Discovery Bay Shark Reef. Discovery Bay. Wonders of the Deep

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1 Discovery Bay Shark Reef Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or harmful to themselves or other organisms. Discovery Bay Wonders of the Deep Compare the impact of individual decisions on natural systems. Look for our 2 sea turtles in the Shark Reef. They do like to spend time at the surface or sleeping under rocks. Question: Why do humans hunt sea turtles? Is this beneficial or harmful? Response: Sea turtles are hunted for their hides and shells. They are used for many things, hides for leather boots, hand bags, and wallets and shells for jewelry. This currently is harmful because sea turtle populations are low. Minnesota Zoo sea turtle story: (human impact) Both turtles, a Green turtle and a Kemps Ridley turtle, were hit by boats and suffered significant injuries. Neither were able to recover from their injuries and aren't able to be released back into the wild. Look at this marine debris display. Is there an item in there that you use? Question: What can you do to ensure it doesn t end up as marine debris? Is there an alternative to that product that creates a lesser impact? Response: Students answers will vary. Garbage harms organisms. It decreases or eliminates food sources because many resemble what organisms eat. It is often eaten thus harming or killing the animal. Garbage also gets caught around the animal making it vulnerable to predators or creating wounds so critical it can t survive. The Vanishing Act! Tossing garbage in the trash doesn t make it disappear? It takes time for it to break down and completely disappear. Your cereal boxes and milk cartons take just months. Many plastics take over 400 years to naturally disappear. Glass and jars we don t know. Recycling or reusing those items are the best way to go.

2 Discovery Bay Clubhouse Cove Describe how plant and animal structures and their functions provide an advantage for survival in a given natural system. Discovery Bay Living Reef Natural systems have many components that interact to maintain the living system. Look for the ocean graphic in Clubhouse Cove. Question: What percentage of the world s water is drinkable? If all living things need fresh water, how have some adapted to life in a salt water environment? Response: <1% is drinkable water. Many organisms have unique features like unique kidneys, gills, special glands or roots to filter out the salt in the water. Look at this live coral display for about 5 minutes. Count the number of different organisms you see. Question: What sort of interactions do you see among these organisms? Response: Answers will vary. There are many different species of corals, fish, sea urchins, shrimp, snails, etc. in this tank. Reefs provide the essential needs for these animals like food and shelter. The students may see organisms hiding among the rocks, cleaning bits off the rocks, sand, or glass, eating, chasing, etc. Ocean Planet! The ocean covers nearly 70% of the Earth's surface and plays a major role in weather and climate around the world. How is this possible? Think about the water cycle. Reefs protect the environment! In addition to providing habitat, reefs create a barrier along the shores to prevent damaging waves and erosion..

3 Russia s Grizzly Coast Pacific Shores Explain how slow processes, such as water erosion, and rapid processes, such as landslides and volcanic eruptions, form features of the Earth s surface. Russia s Grizzly Coast Mud Pot Describe the transfer of heat energy when a warm and a cool object are touching or placed near each other. Look at the picture of the coastline in this graphic. Question: How does interaction between volcanic activity and the surrounding water help to create such a unique rocky coast line? Was this a quick or slow process? Response: The rock built up from volcanic eruptions creating the cliff-like rocky landscape. The coastal waters, over longer periods of time, washed over the rocks and coast wearing it down and giving it the jagged pointy look it has today. It s a result of the combination of quick (volcanic eruptions) and slow (water erosion) processes. Suited for bears and otters! The cliff-like landscape provides habitat for the brown bears while the cold ocean waters are perfect for the sea otters. Look for both animals along the trail. Watch for some thermal features along the trail. (NOTE: these are seasonal features) Question: What is the heat source making mud boil or water and steam rise from the earth? Response: The heat comes from the Earth s mantle and rises through the cracks and crevices as it tries to escape. The high heat then raises the temperature of ground water until it reaches a boiling point. Depending on the amount of built up pressure from underground, water either erupts as a liquid or a gas (steam). The mud is created when water mixes with volcanic ash. The bubbles are due to the gases escaping. More temperate climate for all! All the volcanic action that goes on here helps to create a warmer surface temperature allowing for more animals to adapt to this climate.

4 Russia s Grizzly Coast Brown bears Describe how plant and animal structures and their functions provide an advantage in a given natural system. Russia s Grizzly Coast Conservation Cabin Describe how science and engineering influence and are influenced by local traditions and beliefs. Look around the brown bear exhibit. Take note of both living and nonliving factors in their environment. Question: What bear characteristics do you see that enable them to live in this ecosystem? Response: Long claws digging and catching food. Large teeth (canines)- eating large prey. Thick fur keep warm and dry. Hump large muscle for power and strength. Fat insulation (keep warm) and energy for winter months when food is scarce. Lightly touch the darker walls of the log cabin and close your eyes. You are now physically connected the Russia Far East as these logs came from that area. Question: What steps are scientists taking to ensure the protection of animals in a certain region of the world? Response: Learning about the animal, Involving the community, Saving the land, food source, and the animal, and Restoring the animal by bringing them home. Quick decline! Russia has more brown bears than any other place on earth but in the last 15 years their population numbers were reduced by half. Can you think of why? You can help too! Learn about the animals in your area, get involved in community organizations, save the outdoors by being responsible users, and restore by planting habitat, like a tree or garden.

5 Tropics Trail Tortoise Sculpture Give examples of beneficial and harmful human interaction with natural systems. Tropics Trail Fig Community Explain what would happen to a system, such as a wetland, prairie or garden, if one of its parts were changed. Go ahead and sit on this replication of the Giant tortoise. Look at the animals associated with the fig tree. Question: What two characteristics made this animal an easy target for poachers which eventually led to its extinction? (can look at the Radiated tortoise across the path for comparison) Response: Its large size and slow movements made this tortoise an easy target for hunting. An animal of this size could easily feed a village. Question: This community depends on each other for survival. Think of the roles each of them have. What would happen to this community if the bats disappeared? Response: The fig seeds would not be planted in far away and different locations which is essential to creating new areas and expanding the forest. Land of the Giants! By the 1800 s, no native mammal or bird over 25 lbs. survived on Madagascar. Wonder why? Help the Fig Forest! Get involved by simply donating your used cell phone. Recycling the metals used in cell phones eliminates the need to dig for them in the rainforests which destroys the forest community.

6 Tropics Trail Tropical Reef Look at the picture of the men fishing Describe the positive and negative impacts that the designed world has on the natural world as more and more engineered products and services are created and used Compare the impact of individual decisions on natural systems. Question: What choices are humans making in their fishing practices on coral reefs? What would happen if more choose this fishing method? Response: Overfishing, taking more faster than what is being produced, and destructive fishing practices, using dynamite or poison which eventually kills all the living organisms and the ecosystem. If more chose this fishing method, less fish would be taken and the other organisms and ecosystem would not be harmed. Leave only bubbles! When snorkeling or diving, be responsible by not touching or stepping on top of corals and the reef. Tropics Trail Creatures beneath the Canopy Identify and investigate a design solution and describe how it was used to solve an everyday problem. Look around at the exhibits, taking note of the variety of plants and animals. Question: These exhibits represent an area of rainforest that is quickly disappearing. The trees are harvested to supply wood used for housing and fuel for cooking. Can you think of a way to meet these human needs and to save the trees? Reponses: This is to get the students thinking and to brainstorm some ideas with their classmates. Is there a substitute for wood? A house design that uses less wood? Is there something that can burn instead of wood? Is there more efficient way to cook? Bindes! Bindes are ovens that were created and provided to families for cooking. They are more efficient than open fires and require less wood for fuel. This lessens the demand of cutting down the trees. (Note: look at the Cotton top tamarin graphic for a picture)

7 Minnesota Trail Minnesota Trail Lodge Understand that different models can be used to represent natural phenomena and these models have limitations about what they can explain. Minnesota Trail Beavers Describe how plant and animal structures and their functions provide an advantage for survival in a given natural system. Quickly observe this map of Minnesota. Question: What information do you quickly gather about MN? Looking at it longer, is there any other information you can gather? Response: There are 3 major biomes (areas) in MN Northern Coniferous forests, Deciduous forests, and Prairie grasslands. This also shows some major waterways locations (lakes and rivers) and some topography variations (compare NE to SW). Land of 90,000 miles of shoreline! Minnesota s claim to fame isn t only the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it has thousands of miles of shoreline to go with it. Ninety-thousand miles total and this adds up to be more than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined. Observe the beaver s ecosystem. Take note of some living and nonliving factors. Question: What is the survival advantage for beavers to build both a lodge and dam? Response: The dam pools water in an area giving beavers a deeper water habitat. This also provides habitat for many other organisms. The lodge protects the beaver from predators especially with its underwater entrance. Early Money! A great number of people immigrated and settled in Minnesota because of the beaver trade. Their pelts were used as currency in exchange for goods. In the case behind you, look for the sign that can tell you how many beavers were needed to buy a man s shirt.

8 Minnesota Trail Minnesota gray wolves Describe how science and engineering influence and are influenced by local traditions and beliefs. Minnesota Trail Bald eagle Describe how science and engineering influence and are influenced by local traditions and beliefs Give examples of beneficial and harmful human interaction with natural systems. Look and read some of the testimony given by the variety of people. Question: Imagine you are a looking to develop some land in northern Minnesota in gray wolf habitat. After reading the statements from various individuals, how would their opinions about wolves influence your plans? Response: The answers will vary. This is simply to expose students to some of the complexity of modern science and personal views about the natural world. MN grey wolves rebound! The grey wolf was taken off the MN Endangered Species List in 2007 because of conservation efforts of scientists, engineers and the community. There is still more to accomplish as life moves forward in the 21st century. Observe the bald eagle for about 3 minutes. Question: What is the significance of this bird? Does anyone know the story about modern technology and science preventing its extinction? Response: The bald eagle is our national bird. Rapidly declining populations during much of the 20 th century put the bald eagle on the Endangered Species List. Researchers eventually found that DDT, a pesticide sprayed on crops, was washing into waterways and being absorbed by aquatic plants and fish, in turn poisoning the eagles who ate the fish. The DDT in their systems caused them to produce poor quality egg shells that would be broken during incubation or fail to hatch at all. With the banning of DDT in 1972, the bald eagle population has rebounded dramatically, causing them to be removed from the Endangered Species List in Scientists continue to work to develop effective pesticides that do not harm wildlife or ecosystems. The National Turkey? Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States. He felt the eagle was a bird of bad, moral character.