Exploring Biodiversity: National Aquarium Field Trip Guide

Name: _______________________________ TA: _______________________________ Lab Assignment Diversity of Life: Field Trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore Due before your lab meets the week of February 26th. 100 points possible Goal: To learn about the diversity of life and taxonomy by observing live animals. Hours : Please visit the Aquarium on your own time to complete this assignment. It is strongly recommended that you read the entire assignment before your visit. Allow at least two hours at the Aquarium. The Aquarium is currently open during these hours: Page 1 of 14

Notes: 1. Certain areas of the Aquarium (Animal Planet Australia, Jellies Invasion, Dolphin Discovery and the Upland Tropical Rain Forest) may start to close during the final 75 minutes the building is open each day. 2. You do NOT have to attend a 4D theater show or behind-the-scenes tour in order to complete the assignment. 3. Each student will hand in this assignment; it is not a group assignment. Although you may choose to visit the Aquarium with other students, your work must be your own. Admission Price : You are responsible for paying your own admission fee. We recommend you purchase tickets online ahead of time. Youth tickets (ages 5-20) are $19.95 per person on Fridays beginning at 5:00pm. All other times, the price is $39.95. Adult tickets (ages 21-69) are $24.95 Fridays after 5:00pm and $49.95 otherwise. Aquarium Location : The Aquarium is at 501 East Pratt St. (Pier 3 of the Inner Harbor). A street map of the Inner Harbor area appears below. Bus Transportation to the Aquarium: The Charm City Circulator ( https://transportation.baltimorecity.gov/transit-services/maps-and- schedules ) provides free transportation from the Homewood Campus to the Aquarium. Page 2 of 14

Street Map of the Baltimore Inner Harbor © National Aquarium in Baltimore used by permission ===================================================================== Page 3 of 14

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IMPORTANT NOTE You will need to visit the following areas of the Aquarium in order to complete this assignment: Outdoor Area Surrounding the Aquarium on Pier 3 Blue Wonders: Levels 1 – 5 (but not the Atlantic Coral Reef nor Shark Alley) Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance QUESTIONS TO ANSWER (100 total points possible) 1. Outdoor Area Surrounding the Aquarium on Pier 3 (30 points) The Aquarium is built on Piers 3 and 4, with an enclosed bridge connecting the two buildings. (See the map above.) Before you enter the Aquarium, explore two outdoor areas:  The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Waterfront Park at the National Aquarium o between the Aquarium entrance and Pratt Street, on Pier 3  The Floating Wetlands o in the water between the two piers, viewed from Pier 3 The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Waterfront Park at the National Aquarium A. In front of the Aquarium door marked Main Entrance, there is a sign labelled “Chesapeake Bay Watershed”. Read this sign. i. What is a watershed? (2 points) ii. The sign divides our watershed into three regions. Choose one of the three regions to explore further. Which region did you choose? Which states are part of this region? (2 points) Page 4 of 14

B. Locate the area of the Waterfront Park corresponding to the region you chose. It will have one main sign and several shorter signs. Take a photo of yourself by the main sign for your region! (2 points) C. Tell us something about how the water flows through this region. (3 points) D. What animals are mentioned in the signage for this region? (3 points) Page 5 of 14

E. What is one plant on display in this area? How would you describe this plant? (3 points) F. Did any of the signs encourage the viewer to take action to protect the Watershed? Explain. (3 points) G. Did you see anyone else who was not a Hopkins student interacting with the Waterfront Park? If so, how? (3 points) The Floating Wetlands H. Look out at the water between the two piers and find the two floating wetlands. One of the wetlands is close to the enclosed bridge that connects the two parts of the Aquarium. Read the sign titled “Bringing Wetlands Back”. List three things the sign does well. (3 points) Page 6 of 14

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I. What is one thing you might change about the sign? (3 points) J. Observe one of the floating wetlands carefully. Do you see any animals (or evidence of animals)? Explain. (3 points) 2. Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance (9 points) A. From the information given in this exhibit, determine the name of one species of jellyfish that you might find in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Annapolis, Maryland. Write the species name here (both common and Latin names). (3 points) Page 7 of 14

B. Are there any species of jellyfish that eat other jellyfish? Explain. (3 points) C. Explain the title of the exhibit. (3 points) 3. Maryland: Mountains to the Sea (10 points) A. Refer back to the list of animals you made that are expected to be found in your region of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Do you see any of them on display in this exhibit? Where? Is it the location you might have expected? (4 points) Page 8 of 14

B. Given the information contained in this exhibit, list three species likely to be in the shallow waters off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. (3 points) C. Suppose our class did a field trip and made an exhaustive survey of these waters. If one of the above species were NOT found, what would be one possible reason that the species does not live in this area? (3 points) 4. Upland Tropical Rain Forest (6 points) A. There are several species of birds housed in this exhibit. Find a bird in the exhibit and use the signs to try to identify it. Include a photo of the bird and a photo of the corresponding sign here. (3 points) Page 9 of 14

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C. Most people associate an aquarium with fish, but there are actually very few in this exhibit. Why do you think the aquarium designers made this choice? (3 points) Page 10 of 14

4. Most Intriguing Organism Observed (11 points) As you travel through the various parts of the Aquarium, pay attention to the behavior the organisms are exhibiting. A. Which organism’s behavior did you find the most intriguing? (3 points) Common name: ________________________________ Latin name: ________________________________ Section of the Aquarium (Blacktip Reef, etc.): __________________________ B. Which taxonomic groups from our textbook include this organism? (3 points) C. Explain the intriguing behavior you observed and what you appreciated about it. (5 points) Page 11 of 14

5. Real vs. Preserved (10 points) Several of the organisms we dissected in lab during the Comparative Anatomy exercise are also on exhibit at the Aquarium. Find ONE of the following organisms: crab, frog, octopus, sea cucumber, skate, turtle. Organism Chosen: ________________________________________ Specific Species on Display: _______________________________________________ Area of Aquarium (ex.: Blacktip Reef): ____________________________________________ How is the appearance of the live organism different from that of the preserved one? Please describe a quality OTHER than the ability to move. (3 points) Observe this organism for two full minutes. Describe its behavior in detail below. (4 points) Page 12 of 14

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6. Best Explanation of the Science for the Layperson (12 points) One of the goals of the Aquarium is to educate the general public. This often entails explaining a complex biological process in a way that is accessible to laypersons. Which exhibit earns your award for the Best Explanation of Science for the Layperson? A. In one sentence, summarize the explanation. B. B. B. B. B. B. In one sentence, explain what you liked about the explanation. C. C. C. C. C. C. Describe where the plaque was located (e.g. Jellies Invasion, near the Moon Jelly). Page 13 of 14

7. Which Taxa are Represented at the Aquarium? (12 points) Please indicate which of the following taxa are represented in the Aquarium’s exhibits. (each row is worth 3 points and scored on an “all or nothing” basis) TAXON or TRAIT (One online tree of life that you may find helpful is http://tolweb.org/ ) IS THERE A SPECIES FROM THIS GROUP EXHIBITED AT THE AQUARIUM?  If yes, give common and Latin names of ONE such species.  If no, write “no”. SECTION OF THE AQUARIUM (i.e. Blacktip Reef, etc.) ONE THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE SPECIES FROM YOUR VISIT (can be an observation, information posted next to the exhibit, etc.) Amphibian Cnidarians Arthropods Reptiles Page 14 of 14

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