C
27.
Sea-cucumber habitats
2 hr •
Concepts
Habitat
Adaptation
Competition
Niche
Niche diversity
Skills
Observing
Collecting and
recording data
Synthesising data
Hypothesising
Attitudes
Appreciation of
natural
environments
Confidence in
making
observations
FROM PROJECT REEF ED
Aim
© Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
• To find out where different types of sea-cucumber live on the reef-top.
You will need
•
Reef-walking gear and possibly snorkelling gear
•
Board, field sheet and pencil
•
Reference material
At
least two hours are required for fieldwork, mainly or entirely at low tide. The
activity could be done piecemeal over several days.
PRECAUTIONS
Avoid touching eyes after handling sea-cucumbers. Materials from these
animals may irritate the eyes.
What to do
Gathering data (fieldwork)
1. Walk or snorkel across the reef-top on one or more occasions. Explore living
and dead coral clumps and look under boulders. Each time you find a sea-
cucumber, note which species it is and the habitat in which it lives. Record on
the field sheet provided.
2. During your fieldwork, think about the physical differences between the
various habitats. Which seems to provide the most and least protection from
light and desiccation? Which is best and least endowed with loose sediment
particles? Which seems most exposed to wave action? Make a note of other
ways in which the habitats might differ physically from one another.
Analysing data (back at base)
3. How many species did you find?
4. From the data recorded on your field sheet, what appears to be the habitat,or
range of habitats, favoured by each species?
5. Is each habitat occupied by more than one species?
Questions to consider
Based on your fieldwork, literature study and discussion, answer the following:
6. Can you recognise any adaptation(s) which especially seem to fit each species
for the habitat it occupies?
7. Where one or more species occupy the same habitat, to what extent do you
think they might be competing with each other?
(Turn over for Question 8 and Field Sheet)
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