1. Choose a habitat on Aquaterra (see Habitat Chart). Each team member should choose a different habitat to work with.

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1 Aquaterra Activity Procedure: 1. Choose a habitat on Aquaterra (see Habitat Chart). Each team member should choose a different habitat to work with. 2. As a group, draw Aquaterra on a large piece of paper. Each team member should draw the habitat they have chosen to work with. Refer to the Aquaterra Times and the Habitat Chart for helpful information about the planet. 3. Create a species with special features (adaptations) that enable it to live in the habitat you have chosen. Draw your species in the upper left square of the attached story board. Be sure to note the creature s habitat and label its special features. For example: Habitat: Rocky Shore. Feature: Spinal column made of fl exible cartilage for easy movement between rocks. 4. Minor physical changes happen over time that in some cases better adapt a species to live in the same, or a different habitat. Each team member must pass their species to the right for minor changes. 5. Once a new species has been passed to you, make three minor physical changes that might eventually help it survive in a different habitat. Draw the species with your changes in the next square of the story board. Be sure to label the changes you have made! 6. Pass the species you are working with to the right when you are fi nished. Repeat Step #5. 7. Pass the species you are working with to the right one last time. Repeat Step #5. When complete, all squares of the story board should be full. 8. Return the changed species to its original creator. 9. Obtain the envelope containing the Special Atmospheric and Geologic Report for your habitat from your teacher. Answer the questions included in the report. Permission granted for classroom use. S-1

2 Aquaterra Habitat Chart Habitat Location Temperature Conditions Rocky Shore Temperate area; on edges of the continent. Cool waters - about 10 C Hot and dry during low tides when marine life is exposed to the sun. Plants and animals. Shell Reef Tropical areas Constant surface temperature of 32 C Clear water, strong currents, depth varies with the tides. Limited microscopic life. Reef animals prey upon one another but there are also many symbiotic relationships. Large seaweed. Polar Seas At the poles Very cold - average surface temperature is 4 C; average temperature at the bottom is 1 C. Low light conditions. Little oxygen present in the water. A lot of microscopic marine life. Waters are very stormy and murky with some surface ice and fast-moving currents. Thermal Vents Bottom of the ocean Very hot - 93 C water around the vents Vents are a hot spring in an otherwise cold area. No light or oxygen, but the area is rich in minerals. Microscopic life makes food using chemical energy. Turbulent waters. Permission granted for classroom use. S-2

3 Aquaterra Times The Scoop on Aquaterra Aquaterra is a place unlike any other. The only planet of the star Eno, it resides in a nearby spiral arm of the Milky Way. This strange planet was discovered in 2666 by the first team of trans-galactic explorers. From afar, with its deep-blue color, the planet looked to the explorers like a sapphire floating in space. As they approached this celestial jewel, the travelers realized it was almost completely covered by water. Hence they named it Aquaterra land of water. Some Specs on Aquaterra Size: Large. Roughly twice the diameter of Earth. Gravity: About twice that of Earth. How does this affect your weight? Atmosphere: Moist and thin. Similar to Earth s but with less oxygen because there are few land plants to make the gas. Moons: One moon, a quarter the size of Earth s. Day Length: Aquaterra spins on its axis 6 times faster than Earth. An Aquaterra day lasts only 4 hours - one-sixth the length of an Earth day. Polar Seas - very cold, at poles, microscopic life Trans-galactic explorers arrive at Aquaterra in 2666 Aquaterra Habitats Shell Reef - constant surface temperature, tropical areas, reef animals Thermal Vents - hot water, bottom of ocean, microscopic life Rocky Shore - cool water, in temperate area, plants and animals

4 What Is The Land Like? Aquaterra is covered with water. Underwater mountain ranges have peaks the size of Mount Everest. Deep canyons, volcanoes, and huge craters are beneath the sea. Thermal vents release extremely hot water and minerals. There are also miles of reefs made from shells. One small continent dots the planet s surface. Dubbed the Great Swamp by its discoverers (because it looks like a swamp, naturally), it is about the size of Australia. It is located in the temperate zone. The shores around the edges of the Great Swamp are rocky and a vast shallow sea surrounds it. Aquaterra only has one season because it does not tilt on its axis like Earth. Because Aquaterra is a little closer to its sun than we are to ours, it is warmer than Earth by 16 C. This causes a lot of water to evaporate, so there is a considerable amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. The poles are covered with ice. There are heavy clouds and frequent rain storms near the equator. High-speed winds and snow storms are also common on Aquaterra. Above Water Life Forms Brightly colored bird-like creatures and large flying insects prey on the aquatic creatures. One type of bird, Pelikulus, has a wingspan of 6 feet. Using a pouch-like bill, it swoops across the water, collecting food from the surface. Another life form, the Vampire Fly, is particularly deadly. The adult lays eggs on floating mats of green algae. When the eggs hatch, the larvae devour every form of life nearby. Using fanglike teeth, the larvae attach themselves to plants and animals. They suck out the bodily fluids, leaving a hollow shell. The adults are nocturnal and hunt in swarms a hundred strong. Underwater Life Forms The bioluminescent Bekun Plant grows in rocky areas below the surface. It anchors itself to the rocks with transparent t suction cups. Its stalk grows up to 10 feet and is topped by a gelatinous cap. The lord of Aquaterra is Octanus. This omnivore ore reigns over the planet s giant underwater forest. It grows up to 45 feet in length. Each of its eight 200-pound tentacles are used to manipulate objects. Known as the architect of the deep, Octanus builds complex shelters using plants from Aquaterra s giant forests. Octanus has 50 eyes (red, yellow, or blue) that allow color vision. Beneath sliding hard scales are organs that function as electrical cal outlets. Attached to these are Ohmphibians, electric creatures about 2 feet et long, which provide light. Octanus communicates cates through rapid color changes in its body covering.

5 Permission granted for classroom use. S-5

6 Special Atmospheric and Geologic Report Habitat: Polar Seas Event: Changes in Aquaterra s atmosphere have affected the overall temperature of the planet! Gasses have formed a blanket over the planet trapping heat from the sun close to the surface. The average daily temperature of the planet has increased by 4 C overall. Perhaps the most dramatically affected areas are the Polar Seas. The water temperature at the poles has doubled, melting the surface ice, killing the microscopic marine life and changing the currents in the area. The habitat of your species has changed completely. Will the slight modifi cations made to your species enable it to survive the change? Explain. In which of the other habitats of Aquaterra might your modifi ed species now be adapted to live? (Assume no other changes have happened on the planet). List at least one habitat and explain which features might give your species a survival advantage in its new home. Extra Credit: Using any form of the words mutation, adaptation, and/or genetic variation explain what has happened to your species. Permission granted for classroom use. S-6

7 Special Atmospheric and Geologic Report Habitat: Rocky Shore Event: Geologic activity has dramatically uplifted the continent on Aquaterra by roughly 305 meters! The Rocky Shore and large underwater forests are no longer submerged and have moved inward toward the middle of the continent. The habitat of your species has changed completely. Will the slight modifi cations made to your species enable it to survive the change? Explain. In which of the other habitats of Aquaterra might your modifi ed species now be adapted to live? (Assume no other changes have happened on the planet). List at least one habitat and explain which features might give your species a survival advantage in its new home. Extra Credit: Using any form of the words mutation, adaptation, and/or genetic variation explain what has happened to your species. Permission granted for classroom use. S-7

8 Special Atmospheric and Geologic Report Habitat: Shell Reef Event: An almost imperceptible wiggle in the rotation of Aquaterra has caused a shift in wind patterns along the surface of the planet. Because wind patterns affect ocean currents, there has been a dramatic change in the Shell Reef area of Aquaterra. Large currents of extremely cold water are moving into the area from the Polar Seas and stalling there. The result is a drastic drop in water temperature. Many of the species living in the Shell Reef area can not handle the change. Furthermore, the shells that make up the reefs are becoming brittle and crumbling in the cold temperatures. The habitat of your species has changed completely. Will the slight modifi cations made to your species enable it to survive the change? Explain. In which of the other habitats of Aquaterra might your modifi ed species now be adapted to live? (Assume no other changes have happened on the planet). List at least one habitat and explain which features might give your species a survival advantage in its new home. Extra Credit: Using any form of the words mutation, adaptation, and/or genetic variation explain what has happened to your species. Permission granted for classroom use. S-8

9 Special Atmospheric and Geologic Report Habitat: Thermal Vents Event: The Thermal Vents have erupted! Increased geologic activity has pushed magma through the thermal vents. The oozing magma has covered a large area of the ocean fl oor and cooled to form a cap over the vents. This has resulted in a large drop in water temperature, a slight change in the chemical composition of the water, and a general calming of the turbulent waters near the area. The habitat of your species has changed completely. Will the slight modifi cations made to your species enable it to survive the change? Explain. In which of the other habitats of Aquaterra might your modifi ed species now be adapted to live? (Assume no other changes have happened on the planet). List at least one habitat and explain which features might give your species a survival advantage in its new home. Extra Credit: Using any form of the words mutation, adaptation, and/or genetic variation explain what has happened to your species. Permission granted for classroom use. S-9