Habitat Size Impacts Arthropod Species

Resource Type
Description
This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that explored the relationship between species number and habitat size for arthropods living on desert shrubs.
The arthropod species in this figure are specialist herbivores that feed and live only on the shrubs. The figure shows the number of these species on shrubs of different sizes, both before and after fumigation. The results can be used to demonstrate the species-area relationship, a major pattern in island biogeography, and the fact that this relationship returns even after a major disturbance.
The “Educator Materials” document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The “Student Handout” includes a captioned figure and background information.
The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.
Student Learning Targets
- Analyze and interpret data from a scientific figure.
- Explain the relationship between species number and habitat size or area.
Estimated Time
Key Terms
equilibrium, fumigation experiment, island biogeography, linear regression, logarithmic scale, scatterplot, specialist, species richness, species-area relationship, trendline
Primary Literature
Sanchez, Brian C., and Robert R. Parmenter. “Patterns of shrub-dwelling arthropod diversity across a desert shrubland-grassland ecotone: a test of island biogeographic theory.” Journal of Arid Environments 50, 2 (2002): 247–265. https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2001.0920.
Terms of Use
Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.
Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)
Version History
NGSS 2013
HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6; SEP2, SEP4, SEP5
AP Biology 2019
IB Biology 2016
4.1, C.2
AP Environmental Science 2020
Topic(s): 2.3
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.D, ERT-2.G; SP3, SP5
IB Environmental Systems and Societies 2017
2.2, 3.1
Common Core 2010
ELA.RST.9–12.7
MP2, MP5
Vision and Change 2009
CC5; DP2, DP3