Lesson 2: Habitat Lap Sit*

Lesson Information

Summary: Students physically form an interconnected circle to demonstrate the components of habitat and the effects of habitat loss.
Duration: 20 minutes
Group size: One group of 15 to 45 people
Materials: None required

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Understand that all living things, including humans, depend on specific habitats, which include clean water and suitable space.
• Describe the components of wildlife habitat.
• Describe how human activities can threaten ocean habitats.

Background

People and wildlife share some basic needs. All life forms need a place to live. The environments in which they live are called "habitats" and include food, water, shelter, and space (see Teacher's Notes). If any of the components of habitat are missing or are affected significantly so that the arrangement for individual animals or their populations is no longer suitable, there will be an impact. The impact can sometimes be catastrophic.

Humans negatively affect ocean species by replacing their habitats with human developments or by polluting them so that they can no longer support the same natural communities. Consider these examples of the impacts of human developments on habitats:

• Polar bears inhabit ice-covered areas, requiring enormous home ranges of between 50,000 and 350,000 square kilometres, depending on their access to food, mates and denning sites. Among the main threats to the species are bioaccumulation and loss of habitat to human encroachments, such as mining developments and oil-drilling platforms.
• Endangered leatherback sea turtles and piping plovers need sandy beaches to nest and lay their eggs. People also build homes and hotels, play, and even drive all-terrain vehicles on the same beaches, depriving leatherbacks and plovers of vital shelter and space.
• Coastal salt-marshes are highly productive areas for plants, waterfowl, shellfish, and fish. Many people regard these habitats as waste areas and dredge or fill them to create housing developments. The result C many plants and animals lose the food and space they need to survive.
• Estuaries are extremely productive coastal habitats. People locate towns and cities in these areas and often allow untreated sewage and other contaminants to flow into them, poisoning a wide variety of wildlife, especially shellfish. As a result, many species no longer have access to safe water, food, and space.

Procedure

1. Introduce the concept of habitat. Ask students what they need to survive and group these requirements into the four habitat categories: food, water, shelter, and space (some may end up in a fifth category — "other"). Explain that all living things must have their needs meet in all four categories. In this activity, students will form a marine animal's habitat and see what happens if one or more of the creature's needs are not met.
2. Take the class to a grassy area outside or a large, open indoor space. Ask the students to number off from "one" to "four." All the "ones" go to one corner of the space, the "twos" to another, and so on, leaving a clear space in the middle.
3. Using the polar bear or another marine creature as an example, assign each group a habitat requirement as follows: "ones" represent food (ringed seals), "twos" represent water (rain and snow), "threes" represent shelter (dens built in snow drifts or in the ground), and "fours" represent space (open seas and pack ice).
4. Now, it's time to form a circle! This is done by building the circle in chains of food, water, shelter, and space. A student from each of the four groups walks toward the cleared area. The four students stand next to each other, facing in toward what will be the centre of the circle. Four more students — one from each group — join the circle. Keep adding to the circle in sets of four until all the students are in the circle.
5. All students should now be standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the centre of the circle.
6. Ask the students to turn to their right, at the same time taking one step toward the centre of the circle. They should be standing close together, with each student looking at the back of the head of the student in front of him or her.
7. Ask everyone to listen carefully. Everyone should place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. At the count of three, you want the students to sit down on the knees of the person behind them, keeping their own knees together to support the person in front of them. You then say, "Together you represent suitable polar bear habitat — food, water, shelter, and space all arranged just right."
8. The students at this point may either fall or sit down. When their laughter has subsided, talk with them about the necessary components of suitable habitat for people and wildlife.
9. After the students understand the major point — that food, water, shelter, and space are necessary for any animal's survival and comprise suitable habitat — let them try the circle activity again. Remind them that together they represent polar bear habitat. This time, ask them to hold their lap-sit posture. As the students lap-sit, identify some of threats to habitat. For example, explain that climate change could result in shorter periods when pack ice is available. Remove some of the "space" people. Then say that, with less pack ice available as a platform for hunting ringed seas, polar bears will have diminished access to food. Remove some of the "food" people. Then explain that mining and oil-drilling developments will result in the loss of denning sites. Remove some of the "shelter" people. At some point, the circle will collapse. Ask the students what will happen to the polar bear when its habitat is no longer suitable.
10. Ask the students to talk about what the activity means to them. Have them summarize the main ideas. Be sure to address the following:
1. Food, water, shelter, and space, in their appropriate arrangement, are called habitat.
2. Humans and marine species depend on habitat.
3. Loss of any of the elements of habitat has serious impact on the animals living there.
4. Humans often damage or destroy marine habitats with developments or make them unsuitable through climate change or contamination. See Teacher's Notes for more examples.

Modifications for Younger or Challenged Students

Younger or challenged students may be unable to successfully lap-sit. If so, follow the instructions up to step 6. With hands on each other's shoulders, instead of sitting down, they should pass a gentle "squeeze" around the circle (each person squeezes the shoulders of the person in front of him or her after his or her own shoulders have been squeezed). Choose a student to start the "squeeze." If the "squeeze" makes it back around to the person who started, the habitat is complete enough for the animal to survive. Remove students from the circle, but don't allow them to make the circle smaller. At some point, the remaining students will not be able to reach each other to pass on the "squeeze." Then the habitat is no longer suitable.

Evaluation

1. Students should be able to identify the main habitat components and specific habitat requirements of the ocean animal featured in the activity.
2. Students should be able to identify some of the main threats to ocean habitats.

*This activity has been adapted from "Habitat Lap Sit" in the Project WILD Activity Guide.