What effect does growing millions of acres of corn have on the plants and insects living in agricultural landscapes? Can we balance biomass production and biodiversity by using a variety of bioenergy crops? In this “data dive” students analyze data on the biodiversity of plants and beneficial living in different bioenergy crops. They also compare some of the important ecosystem services that bugs and plants provide in different crops and explore ways balancing the tradeoffs between producing biomass and maintaining some of the valuable benefits of biodiversity in farming landscapes. Extend the learning by combining this activity with the Entomology Detectives research story and the Bug Biodiversity and Ecosystem Benefits field investigations.

Read this short introduction to GLBRC Data Dives to learn what they are and how to use them in science classes.

This activity is based on the "data nugget" curriculum model developed by scientists and educators at the Kellogg Biological Station. To learn more and view similar data nugget activities, visit: http://datanuggets.org/