Animal Diversity

Animal diversity refers to the number of different kinds of animals living in an area. The diversity of animals reflects, in part, the diversity of vegetation in that area. Animals need plants not only for food, but also for shelter, shade, and moisture. When people move into an area, they usually influence the diversity of animals in the area by altering the animals’ habitat. A habitat is the place where an organism lives. A weedy field with a variety of tall grasses and shrubs provides habitats for many kinds of animals. If the same field is transformed into a well managed lawn with only one or two types of grass, the number of available habitats for animals will be greatly reduced. Fewer species of animals can live in a well managed lawn than can live in a more diverse weedy field. (A species is a group of organisms different from all other kinds of organisms.) In the case of a managed lawn, people reduce the diversity of animal species not only through weed control, but also by direct pest control.

In this outdoor activity, learners find, count and compare as many different kinds of animals as they can find in two different areas: a managed lawn and a weedy area. Learners compare their animal finds, and also examine which plants in the different areas attracted the most animals. Learners consider how people have affected the diversity of animals in the lawn.

Learning Outcomes:

• The participants will learn the techniques of collecting and sampling organisms.
• They will investigate and compare the animal diversity in the two areas.
  They will consider how the types of plants in an area influence the types of critters that live there.

Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) is an outdoor program that offers young people fun and challenging opportunities to investigate ecological relationships in their local environment. OBIS was developed in the 1970s at the Lawrence Hall of Science to help adults (teachers, parents, community leaders) take young people outdoors to experience ecological principles in their local area. We have made several of the original 97 OBIS activities available digitally. These activities, which increase environmental awareness, can be used individually or in combination. These simple experiences then act as a gateway for children and adults to explore and understand their local environment.