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C O RA L R E E F S U C C E S S I O N
Howdocoralreefecosystemsdemonstratetheecologicalprinciplesof
shiftingbaselines,disturbance,succession,andsustainability?
OVERVIEW
Studentsusecoralreefecosystemcasestudiestoexploretheecological
principlesofshiftingbaselines,naturalandanthropogenicdisturbance,
succession,andsustainability.
Forthecompleteactivitywithmediaresources,visit:
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/coral-reef-succession/
DIRECTIO NS
1.Activatestudents’priorknowledgeofecologicalsuccessionandtypesof
disturbances.
Leadaclassdiscussionorhavestudentsusethink-pair-share,followedbya
classdiscussion.Ask:Doecosystemschangeovertime?Whatcouldcausethose
changes?Recordstudents’responsesontheboard.Studentsmaygive
examplessuchasvolcaniceruptions(MountSt.HelensorKrakatau),wildfires
(Yellowstone,westernU.S.),nuclearcontamination(Chernobyl,ThreeMile
Island),deforestation(Amazonrainforest),andhurricanes(Katrina,Mitch).They
mayalsomentionthatecosystemschangegraduallyasdifferentspecies
flourishandothersdeclineduetoavarietyoffactors.
2.Exploreanthropogenicandnaturalcausesofchangeandecological
succession.
Next,havestudentsdrawatwo-columnchartintheirnotebooks.Dothesame
ontheboard,labelingonecolumn“AnthropogenicCauseforChange”andthe
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othercolumn“NaturalCauseforChange.”Basedonthetypesofchangesthey
brainstormed,havestudentsclassifythemasanthropogenicornatural.Explain
thatonereasonforecosystemchangeissuccession,theprogressivechangein
thespeciescompositionofanecosystem.Ecologicalsuccessioninterrestrial
andmarineecosystemsresultsfrombothhuman-caused,or
anthropogenicdisturbances,andnaturaldisturbances.Often,afteramajor
disturbance,youcanobserveanecosystemmovethroughseveralstagesof
succession.Discussthesuccessionalstagesthatoccurafteroneortwoofthe
examplesstudentslisted.
3.Buildbackgroundonshiftingbaselinesandsuccessioninmarine
ecosystems.
TellstudentstheywillwatchavideooftheTEDtalk,“GlimpsesofaPristine
Ocean,”byEnricSala.AskthemtopayattentiontohowDr.Sala’stalkrelatesto
theconceptofecologicalsuccession.Showstudentsthefirst3minutes,30
secondsofthevideo.Afterviewing,askstudentstosummarizewhattheysaw.
Elicitfromstudentsthatthevideousescoralreefswithvaryingdegreesof
humanhabitationandimpactstoshowhowthecompositionofreefspecies
changesovertime.Askstudentstoprovideexamplesofdisturbancesthatoccur
inmarineecosystems.AddtheirideasonthetablefromStep2.Elicitexamples
suchashurricanes,oceanwarming,deadzones(anoxia),overfishing,habitat
destruction(trawling,coastaldevelopment),andpollution(toxicwaste,oilspill).
Usingtheexampleofcoralreefsfromthevideotoprovidecontext,ask:Whatis
abaseline?Elicitfromstudentsthatabaselineisapointofreferenceagainst
whichsignificantchangecanbemeasured.Explainthata“shiftingbaseline”is
whenourpointofreferenceaboutwhatisnaturalinanecosystemshiftsuntil
weacceptitscurrentstateasnormal,andtherefore,lowerourstandardsabout
itshealthandsustainability.Ask:Whyisitimportanttohaveanaccuratebaseline
formarineecosystemslikecoralreefs?Elicitfromstudentsthatifweknowthe
baselineforanecosystemindecline,wecanworktorestoreittothatlevel.If
thebaselinehasshifted,wemaybeacceptingadegradedsystemasnormal.
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4.Dividestudentsintosmallgroupsandhavethemstarttheworksheet.
DistributeacopyoftheShiftingBaselinesandSuccessionworksheettoeach
student.Dividestudentsintosmallgroupsandreadaloudthedirections.Ask
eachgrouptoprovideatleastoneexampleofeachitemincolumn1.Havea
whole-classdiscussionaboutstudents’examples.Usetheexamplesgenerated
fromSteps1-3,includingthevideo,tocorrectanymisconceptionsstudents
haveabouteachoftheitemsinthelist.Forexample,studentsmaythinkthata
pristineecosystemisanecosystemtowhichhumanshavenoaccess.Clarify
thattheoceanandatmosphereconnecthumanstoallmarineecosystems.Also
clarifythatsustainabilitycanbedefinedindifferentways,butforthisactivity
theyneedtothinkaboutitintermsofoceanresourcesandecology.
5.HavestudentswatchtheNationalGeographicvideo“BelizeCoralReef.”
AsstudentswatchtheNationalGeographicvideo(4minutes)havethemwork
individuallyontheirworksheetstofillinexamplesandexplanationsforasmany
ofthetermsaspossible.Afterthevideo,havegroupsworktogethertodiscuss
andrefinetheirexamplesandexplanations.Usetheprovidedanswerkeyto
facilitatethediscussion.Ask:Doyouthinkcoralreefscanrecoverfromnatural
disturbancesatthesametimethatanthropogenicdisturbancesareincreasing?
Whyorwhynot?
6.HavestudentswatchPart2ofthevideopodcast“ParadiseRedefined:Line
Islands.”
AsstudentswatchtheScrippsInstitutionofOceanographyvideo(7minutes,30
seconds),havethemworkindividuallyontheirworksheetstofillinexamples
andexplanationsforasmanyofthetermsaspossible.Afterthevideo,have
groupsworktogethertodiscussandrefinetheirexamplesandexplanations.
Usetheprovidedanswerkeytofacilitatediscussionandcheckfor
completeness.Ask:Howdidthescientistsdescribetheinitialstagesofcoralreef
succession?Whatstagesdoyouthinkmightfollow?Elicitfromstudentsthatthe
scientistsstatedthatahardorrockysubstratefreeofalgaewasneededsothat
thesmallcoralrecruits,orpolyps,couldattachandbegintomultiplyintoacoral
colony.Thecoralcolonieswouldthenprovidefood,space,andshelterforother
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reefcreatures,includingherbivores.Then,carnivorousfishandinvertebrates
wouldmultiplyandfeedontheherbivores.Asbiodiversityincreased,additional
nicheswoulddevelop.AndinthecaseofthemorepristineLineIslands,thereef
supportedmorepredatorsthanherbivoresandshowedsignsofstabilityand
resilience.
6.Havestudentsreflectonwhattheyhavelearned.
Leadaclassdiscussionabouthowthetermsshiftingbaseline,disturbance,
succession,andsustainabilityareallinterconnected.Havestudentsusetheir
worksheetstoshareexamplesoftheseecologicalprinciplesincoralreef
ecosystems.Askstudentstobrainstormabouthowtheseprinciplesare
applicableinothermarineorterrestrialecosystems.
Modification
InStep1,useavideo,animation,orecosystemdiagramtohelpstudents
visualizethesuccessionalstagesanecosystemundergoesafteradisturbance.
Modification
InStep1,youmaychoosetoincorporatetheconceptsofpioneerspecies,
primarysuccession,secondarysuccession,andclimaxcommunitythroughout
thediscussion.
InformalAssessment
Assessstudents'worksheetsforcompletenessandaccuracy.Checkstudents'
understandingbyaskingthemtorestatetheirexamplesandexplanationsofthe
keyterms.
ExtendingtheLearning
HavestudentsuseGoogleEarth:OceanstoexploretheOceanNow2009Line
IslandsExpeditionLogandreflectuponthecurrentstateoftheresearchand
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howitcouldimpacttheestablishmentanddesignofcoralreefmarineprotected
areas.
O BJECTIVES
Subjects&Disciplines
Geography
HumanGeography
PhysicalGeography
Science
Biology
Ecology
Oceanography
LearningObjectives
Studentswill:
providemarineexamplesofshiftingbaselines,ecologicalsuccession,
sustainability,pristineanddisturbedecosystems,andanthropogenicand
naturaldisturbances
discusstherelationshipamongcoralreefcommunitiesandhow
anthropogenicdisturbancesaffectreefbaselines,ecologicalsuccession,
sustainability,andpristineversusdisturbedconditions
TeachingApproach
Learning-for-use
TeachingMethods
Cooperativelearning
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Discussions
Informationorganization
Multimediainstruction
Visualinstruction
SkillsSummary
Thisactivitytargetsthefollowingskills:
21stCenturyStudentOutcomes
Information,Media,andTechnologySkills
InformationLiteracy
LearningandInnovationSkills
CommunicationandCollaboration
CriticalThinkingSkills
Analyzing
Understanding
GeographicSkills
AcquiringGeographicInformation
AnsweringGeographicQuestions
NationalStandards,Principles,and
Practices
N AT I O N A L G E O G RA P H Y S TA N DA RDS
•Standard1:
Howtousemapsandothergeographicrepresentations,geospatial
technologies,andspatialthinkingtounderstandandcommunicateinformation
•Standard14:
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Howhumanactionsmodifythephysicalenvironment
•Standard8:
ThecharacteristicsandspatialdistributionofecosystemsandbiomesonEarth's
surface
N AT I O N A L S C I E N C E E DU C AT I O N S TA N DA RDS
•(9-12)StandardC-4:
Interdependenceoforganisms
•(9-12)StandardF-3:
Naturalresources
•(9-12)StandardF-4:
Environmentalquality
•(9-12)StandardF-5:
Naturalandhuman-inducedhazards
•(9-12)StandardG-3:
Historicalperspectives
O C E A N LI T E RA C Y E SS E N T I A L P RI N C I P LE S A N D
F U N DA M E N TA L C O N C E P T S
•Principle5d:
Oceanbiologyprovidesmanyuniqueexamplesoflifecycles,adaptationsand
importantrelationshipsamongorganisms(suchassymbiosis,predator-prey
dynamicsandenergytransfer)thatdonotoccuronland.
•Principle5e:
Theoceanisthree-dimensional,offeringvastlivingspaceanddiversehabitats
fromthesurfacethroughthewatercolumntotheseafloor.Mostoftheliving
spaceonEarthisintheocean.
•Principle5f:
Oceanhabitatsaredefinedbyenvironmentalfactors.Duetointeractionsof
abioticfactorssuchassalinity,temperature,oxygen,pH,light,nutrients,
pressure,substrateandcirculation,oceanlifeisnotevenlydistributed
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temporallyorspatially,i.e.,itis“patchy”.Someregionsoftheoceansupport
morediverseandabundantlifethananywhereonEarth,whilemuchofthe
oceanisconsideredadesert.
•Principle6c:
Theoceanisasourceofinspiration,recreation,rejuvenationanddiscovery.Itis
alsoanimportantelementintheheritageofmanycultures.
•Principle6d:
Muchoftheworld’spopulationlivesincoastalareas.
PREPARATIO N
WhatYou’llNeed
M AT E RI A LS YO U P RO V I DE
Pencils
RE Q U I RE D T E C H N O LO G Y
InternetAccess:Required
TechSetup:1computerperclassroom,Projector,Speakers
Plug-Ins:Flash,Quicktime
P H Y S I C A L S PA C E
Classroom
G RO U P I N G
Large-groupinstruction
O T H E R N O T E S
Beforestartingtheactivity,downloadandqueueupthevideos.
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RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: W E BS I T E S
TED:EnricSala—GlimpsesofaPristineOcean
ScrippsInstitutionofOceanography:ParadiseRedefined—LineIslands:Part2
RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: U N DE F I N E D
BelizeCoralReef
RE S O U RC E S P RO V I DE D: H A N DO U T S & W O RK S H E E T S
ShiftingBaselinesandSuccession
ShiftingBaselinesandSuccessionAnswerKey
BACKGRO U ND & VO CABU L ARY
BackgroundInformation
Abaselineisareferencepointuponwhichecologicalchangecanbemeasured
orcompared.Coralreefecosystemsareespeciallysensitivetothecompounded
effectsofanthropogenicandnaturaldisturbancesthatcanshifttheirbaselines
andlimittheirabilitytorecovertoamorebalanced,pristinestate.Marine
ecologistsrecognizetheimportanceofstudyingpristinereefsystemsandusing
thatdataasabaselineformonitoringandmanagingthesuccessionand
sustainabilityofdisturbedcoralreefcommunitiesandecosystems.
PriorKnowledge
[]
RecommendedPriorActivities
None
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Vocabulary
Term
anthropogenic
disturbance
ecological
succession
marine
ecosystem
Partof
Definition
Speech
noun
changestothenaturalenvironmentcausedbyhuman
activity.
noun
gradual,predictablechangestoanecosystemorhabitat.
noun
communityoflivingandnonlivingthingsintheocean.
slowchangesinthestandardcharacteristicsofan
shifting
baseline
noun
ecosystem,whichcausethestandardstobeadjusted,
suchasoverfishingleadingtoalower"baseline"estimate
ofthefishpopulation.Alsocalledaslidingbaseline.
sustainability noun
useofresourcesinsuchamannerthattheywillneverbe
exhausted.
ForFurtherExploration
Audio&Video
CoralReefSystemsMultimedia:Mini-Documentaries—ShiftingBaselines
Websites
SCRIPPSExplorationsMagazine:ParadiseRedefined—Part1
SCRIPPSExplorationsMagazine:ParadiseRedefined—Part2
NOAACoralReefConservationProgram
NationalGeographicEducation:NationalTeacherLeadershipAcademy
(NTLA)
FU NDER
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©1996–2017NationalGeographicSociety.Allrightsreserved.
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