Integrative Ecology Education
Victorian Curriculum Links
Levels 7/8 & 9/10
Science Understanding:
Science as a Human Endeavour
​Scientific knowledge and understanding of the world changes as new evidence becomes available; science knowledge can develop through collaboration and connecting ideas across the disciplines and practice of science (VCSSU089)
Scientific understanding, including models and theories, are contestable and are refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community (VCSSU114)
The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (VCSSU116)
Biological Sciences​
​​Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (VCSSU121)
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Science Inquiry Skills:​
Construct and use a range of representations including graphs, keys and models to record and summarise data from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and to represent and analyse patterns and relationships (VCSIS110)
Construct and use a range of representations, including graphs, keys, models and formulas, to record and summarise data from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, to represent qualitative and quantitative patterns or relationships, and distinguish between discrete and continuous data (VCSIS137)
Use scientific knowledge and findings from investigations to identify relationships, evaluate claims and draw conclusions (VCSIS111)
Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose, including constructing evidence-based arguments and using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations (VCSIS140)
Climate Change and Habitat Destruction
Glossary terms- Migration, Habitat, Climate change, Greenhouse gases, Article Amplification, Adaptation, Physical Adaptation, Behavioural Adaptation,
Climate change is a commonly researched phenomenon and a major concern of today. Over the past 30 years researchers have seen a decrease in the survival rates of migratory shorebirds, two of the major contributing factors are thought to be climate change and habitat destruction. Climate change is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
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Videos to introduce climate change and Arctic Amplification to students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6CPsGanO_U
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMeI4N5dui4
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Student Activity: Create a glossary of the above terms and any others they are unfamiliar with along the way.
Task 1: Migratory bird behaviours - Data analysis worksheet
Note: This activity involves data and graph analysis, including scatter plot, line and box graphs. Students who are not familiar with graphs should be given extra assistance understanding the data.
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Please ensure the video below is watched by all students before completing the worksheet. If time permits, a class discussion should be conducted after students have completed the worksheet, and create a mind map or simple summary on the white board of what they have learnt.
Primary data source can be found using the following link: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6287/819
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The Ruddy Turnstone and Red Knot, like the Sharp-tail Sandpiper are migratory shore birds that visits Australia during migration. Over the past 30 years research has shown changes to migratory patterns, due to a climate change phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Arctic amplification, in this case mostly caused by greenhouse gases, is the increased change in temperature towards the poles of the planet; this results in changes in the onset (starting time) of seasons. Altering the time that winter begins for migratory shore birds, means they must leave their breeding habitat in the north pole earlier and migrate towards the south pole.
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Watch the Ecology Symposium video below of Prof Marcel Klaassen explaining how the seasonal effects of climate change are shrinking the next generation of Red Knots. Following the video complete the attached worksheet.
Dr Marcel Klaassen's talk at the Deakin University Integrative Ecology Teaching symposium
Task 2
Conservation research task
Part A:
Follow the link below to the Overwintering Project Website.
The Overwintering Project is a conservation group that runs an art program for awareness and funding for their mapping sanctuaries of Australia's Migratory Shorebirds.
Explore their website and answer the following questions:
1) Summarise the conservation program and their mission. (No more than Paragraph)
2) What is the East Asian-Australasian Flyway? What significance does this flyway have to conservation of our shorebirds?
3) Summarise the Rasmar Convention. (No more than 1 Paragraph)
Discuss your answers in groups of 2 or more or as a class.
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Part B:
In groups of 2 or more research a conservation program that is currently active in Australia. (Does not have to be the conservation of shorebirds)
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In groups of 2 or more design your own Conservation program
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Answer the following questions and present your findings as a poster, booklet, article or video.
1) What Problem is the conservation program trying to address?
2) How do they aim to address this problem?
3) How do they inform or advertise to the public?
4) Are there any limitations that could effect the success of conservation? E.g. Ethical, economical, legal, political
(Hint- expectations for these are different in each state and country- is your conservation program global or national?)
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