BLOOMS GALORE: Interdisciplinary study using Red Tides Student products Poster + oral presentation Written report (lab report) Journal paper Brochure/field guide on phytoplankton sampling Awareness pamphlet on sources of nutrient runoff & impacts Lesson plan on eutrophication Aquatic food web activity sheets Learning Goals Collaborative learning (max 3 per group), PBL, scientific literacy, analytical and scientific communication skills, global and environmental awareness, societal responsibilities KnowNeed to Know Types of nutrients that cause eutrophication Eutrophication leads to algal blooms Certain physical and chemical factors affect primary productivity There are toxin and non-toxin producing microalgae How red tides affect food supply (higher level students) Types of organic nitrogen sources. Distinguish between inorganic sources (e.g. fertilizers) and organic sources (e.g. amino acids from decomposition process) Chemical analyses (qualitative and quantitative) of water quality parameters, e.g. NO 3, PO 4, TKN Biological identification of microorganism that may or may not produce toxins (e.g. dinoflagellates, and blue green Microcystis Analysis of chlorophyll / primary productivity Chemical Identification of toxins (e.g. neurotoxins, hepatotoxins, inflammatory) Scenario Jack and Jill loved going fishing with Dad at the Pasir Ris Beach Park. You could get some good sized fish if you were patient enough, and used fresh bait. Saturday’s haul was 12 medium-sized fish from a 3h fishing trip – not a bad day. Mum had cleaned the fish and was going to prepare them for Sunday dinner. Early Sunday morning, Dad looked at the newspapers and exclaimed: “Don’t touch the fish! This news alert from the AVA (Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore) cautions that Pasir Ris waters are on a Red Tide Alert. We have to throw everything we caught yesterday away.” “Red Tides may cause Diuretic Shellfish Poisoning, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning….”, he read out officiously. “What on earth is a Red Tide?” cried J & J. “What does this have to do with the fish we caught? How about the oysters and mussels that we bought from the fisherman and the beach yesterday? Do we have to throw them all away as well?” Behrenfeld, MJ, PG Falkowski Limnology and Oceanography 42: nails/filedet.htm?File_name=Dino00 1b&File_type=gif Inspired and created by: Tan Swee Ngin, Tan Lik Tong, Tan Hong Kim, Hoh Yin Kiong, Beverly Goh Some Resources Identification keys for micro-organisms (e.g. plankton ID books) Vogel’s Quantitative Chemical Analysis (by Mendham, Denny, Barnes, Thomas) Instrument Manuals Field Sampling gear (e.g. plankton nets) Microscopes, slides, etc Marine Biotoxins ( Newspaper articles: dead.html Investigation and Activities Field sampling (plankton tows) of several water bodies – biology lab to identify microorganisms(cyano-site: dynoflagellates: Harmful Algal Blooms, HABs: algaehttp:// algae Analysis of physical properties of water (Environmental probes, e.g. conductivity, temperature, DO, salinity, pH) Qualitative and quantitative analyses of water quality parameters (PO 4, NO 3, TKN using the nutrient analyser – FIA) Chlorophyll analysis Analytical techniques for toxins (e.g. HPLC, LCMS) -- Higher Level class, e.g. MSc Mathematical Models on plankton blooms – online resources NOAA monitoring of global phytoplankton productivity Teacher’s guide & classroom activities for primary, secondary, tertiary level science Assessment Group report assessment MLS, MMM, MSC, AAB,AAY, AAP, FYP poster & paper assessment rubrics Journal reflection on weekly basis for formative assessment (500 word) Lesson plan assessment rubrics