| Habitats and Organisms Lesson Plans |
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| Culturing Bacteria from Ocean Water |
Carole McRight |
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Bacteria are found everywhere in the marine environment. They are very simple organisms and function mainly as decomposers, breaking down organic matter. Pelagibacter ubique is the most common bacterium on Earth and is found in ocean waters. Its role remains unknown. Most bacteria are important food sources for many organisms. |
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| Trans-Gulf Migration Headache (adapted from Aquatic Wild’s “Migration Headache” game) |
Jenny Henningsen |
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Students should have discussed how birds (or any other animals) migrate such long distances and the reasons for migration. They should have knowledge of factors that threaten the survival of migratory birds and factors that make migration successful.
Social Studies can be incorporated by finding maps of the migration paths of various animals such as whales, Monarch butterflies, and various migratory birds. |
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| Life of a Coral Reef Fish |
Barbara McDaniel |
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| Coral reefs are under stress worldwide, predominately in areas heavily populated. The cumulative threats of overexploitation (fishing), land-use changes building (condos, marinas, hotels), agriculture, pollution, development projects (deforestation/sedimentation), and global warming are constant. These changes cause loss of coral reef habitat. The $2.4 billion aquarium and live reef fish industry causes stress not only to the reef but to the fish themselves. They are harvested for aquarium use or for food in specialty restaurants in Asian cities. The methods used to harvest them include blasting and cyanide to stun the fish, causing irreparable damage to the reef. Attempts are being made to culture ornamental reef fish in an attempt to ease the over fishing on coral reefs. |
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| Coral Reefs |
Kristen Treadway, Jenny Mavis, TJ Beck, and Jim O'Keefe |
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| This group of lesson plans deal with coral reefs: their georgraphy, formation, and leterature references. |
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| “Typhoid Mary” and Infectious Disease |
Kathryn Caldwell |
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See information below on resources for information on “Typhoid Mary” and the “Typhoid Mary” link on the COSEE:CGOM 2006 presentation by Dr. Crystal Johnson. The following website offers an example of mock trials- the trial rules and structure can be as specific or general as the teacher desires: http://www.andersonkill.com/titanic/teacher.htm . |
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| How Environmental Is Your Car? |
Heath Martin |
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| Teachers should have an idea of fuel costs and how to calculate fuel costs over a given period of time. We are all trying to conserve a little at this point in time with rising fuel costs and dependence on foreign oil. This activity allows students to evaluate the costs of operating several different vehicles so that they will be able to make better educated choices when the time comes for them to purchase a vehicle. |
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| Environmental Stewardship Journal |
Bobbye Delaney |
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Journal entries provide a reflective assessment of class discussions and laboratory experiences. Journal entries also provide a creative means of expression and an outlet for personal reflection.
Students should be motivated to move from an awareness of their environment, to understanding their environment and the human activities that affect it, to taking positive actions on behalf of the environment. Moving from awareness to action is a progressive journey which periodic journal activities can help to develop. Weekly journal activities can inspire students to think about how we interact with the environment on a daily basis, and what actions (or inactions) can ultimately make an impact in our environment.
The variety of journal topics will encourage students to think holistically about the environment as a series of ecosystems. This approach will allow students to become well aware of the entire Gulf of Mexico watershed and how our land-based activities affect the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem.
Environmental stewards are people who make every effort to sustain natural resources and maintain the environment for future generations. Humans depend on natural resources for their livelihood. Nevertheless, pressures on the environment resulting from development are steadily increasing. For that reason, it is necessary for citizens and businesses to make sure that their activities and operations are environmentally sound.
The environmental ethic continuum can be thought of as having four parts:
- Anthropocentrism- the view that the environment is for human use and the primary reason to preserve it is for our use and consumption. In this viewpoint, the main purpose for stopping environmental degradation is to minimize harm to humans.
- Sentientism – the view that rights should be given to those living things that are capable of experiencing pain or pleasure.
- Biocentric individualism – the view that all animals, even those without a simple nervous system have rights and deserve moral consideration.
- Holism – individuals view the welfare of systems of living things, or ecosystems, rather than individual animals.
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| Who Eats Whom? |
Heath Martin |
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| Teachers and students need working knowledge of marine organisms, including microorganisms, and the flow of energy through a marine food pyramid. Prior to this activity, students should have an understanding of the various micro- and macro-organisms that exist in the Gulf of Mexico. This activity involves students looking at the various types of food webs/chains existing in the Gulf of Mexico (including those that are microscopic), and creating their own based on what they know of producer-consumer relationships. |
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| Gulf of Mexico for Beginners |
Scott Kinsey |
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| The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. The shape of its basin is roughly oval and approximately 810 nautical miles (1,500 km) wide and filled with sedimentary rocks and debris. It is part of the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits between the U.S. and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea (with which it forms the “American Mediterranean Sea”) via the Yucatan Channel between Mexico and Cuba. Tidal ranges are extremely small due to the narrow connection with the ocean. The Gulf basin is approximately 615,000 mi² (1.6 million km²). Almost half of the basin consists of shallow intertidal waters. At its deepest it is 14,383 ft (4,384 m) at the Sigsbee Deep, an irregular trough more than 300 nautical miles (550 km) long, probably formed approximately 300 million years ago as a result of the seafloor sinking. |
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| Fish Tales |
Melanie Lee |
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| Information on local fishes of the Gulf of Mexico |
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