Exploring Biodiversity 2025 - Resource Bundle

Biodiversity in the Ocean

Biodiversity in the Ocean A Virtual Journey Your logo here

Biodiversity encompasses the vast array of living organisms and their interactions. Scientists study how various species adapt, or struggle to adapt, to environmental changes. Understanding the importance of biodiversity is vital for promoting sustainable development, as it influences our culture, society, and economy.

Biodiversity encompasses the vast array of living organisms and their interactions. Scientists study how various species adapt, or struggle to adapt, to environmental changes. Understanding the importance of biodiversity is vital for promoting sustainable development, as it influences our culture, society, and economy. Why teach about biodiversity? Traditional knowledge from Indigenous and local communities, along with formal education in schools, plays a significant role in preserving biodiversity. These sources of knowledge help instil a respect for nature, a sense of environmental responsibility, and provide tools to protect biodiversity.

Overview

Overview Age 11-14 years Key Words / Links to the curriculum Biodiversity | Changing environment | Nutrients | Carbon | Pollution | Data | Seabed | Benthos | Food Chain | DNA | Research | Sampling | Marine life | Evolution | Critical thinking | Genetic diversity | Species diversity | Ecosystem diversity Objectives and Outcomes Explain what biodiversity is and its importance. Identify the causes and issues and describe the consequences of biodiversity loss in the ocean, encouraging students to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours and make ethical decisions to preserve biodiversity. Debate, discuss, and challenge different perspectives and issues related to biodiversity.

This virtual journey includes videos and activities that link to each other. Videos in this lesson plan provide background knowledge for the activities. We suggest watching the videos and choosing the activities that best suit your class or adapting them to suit your class.

This virtual journey includes videos and activities that link to each other. Videos in this lesson plan provide background knowledge for the activities. We suggest watching the videos and choosing the activities that best suit your class or adapting them to suit your class. This icon indicates that the slide has a link to a video in the notes. This icon indicates that this is an activity. How to embark on this virtual journey

Biodiversity in the Ocean

Biodiversity in the Ocean A virtual journey

Key words

Key words Biodiversity Biodiversity is the variety of different living organisms (species) that live in a place. Species A species is a group of organisms that are able to reproduce with each other to produce offspring that are also able to reproduce. Adaptation Changes in an organism's characteristics that improve its chances of survival and reproduction. Conservation Conservation is the process of protecting biodiversity and the environment.

Increased Resilience:

Increased Resilience: Biodiverse ecosystems are more resilient to change. Loss of one species can be compensated by another with similar traits, maintaining ecosystem function. Genetic Diversity: Strong populations with high genetic diversity can adapt to adverse impacts over time. Maintaining biodiversity is crucial, especially in the context of climate change and growing human impact. More diverse ecosystems offer better resistance and adaptability to environmental shifts. Importance of Biodiversity

Video 1: Biodiversity along the shoreline and on the seabed

Video 1: Biodiversity along the shoreline and on the seabed Join scientists from Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the South West of England at a rockpool BioBlitz and learn what biodiversity is, how you can help monitor it and how scientists monitor it at the bottom of the ocean. https://youtu.be/1Uj_vscaZ4g?si=xhBPHzRtR5k8QzA5

Test your knowledge!

Test your knowledge! Time: 10 min discussion Whilst watching the film take notes to answer these questions: What is a BioBlitz? What is biodiversity? Why is biodiversity important? What is the scientist Tom Mesher’s job?

Do your own BioBlitz!

Do your own BioBlitz! Time: 30 - 45 min Explore what species live in your local area! A BioBlitz can be done anywhere outside – around a body of water, in a forest, or even in a school field. Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. iNaturalist shares your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe. Find out more at: https://www.inaturalist.org/

Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world.

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world. Using morphological, behavioural, genetic and biochemical observations, taxonomists identify, describe and arrange species into classifications, including those that are new to science. Taxonomy - Biological classification

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world.

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world. Using morphological, behavioural, genetic and biochemical observations, taxonomists identify, describe and arrange species into classifications, including those that are new to science. Taxonomy - Biological classificaton

Inachus

Inachus dorsettensis (Scorpion spider crab) Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: Inachidae Genus: Inachus Species: I. dorsettensis Biological classification Macropodia rostrata (Long-legged spider crab) Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: Inachidae Genus: Macropodia Species: M. rostrata Why are these two species of spider crabs a different genus?

Biological classification

Biological classification Traditionally species were classified based on evolutionary origins N ow classified using DNA screening. Both species on the right belong to the same family, which has grouped animals based on characteristics, such as, the carapace being more or less triangular and spines in specific places They are both closely related genetically. Why are these two species of spider crabs a different genus?

Biological classification

Biological classification Genus are groups of animals with similar characteristics that are very closely related. Species within a particular genus (i.e. Inachus ) are more closely related to each other and share more characteristics, than species in a different genus (e.g. Macropodia). Inachus have a short rostrum, spines behind the eyes and a broad triangular-shaped body Macropodia have a long, thin rostrum that comes to a single point, do not have spines behind the eyes and the body shape is triangular, but more pointed. Why are these two species of spider crabs a different genus?

Molluscs

Molluscs (Phylum Mollusca): Clams, sea slugs. What can be found on the seabed? Crustaceans (Phylum Arthropoda): Includes crabs and shrimp. The seabed is known as the benthos .

Polychaete Marine Worms (Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta):

Polychaete Marine Worms (Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta): Dominant group in marine sediments worldwide. Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata): Sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers. What can be found on the seabed?

Video 2:

Video 2: Classifying species in the marine laboratory Meet Plymouth Marine Laboratory’s benthic ecologist Tom Mesher and discover what species live at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Plymouth in the South West of England. Learn about taxonomy and how to classify species. Take notes while you are watching the film, so that you can identify some crabs yourself! https://youtu.be/VMbuMTQaf4s?si=K5LD98Ne1LMtsxp4

Crab ID

Crab ID Time: 15 min Match the feature names to the description. Next, look at the 8 crab species in the images below and circle the features that are important to use in species identification. What other features do you think can be used to distinguish species from one another? Carapace Rostrum Setae

Video 3:

Video 3: Human impacts on marine biodiversity Watch the short film ‘Human Impacts on Oceans, and How to Sustain Ocean Management’, which examines three major human-induced issues plaguing the ocean: pollution, overfishing, and plastic waste. It also presents solutions for sustainable ocean management to mitigate and reverse these impacts. https://youtu.be/nH713u0nFrw?si=o9IjxVXCL7KXdVbN

Test your knowledge!

Test your knowledge! Time: 6-minute video, 10-minute discussion Watch the film ‘Human Impacts on Oceans, and How to Sustain Ocean Management’ on YouTube. Whilst watching the film take notes to answer these questions: What can negatively impact marine biodiversity? What are some examples of sustainable ocean management?

Video 4:

Video 4: Monitoring human impacts on marine biodiversity Meet Dr Claire Szostek, a scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and find out how her work helps to monitor and evaluate the impacts of human activities on the marine environment. https://youtu.be/n7Q8D04TvvA?si=PJ84XN6aORHxfH2Y

What impacts the seabed?

What impacts the seabed? Time: 20 minutes Print and cut out the images on the next slide and place them along a sliding scale like the one below. Which impacts do you think will have a positive, and which will negatively impact marine biodiversity? Might some have both negative and positive impacts? Discuss in class.

What impacts the seabed?

What impacts the seabed?

Biodiversity in your

Biodiversity in your local body of water Time: 15 – 20 minutes Discuss in class: Think about the biodiversity in your local body of water. What species can be found there and why are they important? How might they interact? Which threats might there be to biodiversity in the area? What can you do to protect your local biodiversity?

How bad is Plastic for the environment?_0

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