All My Watershed Neighbors

Overview

The All My Watershed Neighbors Watershed Experience familiarizes students with the plants, animals, and other species with which they share local resources, habitats, and watersheds.

Teams of students use scientific methods to study and learn more about individual species’ preferred habitats, natural resource needs, food web dynamics, unique adaptations, and connections to human communities. Students compile and synthesize their findings to answer these research questions: What species live in our watershed? What habitat resources do the species sharing our watershed with us need?

Students discover for themselves firsthand the species that live in local habitats, and then choose one species to investigate in depth using the tools and processes of science. This investigation connects and extends learning from the LabVenture! program at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute back to students’ classrooms and communities.

• If students have participated in the LabVenture! program, they revisit their experience through their personalized websites and apply similar scientific skills, processes, and tools to their own species studies.

• If students have not yet participated in the LabVenture! program, teachers play a more central role in guiding students’ acquisition of the skills and processes needed to do their own species studies.

In a Scientific Conference format, students share their findings and draw connections among the different species that live in their watershed, including predator-prey relationships, food web dynamics, and interactions with human communities. Students create a book of species cards to share with their watershed community. Species Summits planned and executed by students help raise awareness of the community’s non-human neighbors, and how they can best coexist and support one another’s needs.

Order of activities in this Watershed Experience

1. Be a Watershed
2. Get to Know your Watershed
3. My Watershed Habitats
4. Oh Deer: Resource Needs of Animals and Plants
5. What Lives Here
6. Spot the Difference
7. We’re Going on a Species Hunt
8. My Scientific Study
9. Species Sleuths
10. Species Investigation
11. I Live Here Too
12. Species Swap
13. Connect the Species
14. These Are the Species in My Neighborhood
15. Species Summit

Inquiry Level

Activities in this Watershed Experience are written at a Structured or Guided Inquiry level for the intended grades 5-6 audience. Activities may include extensions and modifications for Open Inquiry for use with older students or with those students more practiced at inquiry.

Overview of Standards

Issue

Problem Statement

Watersheds are home to many different types of plant, animal, and other species that live, interact, and compete with one another for space and resources. We have a lot to learn from the diverse communities with which we share our local habitats and watersheds. Familiarizing ourselves with these species through scientific study helps us understand their needs in relation to our own.

Background Information

Maine’s Diverse Ecosystems

The Maine Natural Areas Program has classified 98 unique plant and animal community types, which live within 24 different ecosystems throughout the state. This great diversity of ecosystems and plant and animal communities is due to the fact that Maine lies at the intersection of several pronounced ecological transition zones. Maine’s forests, which cover approximately 90 percent of our land area, transition gradually from Eastern Deciduous Forest (predominantly to our south) toward Boreal Forest (to our north). In addition to forests, we are fortunate to have many different types of marine, tidal, and freshwater shoreline ecosystems, as well as three open upland ecosystems and seven types of peatland ecosystems. Each one of Maine’s watershed basins, small and large, may include several of these different habitat types, and many different natural communities of plant and animal species. The All My Watershed Neighbors Watershed Experience will help you learn more about who and what lives in the watershed that you call home!

To see a full list of Maine’s ecosystem types and the many plant and animal communities that are typically found in each one, visit Ecosystems in Maine, a page on the Maine Natural Areas Program website. There, you will also find the following definition for the word Ecosystem: “a group of communities and their environment, occurring together over a particular portion of the landscape, and held together by some common physical or biotic feature.”

Who or what lives in all these ecosystems?

Maine’s 98 unique plant and animal communities are made up of an astonishing diversity of species. They include well-known species such as black bears, lobsters, moose, loons, and white pines, and less well-known or rare species such as the endangered fragrant cliff wood-fern and the ringed boghaunter, a beautiful but rare type of dragonfly.

In all, Maine is home to approximately:

• 1,500 species of native plants (University of Maine Cooperative Extension)
• 77 species of mammals, including 17 marine mammals (The Mammal Society, Mammals of Maine)
• 331 species of birds (Maine Bird Checklist)
• 18 species of frogs and salamanders (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, MDIFW, 2009)
• 16 species of turtles and snakes (MDIFW, 2009)
• Over 16,000 species of terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates (MDIFW, 2009)

If we use species estimates from the Census of Marine Life’s Gulf of Maine Program to consider Gulf of Maine marine ecosystems and coastal ecosystems in Maine as well, we can add to this list approximately:

• 310 species of phytoplankton
• 271 species of macrophytes, or aquatic plants
• 1414 species of marine invertebrates
• 37 species of chordates
• 120 species of fish
• 177 species of birds (may overlap with those on the Maine Bird Checklist above)
• 7 species of mammals (in addition to the 17 marine mammals listed above)

It is important to note that this tally does not even include bacteria, viruses, fungi, or other single-celled organisms, and it does not include the many, many species that scientists have not yet discovered. If your brain is straining to comprehend the multitude of life forms in our beautiful state, the most important thing to remember is that Maine is home for A LOT of species other than humans – some that we know and love, many that we have never heard of, and some that we have yet to discover! And, most importantly, all of these species occupy an important position within their particular ecosystem. They are all part of the web of life.

What do all these species need to survive?

The short answer to this question is: all species need food (or sunlight), water, and a place to live (habitat) in order to grow and reproduce. Habitat requirements are different from species to species, but habitat is generally defined as: “the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows” (Merriam-Webster Online).

Every species in Maine needs a slightly different combination of food, water, habitat, and conditions for reproduction. Another way to say this is that each species occupies a slightly different ecological niche in its ecosystem. The concept of a species’ ecological niche includes its relationships to other species in its habitat, and the ways that it is uniquely adapted to living there.

How do different species adapt to life in Maine’s ecosystems?

The different strategies that species use to survive (find and use food, water, and habitat to grow and reproduce) in Maine’s ecosystems are called their adaptations.

Here are some examples of unique adaptations of familiar Maine species:

• Atlantic Puffin – the Atlantic Puffin’s wide bill with serrated edges allows it to catch fish at its feeding grounds in the open ocean and securely carry several at a time back to shore for its young.
• Woodpecker (several species in Maine) – woodpeckers find their food by pounding their bills into rotting wood to find insects and grubs. To protect their brains from the impact, they have a layer of spongy, elastic padding between their bills and the front of their skulls.
• American Lobster – lobsters are one of several species of crustaceans that live in Maine. Like other crustaceans, they have hard shells with many joints that protect their soft bodies from predators and the rocky habitat where they live. As they grow larger and outgrow their shell, they shed it and form a new one in a process called molting.
• White-tailed Deer – the White-tailed Deer (along with many other mammals) grows a thick coat of hair to keep warm during the cold winter months, and they shed it each spring when the warmer weather returns. They also have excellent hearing, smell, and vision, which help them protect themselves and their young fawns from predators.

It’s a give and take relationship

In addition to using the food, water, and habitat features that an ecosystem provides, each species gives something (or many things) back. The scat that animals produce enriches the soil and provides nutrients that plants need to grow. The dams that beavers build create ponds and pools of water that serve as important habitat for other species. Drooping, snow-covered branches of the hemlock tree provide deer and other animals with a much-need refuge from the wind and cold during the winter months. The small depressions, or “nests” that some fish make when it comes time to lay their eggs in river bottoms create important microhabitats of slower-moving water that are important for insects and other species as well as for the developing fish eggs. All of these activities are part of each species’ role in the ecosystem, its ecological niche.

What about us? Are humans part of Maine’s ecosystems?

Human beings live in every part of Maine. Beginning with Maine’s Wabanaki Tribes, we have lived here for thousands of years, though our numbers have increased rapidly in the past several centuries. We use Maine’s forests, fields, lakes, ponds, and coasts for many different aspects of our lives and livelihoods. A few of our uses for and interactions with Maine’s natural ecosystems include:

• Managing forest lands for timber and other forest products (like maple syrup!), and recreational uses
• Growing crops and raising animals in areas with fertile soil
• Using Maine’s freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams for recreation, transportation, hydropower generation, drinking water supplies, and more…
• Hunting and fishing Maine’s wildlife, freshwater fish, and marine fish species for food and profit
• Building our homes, offices, schools, and businesses in all types of Maine ecosystems

Humans are undeniably part of life in Maine’s ecosystems. In many cases, our needs and uses for Maine’s natural resources and land overlap with or compete with the ecological niches of the other species with whom we share our beautiful state. The lessons and activities in All My Watershed Neighbors will help students to learn about the ecological needs of other species in their watersheds in relation to their own, and discover ways they can increase awareness among others in their community.

Why do scientists study Maine’s plant and animal species?

Scientists conduct field and laboratory research on all kinds of variables related to the biology, geographic location, population growth, behavior, reproduction, habitat needs, inter-species competition, and predator-prey relationships of Maine’s plant and animal species. They also study various environmental influences that affect these variables. These studies help scientists, natural resource managers, and policy makers in many ways. For example, they:

• Help us understand how other species are using and interacting with Maine’s natural ecosystems.
• Alert us to sudden changes or gradual trends in species populations or other variables that may signal changes in ecosystem health.
• Help us understand the affects of human-induced ecosystem changes (such as land development, commercial or industrial activity, climate change, etc.), and identify areas of competition between the needs of humans and the needs of other plants and animals.
• Help us to locate essential wildlife habitat and transportation corridors, so that we may carefully plan land development projects outside of these vital areas.
• Help us to increase our knowledge about the diversity of life in our state.
• Help us understand how small or large changes in plant and animal communities can change or disrupt the balance in complex webs of life in each ecosystem.

These are just a few of the important ways scientists’ research contributes to our understanding of Maine’s plant and animal species and the ecosystems in which they live. The lessons and activities below provide students with the knowledge and tools they need to become scientists and conduct species investigations of their own.

Introduction

Through hands-on activities and discussions, students are introduced to their place through the lens of watersheds, habitats, and the other species with which they share space and resources. Activities prime students for their scientific investigations of the different species that live in their watershed.

1.  What is a watershed?

Introduce students to watershed concepts by creating a class model of a watershed in Be a Watershed. Students simulate a watershed landscape and experience firsthand its interconnectedness, and how water flows from lake to stream to river to ocean. This hands-on activity helps students understand and define the term watershed and focus on the different habitats that make up a watershed.

Students explore their local watershed by studying maps in Get to Know your Watershed. They use Google Earth and US Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps to identify their watershed boundaries. Students then identify water bodies and other geographic features, human communities, and habitat types within the boundaries of their watershed.

2.  What habitats are in my watershed? What resources do these habitats provide for me, and for animals, plants, and other species?

My Watershed Habitats challenges students to dive deeper into identifying the different types of habitats (and microhabitats) that are within their own local watershed. Working together as a class and using published definitions, students develop their own definition and understanding of the term “habitat.” Once students have established what a habitat is, they explore their study site and list all of the habitats (and microhabitats) that they observe. These explorations happen in person by going outside, or virtually through the power of imagination.

Students assume the role of plants, animals, and essential habitat resources in Oh Deer: Resource Needs of Animals and Plants. In this active and competitive game, students experience how communities of animals and plants change over time in response to the availability of resources in their habitat. Students collect data during the game and then graph and analyze how predators, primary consumers, resource limitations, and competition for resources can impact species.

3.  What species live in these habitats?

What Lives Here prompts students to use their personal knowledge, stories from community members, and available resources to form a hypothesis or prediction about the species that live in the various habitats within their watershed that students explored during My Watershed Habitats. They will test their hypothesis in We’re Going on a Species Hunt.

Investigation

Through firsthand exploration, students look for and discover the different species that live in a local habitat. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s LabVenture! Program primes and arms students with the scientific tools, processes, and habits of mind that scientists use to study species. Students apply their LabVenture! experience to their own in-depth study of a species that lives in their watershed. A Scientific Conference prompts students to consider how their species interacts with and shares space and resources with other species and with human communities.

Note: For students who have not participated in LabVenture!, investigation activities are written to guide them through acquiring and practicing the skills and processes of science in ways that mirror a LabVenture! experience.

1.  What species live in our watershed?

Start by having students hone their species observation skills. Spot the Difference is a quick, engaging game that helps students build and practice the skills that they will need to locate and count the number of different trees, bugs, birds, flowering plants, etc. they see in their habitat when they go on their exploratory species hunt next.

We’re Going on a Species Hunt guides students through a scientific investigation to prove or disprove the hypothesis they formed in What Lives Here, about the different species that may or may not live within their watershed habitats. Students will work together to plan a method, investigate, analyze data, and reflect on their findings. Did they find the species they expected to see? Why or Why not?

 

2.  How do scientists study a species in depth?

If your class or school has participated in the LabVenture! program, My Scientific Study guides students through their personal LabVenture! websites to reflect on their experience as scientists studying a marine species – what it eats, what eats it, where it lives, what its life stages are, how it is adapted to its environment, and how it interacts with human communities.

If your class or school has not participated in GMRI’s LabVenture! program, Species Sleuths primes students to think critically and creatively about what methods scientists use to study species. Students assume the role of scientists who are interested in knowing more about certain species that live in Maine habitats. They are presented with a series of different research scenarios, and are challenged to come up with creative ways to study what their species eats, what eats it, where it lives, what stages it goes through during its life, how adaptations help it survive, and how it interacts with humans. These research scenarios prepare students to tackle the different components of their own upcoming Species Investigations.

3.  What habitat resources do the species sharing our watershed with us need?

Species Investigation challenges students to take on the role of a scientist as they research a species of interest to them. Research questions challenge students to think about why species live here, what resources they need to survive, and their connections to human communities. The investigation helps students better understand and appreciate species that live within their watershed, especially those that rely on the same resources that we do.

4.  What habitat resources do we need? Are humans in competition with other species in our watershed

I Live Here Too sets students up to research a species that they have a close, personal relationship with…themselves! This activity complements the Species Investigation activity, using humans as the focus species. Research questions prompt students to think about why they live here, what resources they need to survive, and how they share these resources with other species in their habitat. The answers to these questions will help students to understand and appreciate species that live within their watershed habitat and rely on some of the same resources that they do.

 

5.  How do species interact with each other?

Species Swap guides students to share the results of their Scientific Investigations into the different plant and animal species that live in their watershed. Working as a class, students make connections among the different species that they studied and draw conclusions about how these species interact within their watershed habitats.

Connect the Species then prompts students to use what they learned from their peers to explore how their species, and humans, are connected through the food web. Students identify connections among the species in their watershed habitats (including humans) and create a food web to model these connections. Students make deeper connections as they explore how their plant or animal species interacts with humans through the food web. They gain a new perspective and understanding of the species’ needs in relation to their own.

Student Action

Students reflect on all they learned from their species investigations, transform information and data into creative education materials, and share their results with their community.

1. How can I share my species with others?

Students use These Are the Species in My Neighborhood to organize and guide the creation of species cards to share what they learned. Cards include key identification characteristics, food chain diagrams, critical adaptations, and interactions with other species, including humans. The resulting book of species cards will be used during the Species Summit to help raise awareness of the watershed community’s non-human neighbors, and how they can best coexist and support one another’s space and resource needs.

2. Who can I share my species with?

Students organize in-person and virtual Species Summits to present what they learned during the All My Watershed Neighbors Watershed Experience.  They decide on the audiences they’d like to share with, preferably one local audience and one from another part of their watershed. During the Summits, students unveil the species cards they created (These Are the Species in My Watershed), and discuss with community members the species they share their watershed with and their collective needs for space and resources

NOAA and other resources

Census of Marine Life, Gulf of Maine Area Program: http://research.usm.maine.edu/gulfofmaine-census/

Maine Birding: http://www.mainebirding.net/checklist/state

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/

Maine Natural Areas Program: http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mnap/

Mammal Society, Mammals of Maine: http://www.mammalsociety.org/statelists/memammals.html

The Lobster Conservancy: http://www.lobsters.org/tlcbio/biology.html

University of Maine, Cooperative Extension: http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/2502.htm