Activity 6: Observe Like a Scientist PDF

## Activity 6: Observe Like a Scientist ### Population Changes - Does one species in an ecosystem affect the *population* of another species? - Explore population changes in an ecosystem. **Read the text. Then, answer the questions.** - Seabirds nest on top of mountain cliffs. They dive deep dow...

## Activity 6: Observe Like a Scientist ### Population Changes - Does one species in an ecosystem affect the *population* of another species? - Explore population changes in an ecosystem. **Read the text. Then, answer the questions.** - Seabirds nest on top of mountain cliffs. They dive deep down into the sea to feed on small fish. - The fish feed on *microorganisms* floating on the surface of the sea. - These fish are the main source of food for many seabirds. - Microorganisms can make their own food. - They are found in cold water habitats. - These microorganisms are the *producers* in the marine food web. - Small fish feed on these microorganisms. - The microorganisms need cold water to survive. - If the *climate* changes and the water becomes warm, they will move toward an area where the water is cooler. - The small fish that feed on microorganisms will also move to a new *habitat*. - The seabirds will then no longer have a food source. - Some will find a new habitat, while others will die. **Questions** 1. What does the phrase population change mean? 2. How can change in the climate affect the population of a species? 3. Why does change in the population of one species affect the population of other species? ## Lesson 3: Learn #### 1.3 What might happen to a food web when an organism or the environment changes within an ecosystem? ## Activity 7: Analyze Like a Scientist ### Habitat Loss - Think about what you have learned about ocean food webs. - Read the text and compare the images. - Then, answer the questions. - Habitats provide organisms with all the things they need to survive. - Humans change habitats. - They do this when they add buildings and roads. - They also impact the weather and nonliving factors in an ecosystem such as the temperature of the ocean. - All of these changes can cause habitat loss. - Habitat loss is one of the main causes of *extinction*. ### Coral Reefs - Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth. - They support large numbers of species, including fish, other corals, and a variety of other sea life. - Coral reefs are important habitats for living organisms. - They are also important for tourism. - People travel to coral reefs for fishing or diving, providing local hotels, restaurants, and other businesses with visitors and income. ### Coral Bleaching - Coral bleaching happens when water temperatures rise. - When water is too warm, corals will get rid of the algae living in their tissues. - This causes the coral to turn completely white. - Bleaching events stress corals and often they do not survive **Questions** 1. Why are healthy habitats important to all organisms in a food web? 2. How might the loss of a coral reef change the ocean or the sea food web? ## Activity 8: Analyze Like a Scientist ### Plastic Pollution - Read the text to learn about the effect of plastics in the marine environment. - Discuss what you learned with your class. - Then, answer the questions. - Large amounts of plastic are thrown in the marine environment every year. - Most of it comes from land. - Plastics affect marine life. - Whales, turtles, seabirds, and fish cannot often tell the difference between real food and plastic. - For example, a sea turtle cannot see the difference between a jellyfish and a piece of plastic in the water. - So, sea turtles eat a lot of plastic thinking that it is jellyfish. - Plastic is not nutritious. - It can also be toxic and sharp, so it is really bad for animals. - Plastic products get broken down into smaller pieces. - Some pieces are even smaller than a grain of rice. - We call them *microplastics*. - Coral filters the seawater to get food. - When coral does this, it also ingests the microplastics that are as small as the pieces of food that it is getting from the water. **Questions:** 1. What do you think might happen if the amount of plastic in the marine environment continues to rise? 2. What is something you could do to help reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the marine environment? ### Life Skills: I can predict possible outcomes of an event.