How Biodiverse is Your Backyard?

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Here's how.

Active Time

45 minutes to 1 hour

Total Project Time

45 minutes to 1 hour

Key Concepts

biology, taxonomy, animals, biodiversity

Photo of a brown grasshopper on a plant stem

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how many different types of animals live around your home, like in your backyard or a local park? Animals come in all shapes and sizes, each a small part of the amazing diversity of life. These differences can help people use systems to classify animals into different groups. One way people classify animals is by their phylum. Do you know which phylum you belong to? In this science activity, you will investigate the diversity (or biodiversity) of the animal life around your home and try to figure out which phylum most of the animals belong to.

Credits

Teisha Rowland, PhD, Science Buddies

This activity is not appropriate for use as a science fair project. Good science fair projects have a stronger focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data. To find a science fair project that is just right for you, browse our library of over 1,200 Science Fair Project Ideas or use the Topic Selection Wizard to get a personalized project recommendation.

Next: Materials

Materials

Sheet of paper
Pencil or pen
Optional: Digital camera to take pictures
Optional: Magnifying glass
An observation location, such as a backyard, park, community garden, open field, lake, stream, etc. It should be a place you like to explore and where you think you might find a diversity of organisms.