Massachusetts Audubon, Plum Island Ecosystems LTER
This activity relates water temperature to fishery health within inland freshwater watersheds as a way to explore how environmental factors of an ecosystem affect the organisms that use those ecosystems as important habitat.
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Educators can use parts of the lesson that are best for their grade level.
Consider using the extension activity.
Potential to make more inquiry-based by having students take more ownership of the activity and completing tasks such as making their own data table for the graph.
Activity explores the impact of temperature and dissolved oxygen on 4 species of inland fish, illustrating interdependent relationships in an ecosystem, including the impacts of human actions.
Comments from expert scientist:
The study presented here has established the relationship between water temperature, dissolved oxygen and fish biota. The major strength is: establishing direct relationship between certain fish species with impacts of climate change. Each fish has its own comfort zone, and this study addresses each fish type and how they are influenced by change in temperature and DO.
Overall protocol is not region-specific, but the activity is tied to a specific region - Plum Island, Massachusetts.
Activity has clear and well-scaffolded procedures for teachers and students to follow.
Activity includes explanation of the NGSS addressed, how the lesson meets the Massachusetts science and technology /engineering curriculum frameworks, and applicable climate literacy principles.
Sampling water from local sources may be problematic with respect to temperature unless there is a river, stream, or lake on site or close by as water temperature can change drastically over time. However as long as this is addressed in the lesson (i.e. ask student how the sampling methods might be limited) the idea of sampling local sources can still be useful.
The materials are all downloadable. May need internet access at some point if completing the suggested follow-ups.
Student worksheets and teacher keys provided.
