Ch 8 Aquatic Biodiversity Human Affects on Aquatic Environments Newsletter Project

8-3 How Have Human Activities Affected Marine Ecosystems? 8-4 How Have Human Activities Affected Freshwater Ecosystems?

Purpose  Understand how human activities threaten aquatic biodiversity and disrupt ecological and economic services provided by saltwater, freshwater lakes, rivers, and wetlands  Explore these human activities as they relate to Florida and Florida’s coastal areas.

1. You may now work in a group of 3-4. Again, you are responsible for understanding all aspects as they are found in the textbook even though your group has only specific topics assigned to you. 2. You are your group are to create a small newspaper or newsletter (think The Beeline or The Buzz) to educate us on the human activities affecting marine and freshwater ecosystems. This is to be an electronically generated project. 3. You will need to create an “article” about the Natural Capital (economic and ecological services) provided by each ecosystem. The marine ecosystem services are on page 172 and freshwater on page 181. 4. Each group will be assigned 4 activities related to the marine ecosystem and 2 related to freshwater. No matter what the activities are, you are to create articles as they relate to Florida and Florida’s coastal areas. This means you will need to do some research and find information on where this is happening in Florida. Within each of these articles we will need some kind of basic explanation of what the activity/issue is to begin with and then how it relates to a specific part of Florida and the problems occurring there. EX – You might have coastal development as an activity. Within your article you’ll need a basic explanation of what the problem is and how/why this activity is a problem. Then you will research and learn of a specific place within FL where this is a huge problem. Maybe something about how there has been development on barrier islands and it ruins the dune ecosystem and all the organisms that use the dunes. You could also include how this causes problems for humans as we have more pronounced beach erosion and spend millions in beach replenishment.  Human impacts on marine ecosystems can be found on pg 178-179, and freshwater on pg 186. You will want to read through and get a little background info from the book first.  At the end of your article you are to include the link to the website(s) used. 5. Try to format this as a newsletter or newspaper would be. Play around with Publisher or even Word (there’s options within Word that creates columns). 6. Each group will be assigned a letter from A-E. The topics listed for each letter are what you are to address in your newsletter.

Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Coastal Overfishing Coastal Runoff- Runoff- development development nonpoint nonpoint Use of fishing sources sources Runoff – trawlers Climate nonpoint change Overfishing Point-source sources Invasive pollution species Point-source Pollution & Point-source pollution degradation of Use of fishing pollution Climate coastal trawlers change Use of fishing wetlands & Pollution & trawlers estuaries Invasive degradation of Excess plant species coastal nutrients – wetlands & eutrophication Dams and Flood control Excess plant estuaries canals – levees & dikes nutrients – Inland fragment & – destroy eutrophication Dams and wetlands reduce water habitats canals – drained for flow fragment & crops or cities Excess plant Inland reduce water Inland nutrients – wetlands flow wetlands eutrophication drained for drained for crops or cities Flood control crops or cities levees & dikes – destroy habitats Newsletter Project Rubric Projects will be graded according to these criteria unless a more specific rubric has been attached to your instructions.

Format and Presentation (15): Format Format is followed Much of the format was Students did not follow (see assignment) according to the followed, but some the directions for format. 10 points directions given. components are missing. 0 - 4 points 8-10 points 5-7 points Creativity/Neatness Exceptional, students Project is creative and Minimal creativity, 5 points strive for originality neat. apparently little effort 5 points 2-4 points made on presentation. 0 - 2 points

Content (50): Accuracy All content is accurate, Most of the content Content is largely 30 points and demonstrates accurate, with some incorrect; shows major mastery of the subject misunderstandings and misunderstandings of matter. inaccuracies. the material. 27-30 points 21-24 points 0-20 points Clarity Material is written and Topics are mostly Unclear; difficult to 5 points displayed in VERY clear understandable, but follow and understand. and understandable occasionally unclear or 0 - 2 points language. confusing. 5 points 2-4 points Thoroughness/ ALL topics are addressed Most components are Topic is inadequately Completeness in a thorough but included: some discussed; incomplete 15 points concise manner. information may be left work. 9-10 points out. 0 - 3 points 4-8 points