Lesson 3: Ripple Effects, Characteristics of Great Lakes Invasive Species

Lesson Summary

Students use puzzle pieces to match Great Lakes aquatic invasive species (AIS) with their characteristics, classification, origin, and introduction to the ecosystem.

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock, Reimar

A school of alewife fish, small silver fish, swimming in dark blue water

Objectives

Students will be able to:

Name and recognize some AIS of the Great Lakes.
Identify the characteristics of AIS in the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Match the ways in which AIS are introduced into the Great Lakes.

A stack of books and computer tablet in a classroom.

Lesson Alignment

Next Generation Science Standards: MS-LS2-2, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5, MS- ESS3-3

Materials

The puzzles and template are provided in the lesson.

Download Full Lesson

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) puzzles
Blank puzzle template
Envelope with colored pencils for each group
8 ½ x 11 colored paper (8 sheets per group, one color per group)
Scissors

Time Required

This lesson will require one to two class periods to complete.

Vocabulary

Alewife
Characteristics
Classification
Common name
Eurasian watermilfoil
Origin
Purple loosestrife
Eurasian ruffe
Scientific name
Sea lamprey
Spiny waterflea
White perch
Zebra mussel

Background

Knowledge of Great Lakes aquatic invasive species (AIS) is important if students are going to make educated decisions about them and the environment in the future. The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) originally came from areas near the Caspian Sea and entered waterways at Lake St. Clair around 1985. Zebra mussels are bivalve mollusks that were carried in the ballast tanks of ocean-going ships. They filter water by feeding on plankton, reducing food for other animals and fish that feed on plankton. Zebra mussels attach to any object, including water intake pipes, boat trailers and boat hulls.

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) swam up the St. Lawrence River or the Erie Canal from the Atlantic Ocean and entered the Great Lakes. They are classified as primitive fish. They spawn up freshwater tributaries and are a parasite on native and stocked freshwater fish.

The spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes longimanus) is native to Northern Europe and parts of Asia. They entered Lake Ontario in 1982 and can now be found throughout the Great Lakes. They were introduced into the Great Lakes by ballast water discharged from ocean-going ships. Spiny waterfleas feed on smaller zooplankton, such as Daphnia, which are important food for fish.

Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) came from freshwater of Eurasia. They were discovered in Lake Superior in 1987, (based on 1986 samples) and had “hitchhiked” in ballast water. They have a dark spot on their dorsal fins and are a perch-like fish.

The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) came from the Atlantic Ocean. It entered the Great Lakes through the Welland and Erie Canals. They are a herring-like fish with one dorsal fin, and they compete with other fish that feed on plankton.

White perch (Morone americana) came from the Atlantic Ocean through the Erie and Welland Canals. White perch compete with native fish species and have the potential to cause decreases in fish populations because they eat the eggs of walleye and other fish species.

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is native to northern Europe and was intentionally imported for its hardiness and beautiful flowers. Purple loosestrife invades marshes and wetlands, replacing cattails and other aquatic plants. They form dense, impenetrable stands and are unsuitable as cover, food, or nesting sites for many native wetland animals.

Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. This aquatic plant was introduced as an aquarium plant and by boats. It forms thick mats that choke out native aquatic plants. It has the ability to reproduce through stem fragments and runners, so a single segment of stem and leaves can actually form a new colony.

Helpful Hints

Students should have studied or researched specific AIS of the Great Lakes. If research did not cover all of the categories used for the puzzle, have students do the necessary research before doing all the puzzles.
You may want to limit the number of AIS you put into each envelope. Four or six AIS may be a better way to start, depending on the group’s ability level. This activity may take longer than one class period if you use all eight puzzles.
Make sure that the puzzles are all the same color and are shuffled in each individual envelope. Have the students take turns choosing puzzle pieces, but have them work together as a team deciding on the proper placement of the puzzle pieces.
The teacher should move between groups questioning the students on their progress. It may be helpful to ask:
- What is the number of puzzle pieces?
- What category does the number represent?

Lesson Procedure

Preparing for the activity

Copy the included puzzles on colored paper. Each group of students should have a different color, and all the puzzle pieces for a group should be the same color.
Using scissors, cut out the puzzles. Each AIS has six pieces, and there should be 48 pieces when complete, if all the species are used.
Shuffle puzzle pieces in each group’s envelope. Copy the puzzle template with category name for each group.
Have students use resources to locate any information that is represented in the puzzle and has not been previously researched, origin, introduction to the Great Lakes, characteristics, or classification.

Conducting the Activity

Divide students into cooperative learning groups of two or three students. Give each group an envelope with the shuffled puzzle pieces.
Provide each group with the puzzle template that contains the category names so they know what each of the numbered puzzle pieces represents.
Have students sort the puzzle pieces by number and then try to separate and match the pieces, in order by number. For example, have students first lay out all the pieces numbered as “1”, which is the common and scientific name. Then have them match each of the pieces numbered “2”, the pictures, with each of the corresponding names. Then go to the pieces numbered “3” to match the species origin to the correct puzzle and so on.
Let students use their notes the first time through the puzzle. Check to see that they have made the right choices, then scramble the pieces and let them try the puzzle without their notes. Switch group members, if time allows, and try the puzzle again.

Wrap-Up

The information from the puzzles could be used to design an objective test if a formal method of evaluation is desired. For an informal evaluation, teachers can determine grades for each group based on their success with completing the puzzles and doing the activity.