Seagrass Module Packet - National Museum of Natural History
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Exploring Seagrass Ecosystems Distance Learning Module Grades 3-8
Transcript of Seagrass Module Packet - National Museum of Natural History
Exploring SeagrassEcosystems
Distance Learning ModuleGrades 3-8
Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems ExhibitWord Search: Seagrass
Just like finding animals in an actual seagrass bed,finding words in this word search will be a little tricky!
See if you can search and find all the words!
Snapping Shrimp: A small species of burrowing shrimp.When they open and close their specialized claws, itsounds like a human's snap!
Nursery: Many juvenile fish and invertebrates utilizethis habitat as they grow. Seagrass provides complexprotection from predators and many food sources.
Turtle Grass: A thick bladed species of seagrass thatis the preferred snack of Green Sea Turtles! Seagrassesare related to land plants.
Nutrients: Many nutrients are important for seagrasshabitats. The two most important are Nitrogen andPhosphorous.
Mullet: An herbivorous fish that you can often seejumping or swimming in schools near the surface of thewater in tidal estuaries.
Brackish: Brackish water is a combination of both freshwater from rivers and salt water from the ocean. Whenthese bodies of water meet and mix, we call it anestuary.
Manatee Grass: A thin, and round bladed species ofseagrass. Manatees can often be found grazing on thisspecies.
Oxygen: Did you know that as a byproduct ofphotosynthesis, seagrass is a huge producer of theoxygen we breath?
Boxfish: These unique box-shaped fish are one of thejuvenile species you can find in the seagrass beds.
Sunlight: Sunlight is required for photosynthesis, theprocess where plants convert sunlight to food.
Aerobic Zone: Depth to which oxygen diffuses down intothe substrate. This zone varies in size and depthdepending on the habitat.
Algae: Unlike seagrasses, algae lack true roots, stems, orleaves. An important food source for many species livingin seagrass beds.
Producers = plants or “plant like” organisms that make energy fromsunlight
Consumer = animals who must eat plants or other animals for energy
It takes 1,000 pounds of producers to create 1 pound of a topconsumer. That’s a LOT of plants!
Learning Objectives: Explore energy flow in food webs; from the sun allthe way up to apex predators. Food webs are complex; manyconsumers are dynamic and opportunistic feeders, discover thedifferent items consumers eat in seagrass habitats.
Instructions: Who eats what? Print out the food web pictures and cutinto individual squares. Using the pictures, map out how you think afood web of seagrass habitats would be organized.
Use yarn, pens, sticks or whatever you have at home, to create links todemonstrate the flow of energy.
Seagrass Food WebActivity
TertiaryConsumers
SecondaryConsumers
PrimaryConsumers
Producers
ENERGY
Food Web Activity
SUNLIGHT MANATEE
AMPHIPODS TIGER SHARK
HUMANS BROWN PELICAN
SEAGRASS SPINY LOBSTER
LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE
HERMIT CRABPHYTOPLANKTON
QUEEN CONCH
EPIPHYTESMULLET
JUVENILE RED DRUM
SEA URCHIN
Food Web Activity
• This answer key does not include every singlepossible connection of energy flow. In nature,many organisms are “opportunistic” feeders,meaning they eat what is available. A tiger sharkmay eat a sea turtle one day and a pelican later inthe week!
• It’s important to remember that the food webs areincredibly complex, dynamic, and changingstructures. If one component goes missing or is inabundance, it can change the whole dynamic ofthe food web structure.
• Pressures to seagrass food webs include;overfishing, seagrass die-offs, algal blooms, andpoor water quality. These pressures can cause theseagrass food web to become unbalanced.
Send us a photo of your activity [email protected] or share with us on social
media @SmithsonianSMS by using#myseagrassfoodweb
WRAP UP
Seagrass Food WebActivity Answer Key
Learning Objectives: In this activity you will learn how and whyscientists monitor seagrass habitats and track percentage coverovertime. You will virtually use a seagrass quadrat to measurepercentage cover of seagrass.
Scientists use “quadrats” or square meters, sometimes divided into10x10 smaller squares, to calculate the percentage cover of an areaof seagrass.
Why calculate percent cover? Calculating percentage cover helpsscientists and policymakers understand population density andoverall health of seagrass meadows. Seagrass densities fluctuate overtime because of environmental and human stressors, like boatpropeller scarring, algal blooms and others. Mapping and monitoringefforts help local and regional governments manage and protectcritical seagrass habitats.
Seagrass MonitoringActivity
Background: Florida seagrasshabitats are valuable marineresources. Seagrasses grow inthick meadows in the IndianRiver Lagoon and provide animportant nursery habitat formany species, are importantfor nutrient cycling, sedimentstabilization, and for storingcarbon.
Examples of quadrats placed on abundant(100% cover) seagrass meadows.
Monitoring Activity
Instructions: Using the “quadrats” on the following pageyou will measure and calculate percentage cover ofseagrass species abundance. Each quadrat is made of10x10 squares, therefore each square equals 1%. Youwill add up the squares containing seagrass and that willgive you percentage cover for each species.
As you learned in the Seagrass Module, there are 7species of seagrass in the IRL. We will focus on 2 in thisactivity, Thalassia testudinum and Halodule wrightii.Measure the percentage of each seagrass species(Thalassia and Halodule), then add them together tofind the total percentage cover.
Now it’s Your Turn:
Monitoring Activity
1. % Thalassia = _____% Halodule = _____
Total = _______
4. % Thalassia = _____% Halodule = _____
Total = _______
3. % Thalassia = _____% Halodule = _____
Total = ______
2. % Thalassia = _____% Halodule = _____
Total = ______
Thalassia HaloduleKEY
Thinking Questions & Wrap Up:
• Seagrass grows in meadows of varying coverage inthe Indian River Lagoon. Why do you think theremight be more Thalassia in quadrat 2 than quadrat3?
• Seagrasses are subject to stressors that reducetheir coverage: including algal blooms, poor waterquality, boat propeller scarring, and increasedherbivory. All these factors can change seagrassabundance over time. Why is it important tomanage or protect seagrass meadows?
• If you were to monitor these same quadrats a yearfrom now, how do you think they would look?
• Unfortunately, many studies show a decline inseagrasses globally. Why do you think that is?
If you have any questions or need help with thisactivity, please contact us at [email protected] or
reach out to us on social media @SmithsonianSMS
Seagrass MonitoringActivity
ANSWER KEY
Monitoring Activity
1. % Thalassia = 50%% Halodule = 20%
Total = 70%
4. % Thalassia = 20%% Halodule = 20%
Total = 40%
3. % Thalassia = 10%% Halodule = 20%
Total = 30%
2. % Thalassia = 60%% Halodule = 20%
Total = 80%
Thalassia HaloduleKEY
