Lessons on Stream Ecology

Many state departments of natural resources have outreach programs in which they work with school groups to survey local streams’ biodiversity and abiotic conditions. The departments often have the necessary equipment as well. The activities provided here can stand alone or complement projects done with the assistance of natural resources personnel.

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Estuaries.gov: Stream Table Activity http://www.estuaries.gov/activitystream.html

Estuaries are the transition zones between streams and larger bodies of water. This is an elegantly simple demonstration modeling the role of estuaries in the biosphere and hydrosphere. MSP full record

Ecology of a Stream: A Tale of Balance http://www.combat-fishing.com/streamecology.html

An overview of the ecology of a stream, including information pertaining to temperature and turbidity, energy balance, water balance, and the food chain. MSP full record

Freshwater Ecosystems http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/index.htm

This site is divided into three segments: rivers and streams; ponds and lakes; and wetlands, providing information, photos, and graphics related to freshwater resources. The site provides information about the geology and biology of these ecosystems and some information on technology as well. Each of the three segments contains links to additional resources related to that topic. Students could readily use the site as a resource for independent learning or research, and teachers could use the site to develop water-related activities. For example, students could be divided into research teams, one per segment, and each team could subdivide to investigate the links within its segment. Then students could be responsible for teaching others about their topic, and learning from others about the other topics. Finally, students would identify the relationships among all topics. Alternatively, students could use the site as inspiration for forming questions for professionals, such as natural resources employees or ecology research scientists. MSP full record

Nab the Aquatic Invader! http://www.sgnis.org/kids/

Major arrests need to be made in the fight against invading aquatic plants and animals. These invaders have hitchhiked to U.S. waters and are on the loose, creating huge problems, such as impacts on biodiversity. Students can be private investigators on the case and help the other detectives “book the bad guys.” MSP full record

Ohio Stream Quality Monitoring Project http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/sqm_main/tabid/980/Default.aspx

Interested in authentic ecology experiences for you and your students? This page provides an overview of Ohio’s program, which enlists volunteers in the collection of water sampling data. Following a free, short workshop, individuals and groups are given easy-to-use equipment and assigned to one or more stream stations. Volunteers, working in teams of two or more, examine small, riffle areas of stream bottoms and use fine mesh nets to collect macroinvertebrates. Volunteers are taught how to identify these tiny organisms and record their findings. A contact link is provided if you need advice on how to start a similar program in your area. MSP full record

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Copyright September 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.