Biodiversity Around Us
Guiding Question — How can we observe, describe, and understand the diversity of living things in our nearby environment?
- Understand what the word biodiversity means.
- Identify living beings in a nearby environment.
- Describe living beings using observable characteristics.
- Understand that living beings can be grouped based on shared traits.
- Understand that human activities can modify biodiversity.
Part 1: Understanding What Biodiversity Is
Biodiversity means the diversity of life. It includes the diversity of habitats, the diversity of species, and the diversity of individuals within the same species.
Around us, even in ordinary-looking places, many living things can be observed. These can be animals, plants, fungi, or even microscopic living beings invisible to the naked eye.
Biodiversity is therefore not found only in large tropical forests or oceans. It also exists in a schoolyard, a garden, a park, a pond, a hedge, an old wall, or even in the soil.
In a schoolyard, one can sometimes observe trees, mosses, lichens, ants, birds, spiders, snails, or earthworms. All these living beings contribute to the site's biodiversity.
To study biodiversity, scientists observe living beings, describe them, compare them, and try to understand their relationships with the environment where they live.
The Three Levels of Biodiversity
Biodiversity can be observed at several levels. To understand it well, three main levels are generally distinguished.
| Level of Biodiversity | What It Means | Simple Example |
|---|---|---|
| Diversity of Habitats | There are different places where living beings can live. | A forest, a pond, a meadow, a garden. |
| Diversity of Species | Different species exist within the same habitat. | An oak tree, a tit, an ant, a snail. |
| Diversity of Individuals | Individuals of the same species are not all exactly identical. | Two snails of the same species can have shells of different colors. |
Biodiversity corresponds to the diversity of life. It includes the diversity of habitats, species, and individuals within the same species. Even in a nearby environment, such as a schoolyard or garden, significant biodiversity can be observed.
Part 2: Observing Biodiversity in a Nearby Environment
To study biodiversity, one must start by observing. Observing does not mean just looking quickly. You have to take the time to spot living beings, their traces, and the conditions of the environment.
A habitat is a place where living beings find what they need to live, such as food, water, shelter, and suitable conditions.
What Can We Observe?
In a nearby environment, we can directly observe living beings. We can also spot signs of their presence, even when they are not visible at the time of observation.
- Visible animals: birds, insects, spiders, snails, earthworms.
- Plants: trees, grass, mosses, flowers, wild plants.
- Fungi: cap mushrooms, molds, or filaments sometimes visible in decomposing matter.
- Traces: feathers, footprints, droppings, shells, chewed leaves, tunnels in wood.
If you observe a leaf with small holes, it can indicate that an animal has eaten it. Even if the animal is no longer visible, the chewed leaf is a clue of its presence.
Observing Without Disturbing
When observing biodiversity, one must respect living beings and their environment. Avoid pulling out plants, destroying shelters, unnecessarily capturing animals, or moving living beings without reason.
Scientific observation can be done with simple tools: a notebook, a pencil, a magnifying glass, a camera, a ruler, or an observation sheet.
Example of an Observation Sheet
To keep a record of observations, a simple sheet can be used. It allows noting important information in an organized way.
| Observed Element | What Is Noted | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Place where the observation is made. | At the foot of a tree in the yard. |
| Living Being or Trace | What is directly observed. | An ant, a feather, moss. |
| Description | Shape, color, size, behavior. | Small black animal with six legs. |
| Environmental Conditions | Light, humidity, temperature, soil type. | Humid and shaded area. |
To study the biodiversity around us, one must observe living beings and signs of their presence. Scientific observation must be precise, organized, and respectful of the environment. The collected information helps better understand which living beings occupy a habitat and under what conditions they live.
Part 3: Identifying and Classifying Observed Living Beings
When observing several living beings, we can try to identify and classify them. This helps organize observations and compare living beings with each other.
An species generally groups living beings that share common characteristics and that, when reproducing among themselves, can produce offspring capable of reproducing.
To identify a living being, characters are observed. A character is a visible or measurable trait of a living being.
A character is a trait of a living being that can be observed, such as the presence of feathers, hair, leaves, flowers, a shell, or six legs.
Characters for Comparison
Characters allow comparing living beings. For example, one can observe if they have legs, wings, leaves, a shell, feathers, or a skeleton.
| Observed Living Being | Observable Characters | Possible Group |
|---|---|---|
| Ant | Six legs, body in three parts, antennae. | Insects. |
| Snail | Soft body, shell, movement on a muscular foot. | Mollusks. |
| Great Tit | Feathers, beak, two wings, two legs. | Birds. |
| Dandelion | Leaves, floral stem, yellow flowers. | Flowering plants. |
If an animal has six legs and antennae, it can be grouped with insects. This does not always suffice to know its exact species, but it helps classify it.
Classifying Does Not Mean Sorting Randomly
Classifying living beings means grouping them based on shared traits. For example, animals that have feathers can be grouped among birds. Plants that produce flowers can be grouped among flowering plants.
Scientific classification shows similarities between species. It also helps understand that certain living beings share traits because they have a very old common history.
To identify and classify living beings, observable traits are used. A species generally includes individuals that look alike and can reproduce with each other. Scientific classification groups living beings according to shared characters, such as feathers, flowers, shells, or six legs.
Part 4: Understanding That Biodiversity Can Change
The biodiversity of a place is not always the same. It can change depending on the seasons, environmental conditions, and human activities.
An ecosystem is a system formed by a habitat, the living beings that live there, and the relationships that exist between them and with their environment.
Biodiversity Changes with the Seasons
In the same place, the living beings seen are not always the same throughout the year. In spring, some plants bloom and many insects are active. In winter, some animals are less visible and many plants slow down their activity.
In a meadow, many flowers and insects can be observed in spring. In winter, flowers are fewer and some insects are hidden in the soil, under dead leaves, or in shelters.
Human Activities Can Modify Biodiversity
Humans transform environments: they build roads, buildings, fields, gardens, parking lots, or green spaces. These transformations can sometimes reduce biodiversity, but some actions can also promote it.
| Human Action | Possible Effect on Biodiversity | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting a hedge | Reduction of shelters and food for some animals. | Fewer birds or insects in the area. |
| Planting various plant species | Increase of resources for several living beings. | Flowers for pollinating insects. |
| Using too many chemicals | Risk of disappearance of some sensitive living beings. | Fewer insects or earthworms. |
| Leaving a natural corner | Creation of shelters and food zones. | Dead leaves, tall grass, small soil animals. |
Protecting Nearby Biodiversity
Protecting biodiversity does not only mean protecting rare species far away. It can also start near us, with simple actions.
- Avoid destroying natural shelters like hedges, leaf piles, or old logs.
- Respect living beings during observations.
- Plant varied plants adapted to the local environment.
- Limit the use of products that can pollute soil or water.
- Leave some areas less mowed to encourage flowers and insects.
The biodiversity of an environment can change over time, especially according to seasons and environmental changes. Human activities can decrease biodiversity, for example by destroying shelters, but they can also promote it through simple, respectful actions towards living things.
Biodiversity corresponds to the diversity of life. It includes the diversity of habitats, species, and individuals within the same species. It can be observed around us, for example, in a schoolyard, a garden, a park, a hedge, or the soil. To study it, we observe living beings and signs of their presence, then describe them using observable characteristics. These characters help identify certain living beings and classify them into groups. Biodiversity can change depending on seasons, environmental conditions, and human activities. Understanding nearby biodiversity helps better respect it and participate in its protection.