Estuary Food Pyramid

Coastal Ecology—Estuary Food Pyramid

Summary: When animals eat plants or other animals in order to survive, there is a flow of food energy through the ecosystem. What starts out as energy from the sun is converted into food energy by organisms that use photosynthesis, and is transferred to other organisms as they consume food. The layers of the resulting food pyramid, called trophic levels, represent available energy. In this activity, students will construct an example of a food pyramid for estuary organisms and examine this flow of energy.

Concepts to teach: Food pyramid, energy flow, trophic level

Goals: Students construct an example of an estuarine food pyramid to depict energy flow through trophic levels.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 7.2L.2, 8.2P.2

Specific Objectives:

  1. There are three major categories of living organisms in an ecosystem and each has a special role. They are: producers, consumers, and decomposers
  2. The food energy produced by producers is cycled through the ecosystem through food chains and complex food webs by way of a series of energy levels called trophic levels.
  3. Energy is lost as it flows through the ecosystem. A food pyramid reflects fewer and fewer organisms at each level, supported by larger numbers of organisms at the trophic level just below.
  4. Students will learn that climate change has the potential for far reaching affects within marine food webs.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Estuary Food Pyramid lessons from the NOAA Estuary Education website—Students build a food pyramid to examine the flow of food energy through the estuary ecosystem by placing organisms in the correct order on a food web energy pyramid.
  • Estuary Web of Life lessons from Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve address these essential questions:
    • How do the plants and animals in an estuary get energy to live and grow?
    • How are plants and animals dependent upon each other within a system?

Assessment:

  • Assessment included in the Estuary Education lesson.
  • Have students create their own Estuary web of life. Have them demonstrate their knowledge by including at least 1 producer, consumer and decomposer in their 6+ species web.
  • Compare estuarine food webs to freshwater food webs explored in Watersheds: Making the Connection topic guide
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Surveying the Shoreline

Coastal Ecology—Surveying the Shoreline

Summary: Wrack, the debris cast ashore, wash up along many tidally influence shores in Oregon and are often a main nutrient source for communities living along a shoreline habitat. The source of the wrack varies depending on the location, but time and again evidence of the watershed to ocean connection is visible along the shore. This activity can be adapted for classroom use by collecting wrack and using it inside or for field use depending on location, time availability as well as the presence of wrack at the field site. This activity is appropriate for estuarine shorelines as well as beaches and shorelines along the open coast.

Concepts to teach: Cycles, productivity, balance and interconnectedness.

Goals: Students will learn about the watershed-estuary-ocean connection by exploring and identifying shoreline wrack and identifying the organisms that live and depend on it.

Standards:
6.2E.1, 6.3S, 7.3S, 8.3S

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to identify wrack and how explain how it occurs onshore
  2. Students will collect data on the contents of the wrack and make a graphical representation of their findings
  3. Students will analyze their data and provide an explanation for the results
  4. Students will be able to define at least 2 species in the community that depend on the presence of wrack

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Examine worksheets for completeness and detail
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Tidal Flat Exploration

Coastal Ecology—Tidal Flat Exploration

Summary: This field lesson provides a structured experience for students to investigate the life of the tidal flats of the estuary and explore the relationship between sediments, elevation, and the life beneath surface.

Concepts to teach: Marine and coastal ecosystems, habitats, estuaries, benthic organisms

Goals: Students will collect and use evidence to explain the relationship between abiotic factors and the distribution of organisms in an estuary.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 6.3S.1, 7.2E.4, 7.3S.1, 8.3S.1

Specific Objectives: Students will understand that:

  1. The tide flats are covered twice a day by salty estuary water.
  2. The tide flats are made of sediment which may be sand, mud, or gravel.
  3. The type of sediment and the elevation determine what lives where.
  4. Most animals burrow below the mud to stay wet, protected, and to feed on the tidewater.
  5. Different animals have different types of adaptations for life in the mud.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Examine student field journals and data for completeness. Students may present their findings in a PowerPoint presentation or report.
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Salt Marsh Mania

Coastal Ecology—Salt Marsh Mania

Summary: In this activity, students will explore the range of diversity of salt marsh plants. As an introduction, students will learn how to draw and describe key characteristics of familiar plant samples in the classroom. In the field, students will work to observe salt marsh diversity through a variety of sampling techniques using the skills learned in the classroom. While botany, the study of plants, is a complex and expansive discipline, marshes are accessible and excellent starting points for students to begin to appreciate the subtle diversity of structure and the purpose of adaptation. The marsh is generally accessible without specialized footwear or boats. Marsh plants are typically low enough that the entire community of plants can be viewed and examined easily and a sampling transect and plots can be established without difficulty.

Concepts to teach: Marine and coastal ecosystems, salt marsh communities, cycles, adaptations, classification, data collection.

Goals: Students will discover the many different types of plants that have adapted to life in a tidal marsh through careful observation and data collection.

Standards:
6.2L.2, 6.3S.1, 7.3S.1, 8.3S.1

Specific Objectives: Students will understand that:

  1. Students will be able to define: adaptation, characteristic and salt marsh
  2. Students will understand in a simple way to test diversity within one zone of the estuary.
  3. Students will gain experience making careful observations to distinguish physical difference and characteristics between species of marsh plants
  4. Students will understand how sampling a subset is used to make observations about a larger area.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Examine student field journals and data graphs for completeness. Students may present their findings in a PowerPoint presentation or report.
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Bountiful Birds

Coastal Habitats & Species—Bountiful Birds

Summary: Estuaries support an abundance of life, and a diversity of habitat types. How have birds adapted to survive in estuary habitats? This curriculum from the NOAA/NERRS Estuaries 101 website contains two exercises that address this question. In the first exercise, students engage in a role-playing activity to model different bird beaks and discover that differently shaped beaks are needed by birds to acquire the many different food sources found in the different estuary habitats. In the second exercise, students compare and contrast the great blue heron and osprey with other birds living in estuaries. Plan to observe adaptations of birds in estuaries while on a field trip to the coast.

Concepts to teach: Adaptation, estuary habitats, diversity

Goals: Bird species have adaptations that help them survive in particular environments. Estuaries are excellent places to look for different kinds of birds due to the diversity of habitat types within estuaries, and because estuaries serve as good stopping areas along migratory routes.

Standards:
6.2L2, 8.1L.1, 8.2L.1

Specific Objectives: Students will understand that:

  1. Birds have basic needs for air, water, food, protection from predators, and a place in which to breed.
  2. Estuary habitats, such as the salt marsh and the mangrove swamp, meet the survival needs of many birds.
  3. Birds have adaptations that allow them to efficiently feed in specific estuary environments. Beaks differ in design depending on where the bird feeds and the function for which the beak is used.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Bountiful Birds from the NOAA Estuary Education website—Estuaries support an abundance of life. Discover how birds are adapted to live in estuaries.
  • The International Brant Monitoring Project—Through observation and field monitoring, students learn about the ecology of shorebirds, and in particular the estuary-dwelling Brant goose, along the Pacific Flyway.
  • Christmas Bird Counts—Become a citizen scientist by contributing to this longest-running annual wildlife census.
  • International Migratory Bird Day—Find educator resources and local events that support learning about migratory birds and their conservation.
  • Find birds on your field trip! The Audubon Society of Portland provides a map and site descriptions for Important Bird Areas in Oregon. Remember to bring binoculars, spotting scopes and bird identification guides.
    • The Estuary Nature Trail in Newport is located adjacent to the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Access the trail from the south entrance.
    • The Cape Arago Audubon Society gives detailed directions for a variety of birding sites in Coos County.

Assessment:

  • Assessment questions based on content can be downloaded on the Estuaries 101 web page for the Bountiful Birds activity.
  • Identify and count birds at a coastal field site. Observe and describe how the behavioral and structural characteristics of the birds fit with the environment in which the birds were found.
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Life in the Waters

Coastal Habitats & Species—Life in the Waters

Summary: These lessons are fun, hands-on activities designed to give students a better understanding of how salty ocean water and fresh water interact and mix in an estuary, and how temperature affects this process.

Concepts to teach: Density, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen

Goals: To demonstrate the influence of physical factors on the waters of the estuary, including salty and fresh water, temperature, and sediment.

Standards:
6.1P.1, 6.3S.1, 6.3S.2, 7.3S.1, 7.3S.2, 8.2P.1, 8.3S.1, 8.3S.2

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to name and describe three important physical factors that affect life in the waters of the estuary.
  2. Students will be able to explain how changes in at least one physical factor in the estuary waters can influence other physical factors.
  3. Students will be able to describe how changes in at least one physical factor can influence flora and fauna of the estuary.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Assessments included in the TIDES and Padilla Bay lesson plans.
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Tides of the Estuary

Coastal Habitats & Species—Tides of the Estuary

Summary: These lessons are designed to give an introduction to how tides and tidal cycles work by having students visualize, act out, reading and graph how tidal cycles work. Context is given to tides by way of discussing and understanding how they influence life around the estuary and open coast.

Concepts to teach: Tidal cycles, interconnectedness and balance

Goals: Students will develop an understanding of the fundamental role and ways that tidal forces play on the waters and habitats of the estuary.

Standards:
6.2E.1, 6.2P.1, 7.2P.1

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to describe the tides and the forces that influence their height and frequency.
  2. Students will be able to accurately read a tabular and graph form tide table and identify at least two high tides and two low tides by time and elevation.
  3. Students will be able to describe at least three ways the tides influence life and activities in the estuary.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Water Going Up, Water Going Down lessons from the NOAA Estuary Education website. Three exercises explore how tides, wind, geographic processes and site topography affect the nation’s estuaries.
  • Tide Predictions for Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR
  • NOAA Ocean Explorer: Tides—This narrated video provides a great visual for both how tides work and how they impact the earth
    • Predicting the Tides activity provides information, assessment questions, and an opportunity to apply knowledge
  • Understanding Tides—This inexpensive 20-page publication available from Oregon Sea Grant describes the creation of tides, the roles of the moon and the sun in producing tides, the effects of elliptical orbits, the interactions among astronomical movements, and types of tides. The author, a high school teacher, also looks at phenomena such as seiches and tidal currents that are associated with tides.

Assessment:

  • Assessments included in the NOAA Exploring Estuaries lessons
  • Tide Table Discussion Guide included in the TIDES lessons
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Riparian Areas

Coastal Ecology—Riparian Areas

Summary: Much of the health of the total watershed depends on the health of the uplands and riparian areas. In the activities below, students collect and interpret data from classroom models or through field investigations to discover how physical parameters of riparian areas may affect adjacent aquatic environments.

Concepts to teach: Riparian, interconnectedness, habitat

Goals: Students practice scientific inquiry and data collection to determine relationships between riparian and aquatic environments.

Standards:
6.1P.1, 6.3S.1, 6.3S.2, 7.3S.1, 7.3S.2, 8.3S.1, 8.3S.2

Specific Objectives: Students will:

  1. Conduct a classroom experiment to determine the effect of solar radiation and shade on aquatic environments.
  2. Conduct a field investigation to search for patterns between the physical characteristics of riparian areas and adjacent streams.
  3. Describe the influence riparian zones have on aquatic environments.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics.
    • The chapter Riparian Areas contains several lessons that focus on watershed health, including:
      • Made in the shade, p. 179—Students demonstrate the effect of solar radiation and the role vegetation plays in keeping streams cool.
  • Salmon Watch curriculum—Lessons in Unit 2 cover field trip planning and implementation, including:
    • Introduction to Riparian Areas 2.24 – 2.34—Use this background information, data tables and graphs to see how physical parameters of streams relate to the presence or absence of aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish.
    • Riparian and Aquatic Area Survey 2.43-2.53—Protocol to explore the riparian area of a stream and identify and discuss differences in the components of the observed riparian area.

Assessment:

  • Honoring our Rivers—The Honoring Our Rivers student anthology project showcases Oregon student writing and artwork focused on rivers and watersheds. From poetry to prose and fiction, from illustration to photography, students from across the state submit their work to a juried-review process and finalists appear before the public in an annual anthology and at exhibits, events and readings hosted by Honoring Our Rivers.
    • Address a local watershed issue in a piece submitted to Honoring our Rivers.
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Welcome to the Estuary!

Introduction—Welcome to the Estuary!

Summary: Estuaries are unique and often fragile coastal ecosystems that connect aquatic and marine ecosystems. This topic guide provides definitions and images that orient students and promote a sense of place and understanding.

Concepts to teach: Estuarine ecosystems and habitats, tidal cycles, productivity, ecosystem balance

Goals: Students understand components of an estuarine ecosystem, basic associated vocabulary, and the concept that watersheds connect to the ocean through estuaries.

Standards:
6.2L.2, H.2L.2, HS.15

Specific Objectives:

  1. Students will be able to identify and describe, in simple terms, what an estuary is and what basic life zones make up an estuary
  2. Students will be able to describe at least two physical factors that influence life forms in the estuary.
  3. Students will be able to locate the major life zones and sources of estuary inputs on a map.

Activity Links and Resources:

Assessment:

  • Post activity analysis and scoring guide included in the TIDES lesson plan.
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Making the Connection

Coastal Ecology—Making the Connection

Summary: Students explore food chains and food webs to discover interconnecting relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

Concepts to teach: Food webs, different ecosystems

Goals: Students will learn about ecological relationships by constructing a simple food chain or food web.

Standards:
6.2L.2,7.2L.2

Specific Objectives:

  1. Describe the difference between various roles in the food chain.
  2. Display the connections between various creatures in the food chain.
  3. Demonstrate the effects of outside influences on food chains and ecosystems.

Activity Links and Resources:

  • Making the Connection adapted from Michigan Sea Grant‘s Project FLOW
  • The 550-page Stream Scene curriculum is available in .pdf format on the ODFW website, and covers a variety of watershed topics.
    • The chapter Aquatic Organisms begins with background information about healthy diversified stream ecosystems and food chains, p. 307
  • Food Chain descriptions and games
    • Food Chain Quiz—This is a good review of concepts in a fun format from the BBC.
    • Food Chain Game—An interactive animated drag and drop game from sheppardsoftware.com
    • Food Web Interactive from eduweb.com—Describes components of pond food chain and webs, and finishes with an experiment to see what happens changes are made to complex food webs.

Assessment:

  • Students look at multiple food chains or webs from different ecological systems and talk about the relationships depicted.
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