini-unit.

Concepts

human impact on the environment, environmental stewardship, biodiversity, carrying capacity, ecosystems

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Additional Tags

biodiversity, ecosystem, human impact on the environment, carrying capacity, interdependence, science

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Pros

• Sample graphs and follow-up questions are provided
• PowerPoint slides, sampling instructions, and identification keys included
• Meets several Next Generation Science Standards in life science

Cons

• No teacher's notes are provided for the slides; make sure to invest some time before using them to plan a corresponding lecture