Materials needed: __ Plenty of space! Outside if weather permits? __ Transect tape/pre-measured string __ Weather forecast (weather.noaa.gov) __ Clock/Stopwatch __ Data sheets (provided/students can create) __ Paper, pencils, and coloring supplies __ Internet access, Word, & Excel __ A camera (great for fish ID/fun pictures) __ Structures for fish habitat (chairs, desks) __ Scuba gear/props optional Scientific Diver Activity: An ecosystem and data collection exercise. Primary objective: To create an underwater scene in which students can collect their own scientific data and act out important ecological interactions. During each round of the activity, students will either act as a scientific diver (collecting information about sea conditions and fish/invertebrate populations) or as a species of fish/invertebrate (mimicking feeding behavior, habitat preferences, and other ecological interactions). This activity can be expanded or shortened to meet the needs of your educational goals. Background information required: Prior to this activity, students will need instruction on the ecological interactions you would like them to enact, time to research their species of fish or invertebrate, and training on how to become scientific divers! Ideas for expansion: Predation Competition Mutualism Parasitism Commensalism Photo credit: Denis Nezhentsev

Steps: 1.Present the “Dive Into Onslow Bay” powerpoint and provide any background information necessary. 2.Assign students fish from the “Fish/Invertebrate Instructions” sheet and allow time for research and drawing (maybe assign as homework?). 3.Set up your ecosystem! Create habitats out of desks, chairs, tables, boxes… anything goes! Try to create natural hardbottom ledges, artificial reef structures, and sandy bottom. Let students contribute by asking what their fish or invertebrates needs for refuge and feeding. 4.Train everyone to be a scientific diver. Distribute data sheets and follow the “Scientific Diver Instructions” provided. 5.Read and explain the “Ecosystem Activity Outline”. Then divide students into fish and scientist groups for Round 1. 6.Run the ecosystem activity (Round 1). Scientific divers will collect their data while fish and invertebrates play their roles in ecological interactions. 7.Run the ecosystem activity (Round 2) so students can swap roles. 8.Optional: Run multiple rounds to address interactions such as an unbalanced ecosystem, competition, predation, and mutualism. 9.Have students enter their data into an excel spreadsheet. The excel table may be provided, or you can challenge them to create their own. 10.Have students create histograms of species abundance. Calculate descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode. Create pie charts of species diversity. Maybe even calculate biomass? 11.Discuss the ecological interactions and factors that were missing in your scenario. Ask students what would make the activity more realistic. How did they do as fish? How did they like being a scientific diver?

Fish/Invertebrate Instructions The following fish and invertebrates are common to North Carolina shipwrecks and hard bottom ledges: Great Barracuda Sand Tiger Shark Purple-Spined Sea Urchin Greater Amberjack Red Snapper Horseshoe Crab Sandbar Shark White Grunt Tomtate Cobia Gag Grouper Scamp Black Seabass Spiny Lobster Seaweed Blenny Remora Summer Flounder Mackeral Scad Spanish Mackeral Bi-color Damselfish Blue Angelfish Belted Sandfish Gray Triggerfish Whitespotted Soapfish Southern Ray Painted Wrasse Cookie Dough Sea Cucumber Each student should be assigned a fish or invertebrate. Use paper and drawing utensils to draw a realistic, to scale drawing of your species. On the reverse side should be the following descriptive information: Common name: Scientific name: (in italics) Distinguishing features: Speed: (slow, medium, fast) Maximum length: (total length) Average mass: Depth range: Distribution: Longevity: Climate: (tropical, temperate?) Eating habits: (carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, planktivore?) Favorite prey items: Primary predators: Habitat preferences: Feeding and General Behavior: (maybe find video footage) IUCN conservation status: (threatened, endangered, vulnerable, not evaluated?) Other interesting facts:

Scientific Diver Instructions Every student will perform the role of a scientific diver at some point during the activity. Scientific divers will be split into buddy groups. Each buddy group will be given a transect tape and camera. Each student will have their own data sheet and clipboard. Fill out the information required by the data sheet provided The dive will begin by laying out the transect tape across the habitat. Divers will count the fish (enacted by their fellow students with drawings of their fish) and estimate their sizes. Scientific Diver Rules: 1)Stay close to your buddy group. This is a safety precaution, incase somebody runs out of air or becomes entangled. 2)Look up the current weather conditions in Onslow Bay by going to the NOAA weather website at weather.gov. 3)Determine how long you can work underwater. The no decompression limits (NDLs) tell you how long you can stay at a particular depth. A table provided with NDLs for each depth is provided. 4)Fill out the preliminary information on your data sheet. Your data sheet should include your name, buddy names, dive site, date, time in the water, time out of the water, ocean conditions, temperature, and your fish/invertebrate data. 5)Start your dive and note the time you hit the water. 6)Lay out your transect tape across the fish habitat. 7)Collect fish and invertebrate data. An example data sheet is provided. You may only count fish and invertebrates that are within 2 meters on either side of the transect. 8)End your dive and note the time. 9)Enter your data into an excel spreadsheet. 10)Produce graphs and descriptive statistics using the data you collected!

No Decompression Limits (NDLs)

Data Sheet Diver Name: Buddy Names: Site Name: Date: Time In: Time Out: Weather/ Sea Conditions: Swell height: Period: Wind Direction: Wind Speed: Water Temperature: Visibility: Salinity: No Decompression Limit: Species NameSize/Abundance

Fish and Invertebrates: During the activity, students should behave like the fish they researched and drew. If their fish is a fast moving fish that stays high in the water column, they should move quickly around the habitat and not stay associated with any one structure. If the student’s animal is a small invertebrate that hides in the rocks and moves slowly, they should behave similarly. Students should look for food while evading predators (maybe sprinkled poker chips on the floor or hidden in the habitat). Their drawings should be visible for the scientific divers conducting their survey. Student are encouraged to move around their habitats Scientific Divers: Divers should note what time their dive begins. First lay out the transect across the habitat and then count fish, staying close together and not exceeding the allowed bottom time. They should fill out all parts of their data sheet and estimate fish sizes to the best of their ability (preferably in centimeters). Only count fish within 2 meters of the transect tape. Props such as cameras and dive gear are encouraged! Ecosystem Activity Outline

Fish Drawings and Research (15 points): __ Drawing is detailed, to scale, and appealing (5pts) __ All research components are complete (5pts) __ Student participated as a fish in the scenario (5pts) Scientific Diver Data (15 points) __ Data sheets are complete (5pts) __ Student participated as a diver in the scenario (5pts) __ Data is entered into excel and graphs produced (5pts) Creativity and Critical Thinking (10pts) __ Helped to create habitat for their species (2pts) __ Demonstrated accurate animal behaviors (2pts) __ Participation (2pts) __ Teamwork with dive buddy teams (2pts) __ Contributed ideas and/or asked questions (2pts) Total points to be earned: 40pts Grading Rubric