Estuaries Education Resource Activity 4. Life in an Estuary

Activity 4: Life in an estuary

Let’s find out more about estuary plants and animals

CURRICULUM LINKS

Learning areas Learning intentions Success criteria

Science: Levels 1–4 Students are learning to: Students can:

▪ Science: Living world: ▪ understand how plants and ▪ research an estuary animal, Life processes. animals feed, reproduce and plant or other living thing, ▪ Nature of Science: live in an estuary recording ideas about its Investigating in Science. ▪ investigate a species of their feeding, breeding and habitat choice and describe how it in estuaries Science capabilities feeds, reproduces and interacts ▪ continue their learning inquiry ▪ Gather and interpret data. with other living things. to find out more about estuary animals or plants and ▪ Interpret representations. describe how they interact in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa the wider ecosystem.

▪ Pūtaiao: The natural world CONTENTS

BACKGROUND NOTES ...... 4 Which living things do you find in estuaries?...... 4

Which animals visit estuaries? ...... 4

What do endemic, native and introduced mean?...... 4

Human impacts: sediments and habitat destruction ...... 4

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 4: LIFE IN AN ESTUARY ...... 5 Introducing students to life in an estuary...... 6 What is life like in an estuary? ...... 6 Endemic, native and introduced ...... 6 Thinking about life in an estuary from a Māori perspective ...... 6 Continuing your inquiry and investigating a species ...... 6

Reflecting on learning...... 7

Extending learning ...... 7

Other resources relating to estuaries as habitats ...... 8

STUDENT WORKSHEET Life in New Zealand’s estuaries ...... 9

LITERACY ACTIVITY SHEETS ...... 10 Seagrass/kārepo Mangrove/mānawa

Snapper/tāmure

Īnanga

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 2 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES CONTENTS

Pied shag/karuhiruhi

New Zealand cockle/tuangi

Mudflat snails/whētiko/karahū

Eels/tuna

Variable oystercatcher/tōrea pango

My animal is: (blank activity sheet)

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 3 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES BACKGROUND NOTES

WHICH LIVING THINGS DO YOU FIND IN ESTUARIES? Estuaries are home to a wide variety of animals, plants and other living things. The species that live here must be able to tolerate a saltwater environment that is very changeable. Fish species such as snapper/tāmure, flounder/pātiki, black bream/ Hermit crab at Pohatu Marine parore and eels/tuna are often found in estuaries, while birds such Reserve. Photo: Dave Bradshaw as oystercatchers/tōrea, fernbirds/mātātā, banded rails/moho pererū, kingfishers/kōtare, fantails/pīwakawaka, herons/matuku and shags/ kawau are also common. A number of invertebrates are also often found here, such as crabs/ pāpaka, snails/whētiko, cockles/tuangi and worms/toke moana. Seagrass grows in soft sediments in estuaries. They provide important habitat for young fish. Seagrass/eelgrass. Photo: Peter de Lange The species that occur in a particular estuary will depend on the location, temperature, exposure to weather, vegetation and human impacts.

WHICH ANIMALS VISIT ESTUARIES? Birds and fishes often visit estuaries to feed or breed while spending most of their lives elsewhere. For example, bar-tailed godwits/kuaka visit estuaries to feed during their migration and some fishes, such as Bar-tailed godwit at Waipu Estuary, īnanga, need the estuarine environment for part of their life cycle. Northland. Photo: Rod Hay

WHAT DO ENDEMIC, NATIVE AND INTRODUCED MEAN?

Term Definition Endemic animals are only found in New Zealand. Examples include longfin eels/tuna Endemic and variable oystercatchers/tōrea. Native animals live and breed in New Zealand but may also be found in other Native countries. These animals may have introduced themselves to New Zealand (self- introduced). Examples include īnanga and shortfin eels/tuna. Introduced animals were brought to New Zealand by people and have never been Introduced found here naturally. Examples include koi carp and rats/kiore.

HUMAN IMPACTS: SEDIMENTS AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION Habitats can be affected by human impacts and actions, such as pollution and sedimentation. For more information, see Activity 8: Healthy estuaries.

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 4 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES LEARNING EXPERIENCE 4: LIFE IN AN ESTUARY

Resources for this activity

Student worksheet Life in New Zealand’s estuaries, page 9.

Student integrated literacy activity sheets (provided at the end of this activity, pages 10–19: Seagrass/karepō Mangrove/mānawa Snapper/tāmure Īnanga Pied shag/kāruhiruhi Focus question Cockles/tuangi Mudflat snails/whētiko/karahū What’s life like Eels/tuna in an estuary for Variable oystercatcher/tōrea Blank learning sheet animals, plants and other living Vocabulary things? Life cycle, breeding, breed, reproduce, migration, endemic, native, introduced, erosion, sediment, pollution.

Links

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Activity 4: Life in an estuary 5 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO LIFE IN AN ESTUARY Note: These learning experiences are suggestions only. Teachers are encouraged to adapt and change the material to suit their students’ needs and interests.

Inquiry stage 3: Investigate

What is life like in an estuary? ▪ Share ideas about what life is like on the mud flats using a talking donut (see Teaching strategies in the Appendix). ▪ View the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre’s March of the Mudflats video clip. March of the mudflats Brainstorm what life might be life for snails on a mud flat. Mangroves in Whangateau Harbour. Photo: Lorna Doogan (courtesy of Experiencing ▪ Students could act out a day in the life of a bird, fish or Marine Reserves) snail on the mud flats.

Endemic, native and introduced ▪ Introduce the terms ‘endemic’, ‘native’ and ‘introduced’. Share ideas about what the students understand these terms to mean. See background notes on page 5 for definitions. ▪ Clarify the meanings of these terms by viewing the Science Learning Hub’s Endemic, native or introduced? PowerPoint presentation. Science Learning Hub: New Zealand’s native birds – endemic, native or introduced? ▪ View the literacy activity sheets (pages 10–19) to see which estuary species are endemic, native or introduced.

Thinking about life in an estuary from a Māori perspective ▪ Learn more about Māori perspectives by finding out about the different names, whakapapa (genealogy) and importance of eels/tuna on the DOC website. Tuna – ā tātou taonga ▪ Which taonga (natural treasures) are significant to your local iwi and why? Continuing your inquiry and investigating a species ▪ Reflect on your students’ inquiry questions from Activities 1 and 2. – What is the next step? Some inquiry questions may relate to the student learning sheets in this activity. – Copy the student worksheet Life in New Zealand’s estuaries (page 9) and cut out the individual animals. Give one bird or fish to each student. These can be used to form groups or partners to work with for inquiry or a reading/literacy activity – students can find someone with the same picture as them to partner with.

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 6 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES ▪ Get students to use the student integrated literacy activity sheets (pages 10–19) to further investigate an estuary species, eg where it lives (its habitat), its diet, its life cycle and how it depends on the estuary. ▪ Groups could share their findings with the class through a presentation, talk, artwork or drama. Reflect on the group presentations. Why are estuaries important for the life cycles of these animals?

REFLECTING ON LEARNING

Inquiry stages 4: Extending thinking

▪ After sharing their information, students can explore the similarities, connections and differences between species. How are animals, plants and other living things connected in the ecosystem? How do these connections relate to the freshwater and saltwater environments? Examples of how living things are connected through feeding relationships and food chains include: – plant plankton (diatoms) > insects > fish > eel – seagrass detritus > lugworm > godwit – detritus/bacteria (in the sediment) > algae > cockle > variable oystercatcher. For more information about food chains and feeding relationships, see Activity 4 of DOC’s Protecting our marine world resource. Students could learn more about species such as mudflat snails, cockles, whelks and birds through the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre’s Mudflat Mysteries educational book and game. Mudflat mysteries

EXTENDING LEARNING ▪ How do different fish species move in rivers and estuaries? To see how different whitebait species cope with climbing and fast water movement, watch this video on the DOC website. Freshwater fish videos ▪ How do cockles help to enhance estuary habitat? Observe cockles up close if possible by collecting them and keeping them in salt water in your classroom for a few hours. What happens to the cockles? (Shellfish such as cockles and mussels will filter the water to make it clean.) See the Science Learning Hub’s Cockles video for more information. Cockles Note: Wrap the cockles in a towel, mesh or seaweed and keep them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Do not place them in still salt water for more than a few hours as they cockles will open, feed and use up the oxygen in the water. They can be kept out of water in a cool place for 2 days. Return the cockles to the collection site once you have made your observations.

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 7 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES ▪ At what other times would shellfish close up in an estuary? When( the tide goes out.) What other behaviours would you expect to see from estuary animals when the tide goes out? (Some animals bury themselves, crabs go into holes, birds come to feed. These are behavioural adaptations that help the animals to survive.)

OTHER RESOURCES RELATING TO ESTUARIES AS HABITATS ▪ Collins field guide to the New Zealand seashore by Sally Carson and Rod Morris (Harper Collins, 2017): Field guide to the New Zealand seashore ▪ DOC’s Whitebait – migratory galaxiids webpage: Whitebait - migratory galaxiids ▪ Whitebait Connection’s Inanga spawning webpage: Whitebait Connection īnanga spawning resources ▪ Seagrass/karepō padlet page: Seagrass/karepo ▪ Eels/tuna padlet page: Eels/tuna ▪ Cockles/tuangi padlet page: Cockles/tuangi ▪ Oystercatcher/tōrea padlet page: Oystercatcher/torea ▪ Longfin eelTuna kuwharuwharu resource by Joseph Potangaroa: Tuna Kuwharuwharu The longfin eel ▪ New Zealand Birds Online White-faced heron webpage: White-faced heron ▪ Revive Our Gulf’s video on how mussels filter seawater and how this is helping to restore the Hauraki Gulf: Revive our Gulf display movie ▪ Science Learning Hub’s Life in the estuary webpage for more information about estuarine connections in an ecosystem: Life in the estuary ▪ Ministry of Education’s policy on keeping animals in ECE centres and schools: Policy on animals for ECE centres and schools

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 8 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES Student worksheet

LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND’S ESTUARIES Students can research one of these animals to find out more about how they live in estuaries, including their feeding, breeding and life cycles.

Whangateau mangroves. Variable oystercatcher/tōrea. Seagrass/karepō. Photo: Lorna Doogan, courtesy of Photo: Bernard Spragg Photo: Peter de Lange Experiencing Marine Reserves

Mudflat snail/whētiko/karahū. Īnanga in eelgrass. Eel/tuna. Photo: Jane Percival (CC_BY- Photo: G.A. Eldon, DOC Photo: Gusmonkeyboy NC-SA)

Cockle/tuangi. Photo: Helen Pied shag/kāruhiruhi. Snapper/tāmure. Kettles, DOChttp://naturewatch. Photo: Bernard Spragg Photo: Brian Mackie org.nz/photos/4217841

Flounder/pātiki. Photo: Roban White-faced heron/matuku. Godwit/kuaka. Kramer (CC BY-SA 2.0) Photo: Bernard Spragg Photo: Rod Hay, DOC www.flickr.com/photos/robanhk/

Activity 4: Life in an estuary 9 PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES PROTECTING OUR ESTUARIES Activity 4: Life in an estuary Inquiry stages 3 and 4

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