As Seagrass Habitats Decline, Florida Manatees Die of Starvation
Articles/Websites
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology
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Provided by NPR
What it is
- This NPR article and short podcast discuss the poor health of the Indian River Lagoon in Florida and the declining local manatee population.
- The lagoon's health has been suffering from increased pollution, which leads to algae blooms that kill the manatees' food source, seagrass.
- The podcast summarizes the article and has a written transcript that is accessible by clicking the paragraph icon in the podcast bar.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This article and podcast use statements from multiple sources to create a clear and concise argument.
- This resource has links to additional information that support the claims that are made and give more details.
- There is a focus on biodiversity, the importance of conservation, and solutions to the problem.
Prerequisites
- There is a strong focus on biodiversity and how ecosystems can be damaged, so students should be familiar with the concepts of "algae super blooms" and "estuaries."
Differentiation & Implementation
- This would be a great resource to use in a biology class when learning about ecosystems and food chains.
- Parallels can be made to other unique ecosystems, and this resource could be used to start a conversation about the unique ecosystems in other parts of the country or globe.
- Some other related resources are Estuary and Marine Monitoring Manual and The Solution to Climate Change Is All Around Us.
From the scientist review
This resource is an article and a 5-minute audio news report discussing the recent catastrophic manatee die-off in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida. Climate change and other human-caused impacts, such as runoff, have severely impacted the seagrass that manatees eat and thus have impacted manatee populations. This recent die-off seems to be a tipping point indicating a severe degradation of lagoon ecosystem health. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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