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Record air temperature alongside count data and look for a threshold temperature where activity increases.
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Science inquiry · Unit 2Inquiry 2
Invertebrate biodiversity
Who lives here — and what does abundance tell us?
Which invertebrates appear in our place — and what patterns emerge over time?
Science inquiry · Unit 2
Invertebrate biodiversity
Who lives here — and what does abundance tell us?
Nature of Science · Living World · Ecology
Wero
Which invertebrates appear in our place — and what patterns emerge over time?
First step
Run a fair light-trap protocol and record counts with habitat notes.
What you will show
Evidence-linked claim about biodiversity patterns with revision after new nights of data.
Local place context
Which local habitat are you sampling? Note dominant native plants and seasonal timing for your trap.
Nature of Science · Living World · Ecology
First step
Run a fair light-trap protocol and record counts with habitat notes.
Expected outcome
Evidence-linked claim about biodiversity patterns with revision after new nights of data.
You will run a MaramaTrap light trap at school over several nights and document the insects that visit. What kinds of insects visit your site, how counts change with conditions, and how confident you can be in your identifications. Photos and counts of specimens by group, plus weather and time-of-night notes for each session.
Five ways you could investigate
Pick one to start — or write your own question. The AI mentor supports you gently inside your investigation.
Idea 1
Trap location comparison
Do counts differ between two habitats — and what habitat features might explain it?
Start with this question →Idea 2
Weather and catch rate
How does overnight weather relate to the number of insects trapped?
Start with this question →Idea 3
Light intensity fair test
If we change only light brightness, what happens to species diversity?
Start with this question →Idea 4
Seasonal abundance
Across multiple sampling sessions, which species increase or decrease — and why might that be?
Start with this question →Idea 5
Counting rules reliability
Do two counters agree when rules are written down — and where do they disagree?
Start with this question →
Five things you could build
Fabrication ideas linked to makerspace tools — 3D print, laser cut, Arduino, data products, and more.
Build 1
Observation chamber
Design a vented chamber for humane, consistent viewing.
Open in outcome selector →Build 2
Trap housing panel
Laser-cut a housing that improves trap stability and safety.
Open in outcome selector →Build 3
Classification label set
Vinyl-cut durable labels for field sorting by group.
Open in outcome selector →Build 4
Biodiversity field guide poster
Communicate your top five species with photos and habitat notes.
Open in outcome selector →Build 5
Light-trap mount
3D print a mount that fixes trap height for fair comparison.
Open in outcome selector →
AI mentor (inside your investigation)
No separate mentor page — support appears in your investigation workspace. It starts gentle: short prompts about your research context, data, and analysis. You or your teacher can turn assistance off for unassisted work, or request more help when you need it. It also guides fabrication choices tied to your evidence.
What other investigators found
Try this next
Run both trap types at the same location on the same night to control for weather and habitat.
What you will investigate
You will run a MaramaTrap light trap at school over several nights and document the insects that visit.
What you will collect
Date and time, Site
What you might make or share
A printed insect observation chamber, classification labels