A contains one known species label; B contains three. The activity also exposes a repeated report, a conflicting species label, and an unresolved label without quietly changing the sample size.
Use the worked example
Choose Sample B, then Duplicate B01. Read all nine report rows and compare them with the eight distinct IDs. Switch to Unknown B08: the individual count stays eight, while the species summary explicitly remains incomplete. Use the S1 filter to inspect four visible individuals without replacing the whole-sample totals. Enter individual and known-label counts, then Check counts for a local answer check.
Explain the evidence for the answer
The American Museum of Natural History describes biodiversity across levels from genes to ecosystems and explains that research measures multiple dimensions. A small species-label tally addresses only a limited part of that subject. AMNH: What Is Biodiversity?
Here, observed species richness means the number of distinct supplied species labels in the selected fictional sample. Individual count means the number of distinct individual IDs. Genetic variation and ecosystem diversity remain unknown; this packet does not calculate a full diversity index.
Use comparable fictional eight-individual samples A and B for the count exercise. The supplied species codes S1, S2, and S3 stand for distinct species in the game. They are not identifications made from artwork or actual specimens.
A contains eight distinct IDs, so its individual count is eight. All IDs have the same supplied species label S1, so its observed species richness is one.
Ask the learner to write both numbers and explain why eight individuals need not represent eight species. Pointing to eight separate cards answers the individual question. Identifying one distinct label answers the species question.
Leave the learner's counts and reason blank in the prepared sheet. Keep the teacher's 8-individual/1-label answer separate. The card setup is evidence for the fictional arithmetic, not a record of what a student did.
Within the complete supplied packets, B has more observed species labels while both have the same individual count. That is the supported comparison. It does not establish that a real place is healthier, that a sample found every species, or that B represents greater diversity at every biological level.
Retain B01, B02, B03, and B04 as four individuals of S1. Equal labels group them for a species tally; they do not merge their identities. A learner who reduces B to three records has changed the question from individuals to distinct species labels.
Add an exact repeat of B01 with the same S1 label. There are now nine report rows but still eight distinct individual IDs and three distinct species labels. Count the repeat once for the individual tally while retaining a trace of the repeated report.
The rule is based on identity, not species. B01 and B02 remain two individuals even though both are S1. Two rows for the same B01 describe a repeated report of one individual in this game.
For an answer-checking round, enter the whole sample’s individual count and the number of distinct known labels, then press Check counts. Sample A accepts 8 and 1; complete Sample B accepts 8 and 3. Duplicate B01 still accepts 8 and 3 because its identity repeats. The unknown-label round additionally states that the tally is incomplete, while a conflicting label requires review. A correct count cannot resolve an unsupported species assignment.
Copy a prompt for this example
Create a complete HTML biodiversity classroom activity that distinguishes individual IDs from species labels. Sample A contains A01 through A08, all labeled S1. Sample B contains B01 through B04 labeled S1, B05 and B06 labeled S2, and B07 and B08 labeled S3. Show the individual-ID table beside a summary: A has eight individuals and one known species label; B has eight individuals and three known labels.
Provide Sample A and Sample B buttons and separate variants for a duplicate report, an unknown label and a conflicting label. Repeating the exact B01 report creates nine report rows but still only eight individuals. Changing B08 to Unknown preserves that individual and makes the species tally incomplete; S3 remains known because B07 still has that label. Reporting B01 with S2 conflicts with its S1 assignment and requires review instead of silently creating an extra individual.
An S1 filter should display four B individuals without changing the whole-sample totals. Include labeled answer fields for the number of individuals and known species labels, with a Check counts button. Check A against 8 and 1, and B against 8 and 3, while retaining any unknown/conflict qualification. Editing either answer must clear the previous check result. Keep unanswered fields distinct from zero.
Reset restores Sample A and blank answers. Put the source rows and the count explanation together, use readable labels and keyboard-accessible buttons, and stack the table and summary on a phone. Return one self-contained HTML file.
Before class, choose whether students will explain the duplicate or the unknown-label variant. You can inspect this prepared HTML tally in NOS using its HTML preview, keeping the individual-ID table beside the summary. Ask students to name both what was counted and what remains unknown.