Laboratory 1 — Biodiversity Sampling & Species Identification
Description
In this interactive lab, students step into the role of field ecologists conducting a real biodiversity survey. The module walks students through packing a virtual field kit, then placing quadrats and running transects across an illustrated habitat to sample organisms and record presence, abundance, and frequency firsthand. From there, students identify their sampled organisms using a branching dichotomous key and the full taxonomic hierarchy, calculate species richness, relative abundance, and diversity indices from their own collected data, and compare two contrasting habitats to see how disturbance and environment shape species composition. Every dataset the student generates along the way feeds into a running field notebook, culminating in a self-compiled biodiversity report that mirrors the kind of inventory a real ecological survey would produce.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lab, students will be able to explain the principles of biodiversity sampling and distinguish qualitative from quantitative approaches, and apply quadrat and transect methods to sample organisms and record their presence, abundance, frequency, and distribution. Students will also be able to identify organisms using morphological characteristics and dichotomous keys, correctly place them within the taxonomic hierarchy from Kingdom to Species, and calculate core biodiversity measures such as species richness, relative abundance, and diversity indices. Finally, students will be able to compare sampling sites to determine differences in richness, abundance, and diversity, distinguish shared from restricted species, and interpret biodiversity data to inform conservation recommendations.