H1_Activity_Title - Mrs. DiMarcella's Science Site



Inquiry Activity • Paper and Pencil

Chapter 6 Mapping Kelp Forests

Problem What information can help you predict locations of kelp forest ecosystems?

Background

Underwater kelp forests form important aquatic ecosystems that anchor large communities of organisms. Herbivorous urchins, fish, and kelp crabs graze in the forests. Keystone species occupying higher trophic levels include sea otters, lobsters, and large fish. Like all photosynthetic organisms, kelp requires light. Water temperature, currents, and nutrients also determine where kelp can grow. Upwelling is critically important for kelp ecosystem health. Upwelling occurs when sea winds that usually blow parallel to or against the shoreline change direction and drive surface water away from the land. This shift in the winds allows cold, nutrient-rich water to rise up in the void left by the windblown surface water. These nutrients boost kelp growth and phytoplankton production, providing a tremendous energy base for animal populations in the ecosystem.

Analyzing data about limiting factors, such as temperature, can help pinpoint where in the world a given ecosystem can be expected. Kelp forests grow in shallow cold waters with temperatures around 21°C and below, in locations where upwelling occurs.

|Average Sea Surface Temperatures |

|[pic] |

Procedure

Materials Colored pencils, erasers

Step 1 Review the descriptions of the neritic zone and kelp forests on page 190 of your textbook. Using the the map and key on page 1 of this activity, identify the zones of the ocean that you think would likely allow kelp forests to grow.

Step 2 Predict the location of kelp forests globally, based on temperature and proximity to land. Then, on the map on page 3 of this activity, titled “Potential Kelp Forest Locations,” circle the potential worldwide locations of kelp forests.

Step 3 On your “Potential Kelp Forest Locations” map, label the average temperature of each water body that lies next to each possible kelp forest. Use the description of the sea surface temperatures in the map key on page 1—polar, cold, temperate, and warm.

Step 4 Study the map of ocean currents in your textbook, on page 187. Copy the currents from this map onto your “Potential Kelp Forest Locations” map. Be sure to show whether the currents are warm or cold. You may do this by using two different colored pencils, or by using two different types of arrows (for example, ( for cold currents, and ( for warm).

Step 5 Add a map key to your “Potential Kelp Forest Locations” map, showing the meanings of any colors or symbols you used.

Step 6 Find the areas of water where currents diverge to bring cold water to the surface. These areas are located where your circles, based on temperature in Step 2, overlap with the relevant currents in Step 4.

Step 7 Shade the overlapping areas, using a new color, with colored pencil.

Step 8 Label the colored areas you’ve just shaded “K” to indicate that they are potential kelp forest locations.

1. On the map below, identify and mark potential locations of kelp forests.

|Potential Kelp Forest Locations |

|[pic] |

Analyze and Conclude

2. Draw Conclusions Where are the coastal areas located that are unlikely to harbor a kelp forest ecosystem? Why do you think this might be the case?

3. Describe Between which latitudes are kelp forests distributed, approximately? Between which latitudes would it be highly unlikely for kelp forests to grow? Explain.

4. Apply Concepts Based on water temperatures, currents, and the potential kelp forest locations, identify one location where upwelling is most likely to take place. Explain your reasoning.

5. Extension In an El Niño event, surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean are above average for at least a year. What effect, if any, would warmer ocean temperatures have on the growth of a kelp forest ecosystem on the California coast? In your answer, explain a sequence of events showing how the El Niño event affects the kelp forest food web.

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