The Food Chain Makes a Difference!

Puffin Climate Watch:

The Food Chain Makes a Difference!

Jenny learned how important water temperature is for baby puffins. Last summer she watched a puffin burrow in Maine. The puffin parents laid an egg. They took turns sitting on the egg. Then it hatched! Jenny was so excited to see the puffling.

But then she found out the parent puffins could not always find the right kind of fish to feed the babies. Why? The Atlantic Ocean is getting warmer. A warmer ocean means the herring will swim out to sea. The puffin parents can’t find them. But, butterfish are near-by. Butterfish are bigger and rounder. The baby puffins can’t swallow these bigger fish.

Math + Science = Logic

Tell why even a warmer ocean can hurt baby birds. Use the words, food chain, in your answer.

Jenny knew she had to learn more about water temperature. She made a chart showing average temperatures of some of the world’s lakes. Read the chart. Use the information to answer the questions.

Body of Water / Average Temperature
Lake Superior / 39°F
Crater Lake / 55°F
Lake Malawi / 72°F
Lake Vostok / 27°F
Lake Taupo / 52°F

1. What is the coldest body of water in the chart?

______

2. What is the warmest body of water in the chart?

______

3. What is the difference between the coldest lake and warmest lake in the chart?

______

4. Why is it important to know the average temperature of a body of water?

______

Dear Maggie Colleague,

This past summer, yours truly, faithfully watched the comings and goings in a puffin burrow off the coast of Maine thanks to the Puffin Burrow Cam set up by Dr. Steve Kress and his team of researchers from Audubon. For weeks, I held my breath as the puffin mom and dad faithfully nurtured the egg. I was delighted when the puffling, affectionately named “Hope” by the community of viewers, made “her” appearance as a ball of fluff. And then I logged on with trepidation as I learned that the puffling from the previous year had died of starvation. Its parents were bringing fish, but they were not of the correct size. A warming ocean is impacting the puffin population world-wide. We all grew attached to “Hope,” with viewers from all over the world watching 24 hours a day to note every feeding and describe the fish that were brought to the burrow. Thankfully, “Hope” survived to fledge and was a success story. But, as Dr. Kress explained, “Hope” was lucky. We must pay attention to climate change as the impacts are all around us.

For me, the puffin experience helped solidify the idea that when we can personally connect with the impacts of climate change, we are more likely to take action. Living in the age of the Internet helps us to make these connections. There are a variety of wonderful cams for you and your students to study. Use them as a way to train future researchers. Have children take turns noting the number of times an animal eats, moves, or interacts with a parent. This is not only science in action but meaningful math! Children can construct charts, like the one in the activity, that summarize the study question. Have children pose questions based on their information. What a way to encourage critical thinking skills in your classroom.

We hope you use this activity to encourage collaboration in your classroom. Have small groups of children answer the questions. Then have representatives from each group meet to share and synthesize ideas. This group can elect a leader who will then report the best thoughts back to the entire classroom. This models what scientists do at conferences and how universities work. It’s never too early to encourage children to think about sharing and reporting information in this way.

Happy teaching,

Dr. Kathy

Answer Key

Math + Science=Logic – Answers will vary but students may talk about the food chain impacts of climate change. Small fish will not inhabit an area where the water isn’t appropriate for them. They will swim out to cooler areas, far from the cliffs and islands where puffins nest. The parents then have to fly too far in search of appropriate food for baby birds.

Lake Vostok
Lake Malawi
45°F
If you know the average temperature, you can discover if the temperature is changing over time.

Goals:

Students read about how water temperature can affect the food chain and negatively impact animals. The example of a puffin is used to illustrate the key mathematical and science concepts in this integrated activity. Children collaboratively answer questions and use information in a chart to complete math and science problems. Follow-up suggestions are provided to encourage and motivate children to understand the connections between math and science. This activity is available on the primary and intermediate levels and correlates with Content Standard C, Life Science and Content Standard F, Science in Personal and Social Perspectives of the National Science Standards. It is aligned with the measurement and Data Domain of Common Core.