Biodiversity Hall Guide

The Hall of Biodiversity, which opened in the spring of 1998, addresses the variety and interdependence of all living things. It celebrates the beauty, diversity, and abundance of life on Earth while warning of the threats posed by human activity. The Hall is organized around four questions:

  What is biodiversity?
  Why is biodiversity important?
  What are the threats to biodiversity?
  What can be done to protect biodiversity?

Information and responses to these questions are embedded throughout the Hall in text, videos, and interactives. Red text indicates threats. See the "How to Read the Labels" page for a schematic of how these questions are addressed.

Class visits may focus on the entire hall or one of the following:

  ecosystems/habitats
  human effects on the environment
  evolution

(These three topics, which specifically address performance standards and curriculum requirements, are covered in more detail in the Background section of this guide.)

The numbers in parenthesis can help you locate a particular section of the hall found on the map of the Hall of Biodiversity.

No matter how you tour the Hall, we recommend that you begin with the eight-minute Introductory Video (8), Life in the Balance. A continuous loop, it provides an overview of the main concepts of biodiversity featured in the Hall.

The Spectrum of Life Wall (1) highlights the wealth and diversity of life on Earth. Along the wall and overhead are displayed 1,500 specimens and models—ranging from microorganisms to large terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including bacteria, plants, fish, mammals, and insects—presented in the form of a cladogram, a graphic chart that reconstructs the evolutionary history of a group of organisms. This cladogram shows the 28 living groups that make up all life on Earth.

The Crisis Zone (5): Embedded in the floor in front of the Spectrum of Life Wall is a time line of the five previous major extinction events—periods of unusually high levels of extinction—with fossils from these periods. Two columns flanking the time line provide an overview of the causes of the present, or sixth extinction, an event different from previous extinctions because it is caused by human activity. A display case nearby contains examples of and information about endangered and extinct animals.

A multiscreen Habitat Video Wall (2) provides a global tour of nine ecosystems, communities of interacting organisms and their physical environments. Each 90-second video is superimposed with warnings about threats to each ecosystem. Texts and maps show distributions.

The Rain Forest Diorama (6), representing a section of the Dzanga Ndoki rain forest from the Dzanga-Sangha Forest Preserve in the Central African Republic, features more than 160 flora and fauna species. The rain forest is shown in progressive states of disturbance. An interpretative railing provides details in text and graphics. Through video interviews, local people, government officials, and World Wildlife Fund representatives tell their stories about the forest.

In text, graphics, and on video, the Transformation of the Biosphere Wall (7) presents dramatic case studies of changes to the biosphere—all living things on Earth and their habitats. Case studies on the Solutions Wall (3) suggest possible remedies to the biodiversity crisis. Between these two walls, 10 computer kiosks offer access to Web sites, a bibliography, names of conservation organizations, and a searchable archive of the Hall's quarterly BioBulletin (4)—a video magazine.

	The HALL ofbiodiversity
key concepts and orientation come prepared! key concepts and orientation background map of the hall before your visit while you're at the museum how to read the labels back in the classroom connections to other places in the museum links to New York State standards credits	The Hall of Biodiversity, which opened in the spring of 1998, addresses the variety and interdependence of all living things. It celebrates the beauty, diversity, and abundance of life on Earth while warning of the threats posed by human activity. The Hall is organized around four questions: What is biodiversity? Why is biodiversity important? What are the threats to biodiversity? What can be done to protect biodiversity? Information and responses to these questions are embedded throughout the Hall in text, videos, and interactives. Red text indicates threats. See the "How to Read the Labels" page for a schematic of how these questions are addressed. Class visits may focus on the entire hall or one of the following: ecosystems/habitats human effects on the environment evolution (These three topics, which specifically address performance standards and curriculum requirements, are covered in more detail in the Background section of this guide.) The numbers in parenthesis can help you locate a particular section of the hall found on the map of the Hall of Biodiversity. No matter how you tour the Hall, we recommend that you begin with the eight-minute Introductory Video (8), Life in the Balance. A continuous loop, it provides an overview of the main concepts of biodiversity featured in the Hall. The Spectrum of Life Wall (1) highlights the wealth and diversity of life on Earth. Along the wall and overhead are displayed 1,500 specimens and models—ranging from microorganisms to large terrestrial and aquatic organisms, including bacteria, plants, fish, mammals, and insects—presented in the form of a cladogram, a graphic chart that reconstructs the evolutionary history of a group of organisms. This cladogram shows the 28 living groups that make up all life on Earth. The Crisis Zone (5): Embedded in the floor in front of the Spectrum of Life Wall is a time line of the five previous major extinction events—periods of unusually high levels of extinction—with fossils from these periods. Two columns flanking the time line provide an overview of the causes of the present, or sixth extinction, an event different from previous extinctions because it is caused by human activity. A display case nearby contains examples of and information about endangered and extinct animals. A multiscreen Habitat Video Wall (2) provides a global tour of nine ecosystems, communities of interacting organisms and their physical environments. Each 90-second video is superimposed with warnings about threats to each ecosystem. Texts and maps show distributions. The Rain Forest Diorama (6), representing a section of the Dzanga Ndoki rain forest from the Dzanga-Sangha Forest Preserve in the Central African Republic, features more than 160 flora and fauna species. The rain forest is shown in progressive states of disturbance. An interpretative railing provides details in text and graphics. Through video interviews, local people, government officials, and World Wildlife Fund representatives tell their stories about the forest. In text, graphics, and on video, the Transformation of the Biosphere Wall (7) presents dramatic case studies of changes to the biosphere—all living things on Earth and their habitats. Case studies on the Solutions Wall (3) suggest possible remedies to the biodiversity crisis. Between these two walls, 10 computer kiosks offer access to Web sites, a bibliography, names of conservation organizations, and a searchable archive of the Hall's quarterly BioBulletin (4)—a video magazine.
© 2002 American Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved.