A WebQuest for 6-8th Grade (Science) Designed by Loris Chen
Introduction
You are part of a team of specialists whose mission is to determine if habitat management strategies are working. Your team has been invited to make a presentation at an international conference where other teams will be competing for project funding. Will your presentation earn your project funding?
The Task
Anadromous fish are adapted to life in both saltwater and freshwater habitats. Acipenser spp., commonly known as sturgeons, were once common fish in East Coast United States estuaries and coastal rivers. Many are considered to be threatened or endangered. For example, the shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, is listed as vulnerable on the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Have habitat protection projects improved the outlook for this species?
Your task is to:
- Find out what caused the decline of anadromous fish such as the shortnose sturgeon.
- Investigate methods for reversing the population trend.
- Present a proposal that will increase and sustain sturgeon populations so that they do not become extinct.
Your presentation must include graphics and visual organizers. Presentations may be in the form of PowerPoint or overhead projector transparencies.
Credit and References
- Learn about anadromous fish at NOAA http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/faq/fishfaq1a.html
- FishBase http://www.fishbase.org/search.php
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/rte/rtesnsturgeon.asp
- American Rivershttp://www.americanrivers.org/our-work/restoring-rivers/dams/projects/edwards-anniversary.html
- NOAA http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/shortnosesturgeon.htm
- Shortnose sturgeon photo courtesy of Fort Stewart, Ga. http://aec.army.mil/usaec/newsroom/update/win02/win0220.html
- China's Three Gorges Dam http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster&page=3
Follow these links to go to the rest of the lesson
