Name ______Bayquest Organizer for Follow up Questions

Name ______BayQuest--Organizer for Follow Up Questions

Question A

Organism: ______Habitat: ______

Significant changes in salinity in a habitat can kill organisms there. Check the salinity in this organism’s habitat. Explain what effect an increase in salinity of 10 PSU would have on its survival.

Answer:

1. Where in the Bay does this organism live?

(Upper, Middle or Lower) ______

2. From the table, record the acceptable salinity range for that area of the Bay ______

Location / Acceptable Salinity Range
Upper Bay / <5 PSU
Middle Bay / 5-15 PSU
Lower Bay / 15-35 PSU

3. Click the buoy in your PDA and record the salinity level in the organism’shabitat: ______PSU

4. Is the salinity in the habitat within the acceptable range? ______

5. Now add 10 to the salinity in the habitat

______PSU +10 PSU = ______PSU

6. Is this answer still within the acceptable range you found in #2 above? _____

7. What would happen if the salinity got this high?

Name ______BayQuest—p2 Organizer for Questions

Question B

Organism: ______Habitat: ______

Organisms in the Bay need dissolved oxygen in the water. If dissolved oxygen levels fall below 5 mg/L many organisms cannot survive. Is the dissolved oxygen in this organism’s habitat at a level high enough to sustain life?

Answer:

1. Click the buoy in your PDA and record the dissolved oxygen level in the organism’shabitat: ______mg/L

2. Look back at the question. How much oxygen is needed for organisms to live in the water? ______mg/L

3. Is the level of dissolved oxygen in the habitat high enough to sustain life?

Question C

Organism: ______Habitat: ______

The growth of bay grasses and phytoplankton, primary producers in all Bay habitats, is affected by turbidity. Check the salinity and turbidity levels in this organism’s habitat. Use the table to determine if the turbidity is in the acceptable range. What are the consequences if it is not?

Salinity Range / Turbidity Range
<5 PSU / 17 NTU
5-15 PSU / 6 NTU
15-35 PSU / 3.5 NTU

Answer:

1. Click the buoy in your PDA.

Record the salinity level in the organism’s habitat

______PSU

Record the turbidity level in the organism’s habitat

______NTU

2. Look at the table on the right. Find the salinity range your answer from #1 above. It is

______.

What is the turbidity range that is acceptable for this salinity? ______

3. Is the turbidity in the acceptable range? ______

What are the consequences if turbidity is too high?

Name ______BayQuest—p3 Organizer for Questions

Question D

Organism: ______Habitat: ______

What does this organism eat? What organisms eat it? If this organism’s population suddenly decreased, how would this affect the other organisms in the habitat?

Answer:

1. Click on the organism and read (or listen to) the fact sheet.

2. The organism I found eats ______

3. The organism I found eaten by ______

4. If the population of the organism I found decreased what would happen to the organisms it eats?

5. If the population of the organism I found decreased what would happen to the organisms that eat it?

Question E

Organism: ______Habitat: ______

Invasive species are organisms that are not native to a habitat and spread rapidly because they have no predators and/or are not susceptible to the diseases that native species are. Explain how an invasive species of fish might change this organism’s habitat.

Answer:

1. How might the invasive fish affect the shelter your organism needs?

2. How might the invasive fishchange the numbers of predators that your organism has?

3. How might the invasive fish thenumbers of prey?

4. Can you think of other affects the invasive fish may have?

Name ______BayQuest—p4 Organizer for Questions

Final Question:

The PROduction Company would like to know how the health of the Bay affects the plants and animals that live there.

Answer:

Remember to think about all the factors:

changes in salinity (salt) levels
how turbid (cloudy) the water is
how much dissolved oxygen is in the water
predator/prey relationships
invasive species

What is the story you want to tell? Choose one of the factors and explain how it affects the plants and animals in the Bay.

______

Bayville