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Steve Palumbi & Megan Morikawa Study Coral Reef Damage in American Samoa

Topic

  • Environmental Science
  • Conservation
  • Climate Change
  • Scientific Skills & Literacy
  • Experimental Design

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Scientists at Work

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:07:01
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
25 Users
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View in Spanish

Description

This video describes the work of biologists Steve Palumbi and Megan Morikawa, who use field and controlled experiments to understand the mechanisms that allow some corals to tolerate a greater amount of heat stress than other corals.

Steve Palumbi has been researching corals around Ofu Island in American Samoa for years. In Ofu, some corals live in tide pools exposed to water temperatures that normally cause heat stress and can lead to coral bleaching and death. He is using transplantation and controlled laboratory experiments to study how adaptation and acclimation can contribute to resistance of these native corals. Along with graduate student Megan Morikawa, Palumbi is also testing whether heat-resistant corals can be transplanted to help restore damaged or destroyed reefs.

The accompanying “Student Worksheet” incorporates concepts and information from the video.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.  

Student Learning Targets

  • Examine research practices.
  • Develop scientific explanations and justify claims using evidence.
  • Explain the difference between acclimation and evolutionary adaptation.
     

Estimated Time

One 50-minute class period to complete the associated handout.

Key Terms

acclimation, adaptation, bleaching, marine biology, oceanography, ocean warming, restoration

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Video files meet criteria. Spanish files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 03.25.15
Date Updated 06.15.20

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1.C, HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2.C; SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-1.I, ENE-4.C, SYI-1.F, SYI-2.A; SP4, SP6

IB Biology (2016)

C.1

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 9.6
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.A, ERT-1.C, ERT-1.D, STB-4, SP1, SP4, SP5, SP6

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.3, 7.2

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.7, WHST.9-12.1 Math.N-Q.1,
Math.A-CED.1, Math.A-REI.3; MP2, MP3

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC5; DP2

Materials

HD (M4V) 273 MB
HD (WMV) 218 MB
SD (M4V) 58 MB
SD (WMV) 56 MB
Transcript (PDF) 22 KB
Resource Google Folder (link)
Student Worksheet (PDF) 778 KB
Spanish Dub (MP4) 123 MB
Transcript - Español (PDF) 248 KB
Resource Google Folder - Español (link)
Student Worksheet - Español (PDF) 352 KB

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Coral Reef Scientists at Work

Jim Clark describes how he uses the Steve Palumbi and Megan Morikawa "Scientists at Work" short film to demonstrate to his students that science is not always performed indoors at a lab bench.
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This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

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