Animal Adaptations
Chiton
Christmas Anemones
Cockle
Dungeness Crab - juvenile
Fab Four Phyla Information Sheet
Green Sea Urchin
Modified Intertidal Field Atlas
sunflower star
True stars in a tidepool
Fab Four Phyla
Overview
The Fab Four Phyla lesson provides an introduction to the main family groups of intertidal animals found in the Alaskan coastal rocky intertidal zone. The objective of the lesson is to help students become familiar with the four most abundant marine invertebrate phyla that can be observed on a field trip experience and the defining characteristics of each. If unable to do a field trip, this lesson will provide the foundation for understanding the key marine invertebrate phyla in a rocky intertidal ecosystem and an understanding of adaptations animals have to survive living in a particular intertidal zone.
The lesson includes photos of marine invertebrates for each of the phyla, downloadable information sheets and an Intertidal Field Guide Atlas, a PowerPoint presentation on marine invertebrates and an instructional video about animal adaptations in the intertidal zone.
Lesson Description
The intertidal zone is home to a wide variety of invertebrate organisms. In Kachemak Bay the intertidal invertebrates are dominated by four major phyla of animals known as the "Fab Four." These four groups of invertebrates are molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, and cnidarians.
The Fab Four Phyla lesson provides an introduction to the main family groups of intertidal animals found in the Alaskan coastal rocky intertidal zone. The objective of the lesson is to help students become familiar with the four most abundant marine invertebrate phyla that can be observed on a field trip experience and the defining characteristics of each. If unable to do a field trip, this lesson will provide the foundation for understanding the key marine invertebrate phyla in a rocky intertidal ecosystem and an understanding of adaptations animals have to survive living in a particular intertidal zone.
By understanding the defining characteristic of each phylum, or animal division, to be observed or monitored, students will be able to identify intertidal organisms and make assumptions about where to find them in the tidal zone. They will have the tools for formulating inquiries about the organism's abundance at the site and assessing potential impacts to the species being observed or monitored.
The lesson includes photos of marine invertebrates for each of the phyla, downloadable information sheets and an Intertidal Field Guide Atlas, a PowerPoint presentation on marine invertebrates and an instructional video about animal adaptations in the intertidal zone.
Key learning concepts covered by this lesson include:
1. Kachemak Bay, its beaches and coastal watersheds have favorable conditions for supporting a diversity of plants and animals.
2. Plants and animals have adaptations for survival that allow them to survive best under certain conditions.
a) Adaptations to the conditions in the intertidal zone.
b) Adaptations to conditions in the coastal forest
Objective and Concept
Objective:
To be able to identify at least 4 of the defining characteristics of each of the four most abundant marine invertebrate phyla observed in Kachemak Bay and where they are found in the intertidal zone.
Concept:
By understanding the defining characteristic of each phylum, or animal division, to be monitored, students will be able to identify intertidal organisms and make assumptions about where to find these animals in the tidal zone. They will have the tools for formulating inquiries about the organism's abundance at the site and assessing potential impacts to the species being monitored.
What You Will Need
You Will Need (included as a resource in each section):
- PBFS Field Atlas Pages for Fab 4 Phyla (1 animal for each student)
- Fab Four Information Sheet
- Kachemak Bay Invertebrates PowerPoint
- Kachemak Bay Invertebrates Video Clips
- Paper or Student Journals
Introduction
Begin by asking students what an invertebrate is and what it means. Explain that most of the animals students will be seeing are animals that live between the tides. Ask students to brainstorm animals without backbones that they have seen living on the beach between the tides.
Then introduce the fab four phyla as the most common groups of invertebrate animals that live between the tides.
Activity 1 - Student Journals
Have students divide their journal page or piece of paper into fourths and label each box with a phylum from the fab four: Cnidarians, Molluscs, Echinoderms, and Arthropods. As a class, students should fill in the four boxes with their characteristics and small drawings of examples of animals within the phylum. Then reinforce knowledge the next activity.
Fab Four Phyla and the Intertidal Zones
After watching the Animal Adaptations video, students will update their Fab Four Phyla information in their Science Journal to include which intertidal zone each can be found and why.
Activity 2 - Intertidal Party Mixed-Pair Share
Pass out PBFS Atlas animal cards. Students read their card and become this organism. They will need to know: what they eat, what they do to defend themselves from predators, who their predators are, how they avoid drying out, and which of the fab four phyla they are in.
Then explain that the class is going to have an intertidal party and model what conversations at the party might look like. When the educator says "mingle," everyone wanders around the classroom until the educator says "PAIR." At this point, the intertidal animals find the nearest organism and meet them. The taller animal will introduce themselves first by telling the other organism all about themselves and acting in character. Then the other animal will introduce themselves. Partners will figure out what they have in common and how they are different. Are they in the same phylum? Organisms should beware if they find themselves paired with a predator! Ask for two or three students to share with the group what they learned about the intertidal invertebrate they met at the party. If time, mix, pair, and share again.