Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes	Part B. Problem Solving - Ecological Stability of Mangroves
120 minutes	Part C. Communicating - Ecological Stability of Mangroves

Part A. Natural Selection

Step 1.

Begin by discussing the process of natural selection with your students. If students are unfamiliar with the concept of natural selection spend some time reading and discussing this factsheet: Natural Selection Factsheet

Step 2.

Now spend some time working with students to brainstorm the abiotic and biotic variables of the mangrove and salt marsh habitats and record these ideas in a mind-map (you could do this on the board or by using an online mind mapping tool like bubbl.us or mindmeister). Use the following points to start your brainstorm:

Waterlogged soils
Saltwater
Tides and currents
Waves
Climate
Plants
Animals

Step 3.

Break the class into pairs or small groups invite students to work collaboratively to conduct research to describe the adaptations of mangrove and salt marsh plants to abiotic factors identified in the brainstorm. Groups should keep a record of their research; you can then invite the class to come together and add their ideas to the mindmap.

Spend some time discussing the updated mind-map before moving onto the next task.

Step 4.

Now ask students to research ‘coastal squeeze’ and its impact upon abiotic conditions of mangrove and salt marsh habitats. Distribute a copy of the Student Worksheet to each student; students can record the results of their research on the Student Worksheet.

Suggest the following definition for coastal squeeze: “Coastal squeeze is defined as intertidal habitat loss which arises due to the high water mark being fixed by a defence and the low water mark migrating landwards in response to sea level rise.” (Source)

Once complete, engage students in a class discussion around the following question:

Do you think mangrove and salt marsh species will survive through adaptation over time or will these habitats be squeezed out of existence?

Part B. Problem Solving - Ecological Stability of Mangroves

Step 1.

Engage students in a class discussion around the concept of ecological stability and the need for species diversity to ensure continued ecological stability. Use the following points to guide your discussion:

An ecosystem is said to have ecological stability if it is able to return to its equilibrium state after a disruption, or if it does not experience unexpected large changes in its characteristics over time.
Ecologists measure and record species diversity to determine the variety of species and how evenly distributed species are.
Diverse communities contain individuals with traits that enable them to adapt to changes in biotic (living) and/or abiotic (non living) variables.
Consequently, ecological stability is dependent upon species diversity.
To help calculate the ecological stability of an ecosystem, we can explore how a threatening process may impact a species or ecosystem.

A threatening process is a process that threatens or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community are more rapid.

Step 2.

Invite the class to work in groups to create a cause and effect diagram that analyses threatening processes to mangroves. Begin by projecting or recreating the following diagram (also available here):

You can then use the following instructions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Brainstorm possible causes and effects of reduced ecological stability of mangroves.
Complete the cause and effect diagram to analyse threatening processes to mangroves.
Write the description of the cause at the end of the branch in the oval. These are usually one of the main categories for example climate change. Details related to the cause or effect may be added as sub-categories branching off further from the main branch for example increased droughts.
The main effect or problem is written in the box, in this example reduced ecological stability, while other effects are written as dot points below the box.

Some causes and effects that need to be sorted include: reduced shoreline mangrove cover, climate change, boat wakes, reduced shoreline mangrove density, clearing of mangroves, development, land reclamation, reduced mangrove stand maturity, prolonged drought, sea level rise, mangrove dieback, increased frequency of storms, increased intensity of storms, reduced condition of shoreline mangroves, lack of community consultation, no policing of boat speeds along mangrove waterways.

Step 3.

Now invite students to return to their groups to plan three actions to improve the ecological stability of mangroves. Students can record these on the board or in the spaces provided on the Student Worksheet.

Part C. Communicating - Ecological Stability of Mangroves

Now explain to students that the ability of scientists to communicate their ideas and discoveries is part of a scientist's everyday life. MangroveWatch scientists give talks, write papers and proposals, communicate with a variety of audiences, and educate others. MangroveWatch enables the community to work as citizen scientists to understand the issues and solutions to work toward healthy mangrove ecosystems.

Students will now create a report that communicates the results of their salt marsh data collection and analysis. They will use the Report Writing Guide to help them plan and produce their report.

Before they begin, students will need to identify a specific audience and purpose for your MangroveWatch report. For example: a video presentation for Year 6 students, a flyer for local residents, an article for the town’s newspaper, a letter to the mayor, a powerpoint for your class, or a poster for shops.

You could provide students with this Scientific Report Assessment Rubric so they are aware of what is expected of them.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to think about what they looked at in this unit and complete the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How are the ideas and information presented and explored in this unit connected to what you already knew?
What new ideas did you get that extended or pushed your thinking and understanding in new directions?
What is still challenging or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions do you now have about the information presented in this unit?

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

MangroveWatch - Problem Solving and Communicating

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