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Page 1 Exploring Microscopic Pond Life Activity supplied by Swift Optical Instruments, LLC Recommended Grade Level(s): Appropriate for: Middle & High School Time Requirements: One to two (50 minute) sessions National Science Standards Alignment 2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. • DCI: LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans. There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (2-LS4-1) 3-LS4-4: Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. • DCI: LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans.Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. (3-LS4-4) MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services. • DCI: LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems. Similarly, predatory interactions may reduce the number of organisms or eliminate whole populations of organisms. Mutually beneficial interactions, in contrast, may become so interdependent that each organism requires the other for survival. Although the species involved in these competitive, predatory, and mutu- ally beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems, the patterns of interactions of organisms with their environments, both living and nonliving, are shared. (MS-LS2-2) • DCI: LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience. Biodiversity describes the variety of species found in Earth's terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. The completeness or integrity of an ecosystem's biodiversity is often used as a measure of its health. (MS-LS2-5) • DCI: LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans. Changes in biodiversity can influence humans' resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification and recycling (secondary to MS-LS2-5). HS-LS4-6: Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity. • DCI: LS4.C: Adaptation. Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline—and sometimes the extinction—of some species. (HS-LS4-5), (HS-LS4-6) • DCI: LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans. Humans depend on the living world for the resources and other benefits provided by biodiversity. But human activity is also having adverse impacts on biodiversity through overpopulation, overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, and climate change. Thus sustaining biodiversity so that ecosystem functioning and productivity are maintained is essential to supporting and enhancing life on Earth. Sustaining biodiversity also aids humanity by preserving landscapes of recreational or inspirational value. (HS-LS4-6) Materials: • Digital Microscope, such as Swift Digital Microscope • Microscope slides and cover slips • Computer(s) • Projector (for one computer) • Pond water (and means of collecting, such as a turkey baster and jars; see Preparation) • Toothpick (optional) • Pipettes or eyedroppers • Textbooks and other resources • 3% Methyl cellulose solution + ward ' s science Pond