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3. River Wildlife Rivers flow from high land, where they have stony beds, to lowlands, where their beds are made of mud and silt, to the sea, where rivers become tidal, and sandbanks and mudflats are common. Different plants and animals are adapted to live around each part of the rivers course. In the upper part of the river, the water flows quickly over stony beds that would sweep many plants and animals away. So most river animals found here are strong swimmers or can shelter between the rocks. Here animals feed on leaves falling into the water or catch insects on or in the water. Birds such as small dippers can be seen. Downstream, in the middle section, water flows slowly enough for sand, silt and mud to settle. Many animals make use of this soft material to protect themselves. Animals such as freshwater pearl mussels dig into the sand and rooted plants can grow here. More varieties of fish are found and kingfishers and otters can be seen. At the mouth of the river, the water is slower and the bottom becomes thick with mud. More plants can take root and huge numbers of borrowing animals such as snails can thrive. Wading birds of all kinds are adapted to find food buried in the sand and mud. Birds include curlew, redshank, oystercatcher and ducks. Riverbanks are important in many ways. They provide food, space and shelter for plants and animals, as insects falling from riverbank trees and grasses are a source of food for aquatic insects. Vegetation provides shade for aquatic plants and animals living near the water’s edge. The riverbank acts as a corridor for animals that depend on the river for food and shelter. Trees and marshy areas provide shelter for nesting birds and homes for burrowing animals such as water vole and otter. The vegetation also strengthens the river bank, preventing erosion and keeping the water clear. River Wildlife Fish Atlantic salmon Brown trout Sea trout Eel Lamprey Minnow Pike Artic charr Birds Heron Osprey Dipper Kingfisher Goosander Ducks Swan Cormorant Merganser Goldeneye Mammals Otter Water vole American mink Common seal Grey seal Amphibians Common frog Common toad Palmate newt Smooth newt Insects Freshwater shrimp Mayfly Stonefly Caddisfly Molluscs Freshwater pearl mussel 1 Lesson Plan Activity 1 – River Mind Map a) Ask the class to create a river biodiversity mind map, listing as many fish, plants and mammals as they can that live in the river and on the riverbank. To get the class thinking about a river environment, you could read or listen to chapter 1 of Wind in the Willows. b) Find out more about important river creatures including Atlantic salmon, otter, water voles and freshwater pearl mussels. Online Resources: 1. River Runners Book by Scottish Natural Heritage has photos and information about Atlantic salmon and freshwater pearl mussels http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/online/NaturallyScottish/riverrunners/lampreys.asp 2. An introduction to Atlantic salmon- http://www.atlanticsalmontrust.org/learningzone/index.html 3. Otter - http://www.mammal.org.uk/species-factsheets/Otter 4. Water vole - http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/education/watervoles.pdf 5. Scottish Natural Heritage, About Scotland’s Nature http://www.snh.gov.uk/about-scotlandsnature/ Activity 2 – Lamprey - a lesser known fish Lampreys must be among the mostly rarely seen and poorly understood of all the fish species found in Scottish rivers. Their fossil remains show that they were around long before the dinosaurs. There are three different types of lamprey, named after where they live – river, brook and sea lamprey. Lamprey look similar to eels, but have several unusual features, such as no bones, no jaws and a large flexible lip they use to attach themselves to host fish (salmon and trout) to eat their flesh and blood. a) Search for river lamprey using an internet search engine and look at lamprey photos. Find out what makes them different to other fish found in the river. Online Resources: 1. River Runners Book by Scottish Natural Heritage http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/online/NaturallyScottish/riverrunners/lampreys.asp Activity 3 – Native and non-native wildlife Non-native species are plants or animals which have been introduced to areas outside their natural range through human actions. Many non-native species are harmless, but some plants and animals spread rapidly and threaten native species by predation, competing for resources such as food and growing space or introducing new diseases. 2 An example of this is the American mink, which were introduced to Britain for fur farming and have contributed to a dramatic decline of water voles, the beloved Ratty in Wind in the Willows. Water vole numbers have declined by 95% in Britain due to mink predation, habitat and water quality changes. a) Investigate why numbers of water voles have reduced in rivers across Britain. What has caused the decline? Learn more about American mink – what do they eat, how are they adapted to spend time underwater why they were brought to Britain? b) Investigate other examples of non-native species such as grey squirrels, American signal crayfish and Giant hogweed. c) Organise and host a debate about removing invasive non-native species. This activity aims to promote independent thinking in older pupils and to encourage them to understand the ethics and reasons behind invasive species removal. Online Resources: 1. Water vole - http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/education/watervoles.pdf 2. Wildscreen Arkive - design an invasive non-native species PowerPoint presentation introduces what non-native invasive species are and examples, including American mink. http://www.arkive.org/education/teaching-resources-7-11 3. Scottish Mink Initiative Schools Pack, Level 4, Debate Information http://www.scottishmink.org.uk/educational-material-and-resources/ 4. Videos of American mink http://www.scottishmink.org.uk/mink-channel/ 5. Factsheets about invasive non-native species http://www.nonnativespecies.org/index.cfm?sectionid=47 6. Wildscreen Arkive classroom presentation and worksheet about controlling invasive nonnative species http://www.arkive.org/education/teaching-resources-11-14 Activity 4 - Homework Project Ask children to create a talk, piece of writing, poster or PowerPoint presentation about a native species found in or around your local river. 3