STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS

Questions for Thought

* Work with your neighbors in small groups of 3-5 on this problem.

* First look at Figure 6A; understand the axes and symbols before you attempt to interpret the pattern you see. The data are density of fish caught in 3 regions of the Florida Bay (see the regions in Figure 6B). The researchers collected fish with nets they towed for 2 minutes at a constant speed. The data in this figure combines samples taken in 5 months throughout the year.

* Now make sense of Figure 6B. Again, learn the meaning of the symbols before you try to interpret this diagram. (Flamingo is a National Park site at the tip of Florida). What are the main changes that you see between the mid 1980's and the mid 1990's? How do you suppose that the scientists collected these data - what might their methods have been?

* How can the data in Figure 6B be used to explain the change in fish density in 6A? How are they related? Why are seagrass beds important to people? How might they function in food chains and as refuges of marine animals?