Teaching Students About Biodiversity: By Studying the Correlation Between Plants & Arthropods (Inquiry & INVESTIGATION‪)‬

Biodiversity is an ecological buzz-word that has garnered a great deal of attention for the past several decades. The main focus has been on human effects on biodiversity. Humans mainly affect biodiversity directly through development, which decreases wildlife habitat (Dodd, 1987; Greene, 1997), or indirectly through habitat fragmentation, introduction of exotic species, or alteration of natural cycles (e.g., suppression of natural fires; McClain 8z Anderson, 1990; Owens ST Cole, 2003). Much attention has been given to human impacts on biodiversity and many lessons about this topic have been developed for the classroom (Kishbaugh, 2002; Almeida et al., 2006). While biodiversity curricula for the classroom have been inventive and noteworthy, students first need an introduction to biodiversity, including an introduction to the concept, common ecological terms often associated with biodiversity, factors that may affect biodiversity of a particular taxon, and ways of measuring biodiversity. Teachers face the challenge of introducing this concept in an authentic way which students can apply to their surroundings. This can be especially challenging in urban environments which are human-centered habitats and often low in green spaces and diversity.