Pamela Lynch
Jean Anastasia
Suffolk County Community College
How to grab attention
and keep interest?
We teach a variety of courses to nonscience majors
 Introduction to Oceanography, Marine
Biology, and Marine Habitat Ecology
 Many students take more than one of
these courses
 We try to reduce content overlap but
wanted a way to make the courses
cohesive

Biophilia
“'the innate tendency [in human beings]
to focus on life and lifelike process” E.O.
Wilson 1984
 The love of living things

Popular Culture

150 million people
go to zoos &
aquariums per year


Association of Zoos & Aquariums
(www.aza.org)
73 million attended
baseball games in
2010

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance
/_/year/2010
Conservation Biology Uses Biophilia

Global warming
 Polar Bears

Pacific Northwest
Forests:
 Spotted owl

Bamboo Forests
http://statesmansentinel.com
 Panda bears

Coral Reefs
 Sea turtles or Nemo
rst.gsfc.nasa.gov
care2.com
endangeredspaces.blogspot.com
Biophilia in the Classroom

Use this innate interest in the classroom
 Robert Boyd, US Air Force Academy, NABT meetings 2010
Focus on the organisms and use them as
the starting point to teach science
 For our exercise we made organismal cards
(covering everything from bacteria to baleen
whales, including 3 Marine Kingdoms) and
can then teach course content for 3 classes
individually (or even together!)

Ascophyllum nodosum
Knotted wrack

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Protista
○ Phylum Phaeophyta
 Class Phaeophyceae
Emiliania huxleyi
Coccolithophore (phytoplankton)

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Protista
○ Phylum Haptophyta
 Class Prymnesiophycaea
Busycon carica
Knobbed whelk

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Animalia
○ Phylum Mollusca
 Class Gastropoda
Loligo pealei
Long-finned squid

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Animalia
○ Phylum Mollusca
 Class Cephalopoda
Morone saxatilus
Striped bass

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Animalia
○ Phylum Chordata; Subphylum
Vertebrata
 Superclass Osteichthyes
Phoca vitulina
Harbor seal

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Animalia
○ Phylum Chordata; subphylum
Vertebrata
 Class Mammalia; Order Pinniped
Zostera marina
Eelgrass

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Plantae
○ Phylum Magnoliophyta
(Angiospermae)
 Class (Monocots)
Ursus maritimus
Polar Bear

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Animalia
○ Phylum Chordata; subphylum
Vertebrata
 Class Mammalia; Order
Carnivora
Orcinus orca
Orca Whale

Domain Eukarya
 Kingdom Animalia
○ Phylum Chordata; subphylum
Vertebrata
 Class Mammalia; Order
Cetacean
- Suborder: Odontoceti
Marine Biology
Focus on (biotic) LIVING THINGS
 Classification
 Taxonomy

Other options:
 Common Adaptations or Characteristics
of Marine Animals
The major groups of life
Classification
Is
Tricky…
Marine Biology Exercise

Give all students a card and then ask
them to “get together” based on
classification; you can be as broad or as
specific as the course allows - e.g. All
Animals form a group (broad) or all
Arthropods form a group (more specific)
or all Arthropod Crustaceans form a
group (even more specific)…
Oceanography
Focus on (abiotic) OCEAN SYSTEMS
 Depth/Marine Zones in the Ocean
 Marine Habitats

Other options:
 Marine Oceanographic terms such as
“Benthic” vs. “Pelagic;” “Nekton” vs.
“Plankton” or “Aphotic” vs. Photic”
Figure 10.12
Marine zones
Fi
Oceanography Exercise

Give all students a card and then ask
them to “get together” based on marine
zone animal is likely to be found in.
Again, you can be as broad or as
specific as the course allows - e.g. All
Benthic Animals form a group (broad) or
all benthic/Intertidal Animals form a
group (more specific). You could even
divide based on depth (& add more
animals)!
Marine Ecology
Focus on Abiotic and Biotic
INTERACTIONS
 Trophic Levels: Producers, Primary
Consumers, Secondary Consumers
 Trophic Levels in Key Habitats (such as
Polar Seas or Coral Reefs)

Other options:
 Combination of all 3 courses!
Food pyramid that leads to an adult herring
Antarctic food chain
Combination of
marine zones and
species with
depth interactions
highlighted
Marine Ecology Exercise

Give all students a card and then ask
them to “get together” based on who
they eat (or get eaten by). You can be as
broad or as specific as the course allows
- e.g. All Consumers form a group
(broad) or all Primary Consumers form a
group (more specific) or all Secondary
Consumers that are also planktonic form
a group (even more specific)…
All Card Examples Here
Ascophyllum nodosum
Knotted wrack
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Protista
• Phylum Phaeophyta
–Class Phaeophyceae
Chondrus crispus
Irish moss
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Protista
• Phylum Rhodophyta
–Class Rhodophyceae
Codium fragile
Green fleece; dead man’s fingers
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Protista
• Phylum Chlorophyta
–Class Chlorophyceae
Emiliania huxleyi
Coccolithophore (phytoplankton)
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Protista
• Phylum Haptophyta
–Class Prymnesiophycaea
Microciona prolifera
Red beard sponge
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Porifera
–Class Demospongiae
Metridium senile
Frilled anemone
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Cnideria
–Class Anthozoa
Balanus balanoides
Northern rock barnacle
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Arthropoda
–Class Crustacea
Busycon carica
Knobbed whelk
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Mollusca
–Class Gastropoda
Mercenaria mercenaria
Hard-shelled clam; quahog
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Mollusca
–Class Bivalvia
Cyanea capillata
Lion’s mane jellyfish
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Cnidaria
–Class Scyphozoa
Acartia tonsa
Copepod
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Arthropoda
–Class Crustacea
Loligo pealei
Long-finned squid
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Mollusca
–Class Cephalopoda
Nereis virens
Clam worm
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Annelida
–Class Polychaeta
Crangon septemspinosa
Sand shrimp
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Arthropoda
–Class Crustacea
Limulus polyphemus
Atlantic horseshoe crab
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Arthropoda
–Class Merostomata
Callinectes sapidus
Blue crab
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Arthropoda
–Class Crustacea; Order Decopoda
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
Green sea urchin
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Echinodermata
–Class Echinoidea
Asterias forbesii
Forbes’ sea star
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Echinodermata
–Class Stelleroidea
Morone saxatilus
Striped bass
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Vertebrata
–Superclass Osteichthyes
Rhinoptera bonasus
Cownose ray
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Chondrichthyes
Sphyrna lewini
Scalloped hammershead shark
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Chondrichthyes
Myxine glutinosa
Atlantic hagfish
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; Subphylum Agnatha
–Class Myxini
Phoca vitulina
Harbor seal
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Mammalia; Order Pinniped
Balenoptera acutorostrata
Minke whale
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Mammalia; Order Cetacean;
»- Suborder: mysticeti
Chelonia mydas
Green sea turtle
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Reptilia
Charadrius melosus
Piping plover
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Aves
Delphinus delphis
Short-beaked common dolphin
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Mammalia; Order Cetacean
– Suborder Odonteceti
Vibrio harveyi
Vibrio; bioluminescent marine bacteria
• Domain Bacteria (Prokaryote)
– Kingdom Proteobacteria
• Phylum Gammaproteobacteria
Spartina alterniflora
Smooth cord grass
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Plantae
• Phylum Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae)
–Class (Monocots)
Zostera marina
Eelgrass
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Plantae
• Phylum Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae)
–Class (Monocots)
Trichechus manatus
Manatee
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Mammalia; Order Sirenia
Ursus maritimus
Polar Bear
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Mammalia; Order Carnivora
Orcinus orca
Orca Whale
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Mammalia; Order Cetacean
»Suborder: Odontoceti
Aptenodytes forsteri
(Emperor) Penguin
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
–Class Aves
Millepora (spp.)
Fire Coral
• Domain Eukarya
– Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Cnideria
–Class Anthozoa