Mission Possible - Saving the Galapagos

                                                     

The next section of the Biology course is focused on looking at the biosphere and its reactions to global change. We are going to focus on one very unique and special area, the Galapagos Islands. Does anyone know the significance of this island archapelago? That's right this is the area that led to Darwin's theory of natural selection. Of all the areas of the biosphere, this area is the most fragile, and the most studied to determine the mechanism behind natural selection, and it is in need of our protection. The first task you have is to create an interactive field guide that will help you on your journey.

                                                   Mission 1 - Galapagos Field Guide

1.     Each group must select a mixture of land and aquatic organisms found on the Galapagos Islands. They must include a fungi, algae, plants, and animals, which must include both vertebrates and invertebrates. No two groups can have the same organisms even if the habitats overlap.

2.     For each selected organism you must include the following:
-      classification with the common and scientific name
-      habitat description
-      life cycle
-      the role of the organism in the ecosystem (niche)
-      four interesting facts. 
-      cited reference page using MLA format or school-accepted format.

3.     You will be creating the interactive field guide in glogster.com. You should be attaching movie clips, diagrams, and sound to enhance the field guide.  Here are two examples of glogs:  one on elephants created by a teacher to illustrate the requirements needed for the field guide and a second example created by a student that demonstrates the creativity possible while using glogster.  Look for a black swirl near the top left corner of page one that will take you to another glog linked to the presentation.

4.     Instructions are available for glogster if needed but exploring the site on your own would be more beneficial to the learning process.  See your Mission Specialist for the instructions.
Use the links below as a starting point of your journey to find the information required.  Some websites are not  scientific sites but contain relative information on species of animals and plants you would find on the islands.  Start here but search the scientific names of the species for your field guide information. 
Galapagos Species Checklist

Galapagos and Ecuador Guide                                                                                                                     

  Ecology of the Galapagos Islands

                                                          Mission 2:  Food Web

Create a Galapagos Food Web that includes all the fungi, algae, plants and animals your fellow agents included in the interactive field guide.  See your Mission Specialist to find out whether your food web will be created on poster board or on a computer program, and which direction the arrows should flow.
The food web will be necessary to complete your mission and should be posted near your work space for future reference. Be sure to check with your Mission Specialist before moving on to Task 3.

                                                           Mission 3: Research

Referring back to the "Global Change" lecture given previously by your Mission Specialist, as a group come to a consensus about which topic you would like to investigate.  Below is a list of possible topics:
-    coral bleaching
-    habitat destruction
-    overfishing
-    ocean acidification
-    CO2 emissions
-    Invasive species
-    Human presence
-    Or any topic cleared by the Mission Specialist

Each group member must bring to the debriefing of this mission one or more scientifically-based articles that contain statistical data that will serve as proof of the global changes that affect the Galapagos Islands. During the debriefing session, gather enough information to complete task 4.  

                                        Mission 4:  Public Service Announcement

Now using the data that you collected, secretly prepare a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that can be broadcast online or over the airways and used to inform the public of the dangers the Galapagos Islands face today and in the future.

Start by watching the animation your Mission Specialist showed earlier in the unit. 
Create your PSA using either goanimate or by producing and editing your own video production.  If you choose to use the online animation, create an account for your group at GoAnimate.  The Mission Specialist will hand out a PSA rubric for you to use as a guide for this phase of your mission.  Please take special care to read and follow the rubric as you create your PSA.

                                                     Mission 5:  Trophic Cascades

Looking back at your food web created in Mission 2, mark on the food web the animal most affected by the global change you selected for your PSA.  Use a different color arrow to show whether the organisms connected to this animal will show an increase or decrease in numbers based on the resulting trophic cascade. Post any warnings of impending extinctions on your food web. What is the fate of your food web?