110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

Topics Title: “African Penguins and Anthropogenic Impacts ” Climate change, Overfishing, African penguins Connections: How does Grades Focus Question 9-12 How does climate change affect African penguin habitats? Objectives/Outcomes Duration Students will be able to: 60 minutes  gather behavioral data using an ethogram  analyze and graph data Materials  develop solutions to reduce climate change  Computer with Internet Vocabulary/historical figures  Google Sheets -Data African penguin, Climate Change, Overfishing, Upwelling, Ethogram, Sheet Ethology  stopwatch Outline  Student Handout 1.Procedure (Overview of the lesson: video)(Overview of the activity: video) Standards 2.Discuss the Focus Question if you are not doing the lesson NGSS digitally. Record responses or have students write down the Practices: question and responses in the “Student Handout.” You/students  Obtaining, Evaluating, will come back to this at the end of the lesson and record their and Communicating thoughtful answers. Information Crosscutting Concepts: 3.If in a classroom, have students discuss with their “elbow partners”  Cause and Effect what they think climate change is. If a virtual call, have students  Patterns voluntarily answer or call on them. Correct any misinformation, if Core Ideas there is any.  ESS3D: Global Climate 4.Show this video about African penguins: https://www.newsy.com/ Change stories/climate-change-overfishing-put-african-penguins-in-  ESS3D: Human Impacts danger/. This is also linked to the “Student Handout.” on Earth Systems 5.Show the video from the California Academy of Sciences about Climate Change. It is 12.06 minutes long. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?

SHACC has a variety time_continue=8&v=XFmovUAWQUQ&feature=emb_title. This is of lesson plans that also linked to the “Student Handout.” you might find fun Assessment for you students. 1. Student engagement and participation. Visit https:// 2. Completion of worksheet “African Penguins and Anthropogenic shacc.org Impacts” 3. Students take the “Pledge” on page 9

1 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

EXTENSIONS: GUIDED INSTRUCTION 1. Discuss the Focus Question if you are not doing the lesson  Create an infographic digitally. Record responses or have students write down the about climate change. question and responses in the “Student Handout.” You/students will come back to this at the end of the lesson and record their  Watch the documen- thoughtful answers. tary “Chasing Ice” and take notes. Click here 2. If in a classroom, have students discuss with their “elbow partners” what they think climate change is. If a virtual call, have to watch the trailer. students voluntarily answer or call on them. Correct any misinfor- mation, if there is any. 3. Show this video about African penguins: https://www.newsy.com/ stories/climate-change-overfishing-put-african-penguins-in- danger/. This is also linked to the “Student Handout.” 4. Show the video from the California Academy of Sciences about Climate Change. It is 12.06 minutes long. https:// www.youtube.com/watch? time_continue=8&v=XFmovUAWQUQ&feature=emb_title. This is also linked to the “Student Handout.”

5. Show the video for the data collection directions. Again, this is Extra credit (an illustration of the African penguin) is offered also linked in the “Student Handout” in the “Activity” section. at the end, but teachers may 6. Students will complete the study and calculate land vs water want to delete this if they do percentages and create a pie-chart. All of this is explained in the not intend to offer video. extra credit. 7. Once calculations are complete and attached or linked to the assignment, students will answer questions and complete the pledge. 8. Extra credit (an illustration of the African penguin) is offered at the end, but teachers may want to delete this if they do not intend to offer extra credit. 9. Students are to submit the “Student Handout” to the teacher. Here is the link to just the “Student Handout.”

2 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

BACKGROUND:

African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) are endemic to Southern Africa and are sometimes called the “jackass” penguin because of the sounds they produce. The IUCN (International Union for Conserva- tion of Nature) has listed the African penguin as “endangered” due to an array of issues, such as oil spills, human harvesting of eggs and guano, habitat loss, bycatch, disease, loss of prey, and climate change that has shifted food sources (IUCN, n.d.). Their populations have declined by 90% since the start of the 20th century. It is estimated that in the early 1900s there were approximately 1.5 million individuals and today there are roughly 50,000 (Connan, Hofmeyr, and Pistorius, 2016)(Klusener et al., 2018).

African penguins are the only species of penguins to live in Africa, are typically found within 40 kilo- meters (25 miles) of the shore, and use the coastal habitats to rest, breed, and molt (Center for Bio- logical Diversity, n.d.). These endemic South African penguins feed primarily on sardines and ancho- vies and can live up to approximately 20 years of age. They only stand about two feet tall and weigh approximately 5-10 pounds. They are known to have unique black spots on their chest, which scien- tists use to identify them, similar to a human fingerprint. African penguins have an interesting way to thermoregulate or maintain their body temperature. Besides panting and swimming in the cool wa- ter, they activate a pink gland above each eye to help cool themselves. The hotter the penguin gets, the more blood is dispersed to the glands where the cool air helps to decrease the penguin's overall temperature.(Center for Biological Diversity, n.d.).

African penguins are often monogamous breeders and reach reproductive maturity by four years of age (San Diego Zoo, n.d.). Breeding occurs from May through August on rocky ground with very little to no vegetation. They use guano to help them make “nest-burrows” for incubating their eggs (Center for Biological Diversity, n.d.). Both parents share the egg incubation responsibility and once the eggs hatch (usually two eggs), both parents share the responsibility of feeding the chicks for ap- proximately one month. At about four months, old juveniles leave the colony (San Diego Zoo, n.d.).

Unfortunately, populations continue to be threatened today. These threats are primarily caused by anthropogenic impacts and one major cause is man’s dependence on fossil fuels. Climate change,

3 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan which causes changes in atmospheric pressures and wind patterns, is the cause of major disruptions in natural ocean circulatory systems (Bennette, 2016). In this case, energy due to climate change, in- creases cyclone strength and creates deep water upwellings of cooler water. These unique coastal upwellings are what allows sardines and anchovies to thrive (Fitchett, Grab, & Portwig, 2018; Roy et al., 2010). These new upwellings are occurring along the eastern cape of South Africa and are the main reason for shifts in anchovy and sardine distributions (Roy et al., 2010). Because African pen- guins’ prey are moving, they are forced to move as well and inhabit new locations in the east. This shift in prey availability, coupled with today’s plight of global overfishing (Trathan et al., 2015), African penguins are finding themselves even more at risk of extinction (Connan, Hofmeyr & Pistorius, 2016).

Because African penguin populations are so critically low in numbers, conservation efforts are essen- tial. Non-profits around the world are working with the South African Foundation for the Conserva- tion of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to help rehabilitate and save this species (Klusener et al., 2018). Through rescue, breeding efforts, and hand-rearing eggs, scientists are hopeful the species can be saved, but population recovery will require substantial human assistance.

In order to better understand African penguins and their reliance upon a safe unaltered envi- ronment, we will observe captive African penguins using a webcam or, if possible, at a zoo. Under- standing African penguins and their ecological needs is the first step to discerning how these animals can be saved.

4 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

REFERENCES African Penguin Webcam. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ african-penguin-cam/ African Penguin. (n.d.). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/african-penguin Center for Biological Diversity. (n.d.). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ species/birds/penguins/African_penguin.html Connan, M., Hofmeyr, G. J., & Pistorius, P. A. (2016). Reappraisal of the Trophic Ecology of One of the World’s Most Threatened Spheniscids, the African Penguin. Plos One, 11(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159402 Dickinson, J. L., Crain, R., Yalowitz, S., & Cherry, T. M. (2013). How Framing Climate Change Influences Citizen Scientists’ Intentions to Do Something About It.The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(3), 145-158. doi:10.1080/00958964.2012.742032 Fitchett, J. M., Grab, S. W., & Portwig, H. (2019). Progressive delays in the timing of sardine migration in the southwest Indian Ocean. South African Journal of Science, 115(7/8). doi:10.17159/sajs.2019/5887 How Does Climate Change Affect Biodiversity? (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https:// www.calacademy.org/educators/how-does-climate-change-affect-biodiversity International), B. (2018, August 08). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697810/132604504 Klusener, R., Hurtado, R., Parsons, N. J., Vanstreels, R. E., Stander, N., Spuy, S. V., & Ludynia, K. (2018). From incubation to release: Hand-rearing as a tool for the conservation of the endangered African penguin. Plos One, 13(11). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0205126 Roy, C., Lingen, C. V., Coetzee, J., & Lutjeharms, J. (2010). Abrupt environmental shift associated with changes in the distribution of Cape anchovyEngraulis encrasicolusspawners in the southern Benguela.African Journal of Marine Science, 29(3), 309-319. doi:10.2989/ajms.2007.29.3.1.331 Seafood Watch - Official Site of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Program. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2020, from https://www.seafoodwatch.org/ Sosby, M. (2017, March 21). Climate Change And Overfishing Lead African Penguins Into Deadly Traps. Re- trieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.newsy.com/stories/climate-change-overfishing-put-african- penguins-in-danger/ Trathan, P. N., García-Borboroglu, P., Boersma, D., Bost, C., Crawford, R. J., Crossin, G. T., . . . Wienecke, B. (2014). Pollution, habitat loss, fishing, and climate change as critical threats to penguins.Conservation Biology, 29(1), 31-41. doi:10.1111/cobi.12349 Webb, S., Massey, D., Goggans, M., & Flajole, K. (2019). Thirty-Five Years of the Gradual Release of Responsibil- ity: Scaffolding Toward Complex and Responsive Teaching.The Reading Teacher, 73(1), 75-83. doi:10.1002/trtr.1799

5 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

Name:______Period:______Date:______

African Penguins and Anthropogenic Impacts (Student Handout)

DIRECTIONS: Answer the focus question before you get started. Come back to this question at the end of the lab and make changes to your response as needed. Watch the videos. After reading the background information, complete the Activity. You will create a pie chart with your results. Answer the questions after you have completed the observations and make a pledge to help the African penguin.

FOCUS QUESTION: How does climate change and overfishing affect African penguin habitats? ______

______

Watch these Videos: African penguins (1.0) and Climate Change (12.06)

African Penguin Background

African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) are endemic to Southern Africa and are sometimes called the “Jackass” penguin because of the sounds they make. The IUCN has listed the African penguin as “Endangered” due to an array of issues, such as oil spills, human harvesting of eggs and guano, habitat loss, bycatch, disease, loss of prey, and climate change that has shifted food sources (IUCN, n.d.). Their populations have declined by 90% since the start of the 20th century. It is estimated that in the early 1900s there were approximately 1.5 million individuals and today there are roughly 50,000 (Connan, Hofmeyr, and Pistorius, 2016). African penguins are the only species of penguins to live in Africa and are typically found within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the shore and use the coastal habitats to rest, breed, and molt (Center for Biological Diversity, n.d.). They can live up to approximately 20 years of age and stand about 2 feet tall and weigh approximately 5 -10 pounds. They are known to have unique black spots on their chest, which scientists use to identify them, kind of like a fingerprint. African penguins have an interesting way to thermoregulate or maintain their body temperature. Besides panting and swimming in the cool water, they activate a pink gland above each eye to help cool themselves. The pinker the gland, the hotter the penguin is (Center for Biological Diversity, n.d.). African penguins are often monogamous breeders and reach reproductive maturity by 4 years of age (San Die-

6 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan go Zoo, n.d.). Breeding occurs from May through August on rocky ground with very little to no vegeta- tion. They use guano to help them make “nest-burrows” for incubating their eggs. Both parents share the egg incubation responsibility. Once the eggs hatch (usually 2 eggs), the parents share the responsibility of feeding the chicks for approximately 1 month. At about 4 months old juveniles leave the colony to disperse (San Diego Zoo, n.d.). Unfortunately, there are only approximately 25,000 breeding pairs today, an estimated 95% de- crease from breeding pair populations at the start of the 1900s Klusener et al., 2018). This decrease is due to many anthropogenic impacts but one major cause is from man’s dependence on fossil fuels. Climate change, which causes changes in atmospheric pressures and wind patterns, is the cause for major disruptions in natu- ral ocean circulatory systems (Bennette, 2016). In this case, energy due to climate change, increases cyclone strength and creates deep water upwellings of cooler water, which in turn, allows sardines and anchovies to thrive (Fitchett, Grab, & Portwig, 2018; Roy et al., 2010). These upwelling changes occur along the eastern cape of South Africa which is changing the average temperatures and in turn altering anchovy and sardine dis- tributions (Roy et al., 2010) causing the Arican penguin to shift habitat locations. This disruption of food avail- ability, coupled with overfishing (Trathan et al., 2015), African penguins are finding themselves even more at risk of extinction (Connan, Hofmeyr & Pistorius, 2016). Because African penguin populations are so critically low in number, conserva- tion efforts are essential. Non-profits around the world are working with the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to help rehabilitate and save this species (Klusener et al., 2018). Through rescue, breeding efforts, and hand-rearing eggs, scientists are hopeful the species can be saved, but population recovery will require substantial human assis- tance. By reducing fossil fuel consumption, not only will people help reduce climate change, but you can reduce the likelihood of oil spills that are devastating to African penguins and all marine life (Trathan et al., 2015). Also, using apps like the Seafood Watch for making sustainable food pur- chasing choices will help consumers choose fish that is harvested sustainably (Seafood Watch, n.d.). By choos- ing sustainably harvested fish, African penguins’ food web is less likely to be negatively altered. In order to better understand African penguins and their reliance upon a safe unaltered environment, we will observe captive African penguins using a webcam or, if possible, at a zoo. Understanding African penguins and their ecological needs is the first step to discerning how these animals can be saved.

ACTIVITY

7 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

INQUIRY QUESTION: How often do African penguins use land versus water in their habitat?

Predict your outcome: ______

______

because ______

Now watch this video (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gvHvuARAs5Yww8hiDSfTzyiy18T4JlYJ/view) to learn how to complete the African penguin ethogram. An ethogram is a catalogue of typical species-specific behav- iors. The study of animal behaviors is called ethology.

African penguin webcam: Georgia Aquarium

Print this data sheet for your observation:African penguin data sheet.

Attach your completed data sheet here:______

Create a pie chart of your results and attach it here: ______

*Go back to the Focus Question and make any changes or add information you have learned.

QUESTIONS Directions: After your observation and data collection, answer the following questions.

1. What were your results? ______

______

2. What insights does this study give scientists? ______

______

3. What were your challenges with this activity? ______

______

4. Do you think the time of day could influence your study ______

Why or why not ______

8 110 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 388-0313 https://shacc.org Lesson Plan

5. Why is it important that we understand the plight of the African penguin ______

______

6. How does climate change affect the African penguin ______

______

7. Why should we care about climate change? ______

______

8. Why is overfishing a problem for African penguins and how can it affect humans too?

______

9. How can we stop unsustainable fishing practices? ______

______

10. How can we reduce climate change? ______

______

Take the pledge!

I pledge to______for the next 30 days to help save African penguins and ______

Because ______

Extra Credit: Sketch a picture of an African penguin on the next page. Don’t forget his “fingerprint” mark- ings and the glands that help it regulate body temperature.

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