Lesson II Diving Deeper Into Florida’s Aquatic Plants
Overview: Aquatic plants play an important role in maintaining water quality by providing oxygen and habitat for fish and wildlife populations. Florida has been experiencing a growing problem from some non-native, invasive plants that are having an adverse effect on native plant communities and wildlife.
PPT = PowerPoint™ Presentation |
UE = upper elementary |
MS = middle school |
HS = high school |
Key Points
- Oxygen is a precious commodity in Florida’s freshwater habitats – especially for fish and other aquatic animals.
- Dissolved oxygen is affected by five main factors in freshwater systems: water temperature, respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition, and wind/wave action.
- Submersed aquatic plants are a major source of oxygen (via photosynthesis) in freshwater habitats. However, they also USE oxygen.
- Under certain conditions, an abundance of plants or algae can result in oxygen shortages, which can cause problems for animals inhabiting these environments;
- Invasive plants can make things worse, causing serious environmental and/or economic harm.
Keywords
algae, aquatic, atmosphere, bacteria, carbon dioxide (CO2), careers, chemical process, climate, decomposition, diffuse, dissolved oxygen (DO), environment, fish kill, invasive plants, management plan, water monitoring, Organisms, oxygen, parts per million (ppm), photosynthesis, respiration, submersed plants, subtropical, volunteer, water temperature, wind and wave motion. (See A Fish Tale Teacher Guide for definitions.)
Concept Map
Fish Tale (PDF 347 KB)
Fish Tale (Blank) - (PDF 346 KB)
Main Activities
- A Fish Tale (PPT) (UE, MS, HS) – Becca the bass narrates this colorful lesson about the delicate balance between oxygen, plants and fish in Florida’s freshwater environments. Positive pointers are provided at the end on how we can help maintain healthy freshwater ecosystems in our own area. Keywords and viewing questions are provided (answers at the end).
PowerPoint™notes Word Document (124 KB) | PDF File (58KB) | HTML
- Florida’s Aquatic Plant Story DVD (MS, HS) – An introduction on the benefits of native aquatic plants and the problems caused by invasive aquatic weeds including a review of the methods used by plant managers to maintain Florida’s lakes and rivers. Questions/answers included.
- A Fish Tale Crossword Puzzle (UE, MS) – Students develop working vocabulary by reading clues and filling in the correct term in a crossword puzzle format.
- A Fish Tale Word Search (MS) – Students learn to recognize vocabulary by searching in word search format.
- Learning with Color: Aquatic Ecosystems – an alphabetical coloring (& collage?) activity – Coming soon.
Lab Activities
- Lab: Dissolved Oxygen – This activity simulates the effect of temperature and wind/wave action on dissolved oxygen concentrations in a water body. - Coming soon.
- Photosynthesis Lab - Jan Ingenhousz, an Austrian physician from the 18th century, is credited with being the first individual to provide visible proof that photosynthesis produces a gas. He did this by placing willow tree branches underwater in full sunlight and observing that bubbles were forming on the submersed leaves. Soon after, he figured out that leaves were the only part of the plant that could photosynthesize. This lab was inspired by Ingenhousz’ discovery. Students will be able to watch plants release oxygen underwater in measurable amounts. Under review.
Additional Resources (activities, fact sheets, labs, illustrations, etc.)
