Where's That Dolphin?

Abstract

Scientific research is interdisciplinary and often incorporates math, technology, and geography. Mapmaking and the use of global positioning system (GPS) technology, for example, are vital parts of many research endeavors that allow us to visualize patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed. Researchers frequently use these technologies to plot the locations of organisms or events. This helps them learn about habitat preferences and behaviors of certain animals. Our own research in Savannah, Georgia, uses handheld GPS devices to record the sightings of bottlenose dolphins. We then compile this information on a map, which provides us with clues about environmental or human factors affecting the dolphins' behavior or habitat. This article describes an activity in which students examine spatial data from five pairs of dolphins in our study and then form hypotheses about the spatial patterns they observe. In the process, they learn not only about the ecology of bottlenose dolphins but also that scientific research is interdisciplinary and can involve subjects such as math and geography. The activity is geared toward high school biology or environmental science classes but can be modified for other grade levels. It addresses numerous science education standards (see Figure 1, p. 26). FIGURE 1 Relevant Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS). HS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics Performance Expectation Students who demonstrate understanding can: HS-LS2-2: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy: WHST.9-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes. (HS-LS2-2) Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (HS-LS2-2) MP.4 Model with mathematics. (HS-LS2-2) HSN-Q.A.1 Choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays. (HS-LS2-2) HSN-Q.A.2 Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling. (HS-LS2-2) ADAPTED FROM NGSS P. 92 (NGSS LEAD STATES 2013) About bottlenose dolphins Bottlenose dolphins, or Tursiops truncatus, live in ocean waters as well as tidal rivers and creeks and exhibit different feeding strategies depending on their location. In Georgia, for example, some dolphins rush up a mud bank and push fish onto the shore to eat, a process known as strand feeding (Hoese 1971). This is seen in small creeks during low tide, when mud banks are exposed (Bowen 2011). Many dolphins in the area also eat fish stirred up by fishing nets or discarded from shrimp trawlers (Kovacs 2012). Several beg for food from humans in boats (Perrtree 2011). We identify individual dolphins in our study by patterns of nicks and notches in their dorsal fins. We assign each dolphin a numerical code and sometimes a name so we can keep track of which dolphins engage in which foraging techniques. The area where the dolphins are found is the utilization area. We determine utilization area by creating a minimum convex polygon (MCP)--the smallest possible polygon that encloses all points where we have sighted dolphins, without any internal or concave angles (Figure 2, p. 27). The activity Materials To conduct this activity, students need the following: * metric rulers, * calculators, * pencils, and * colored pencils or thin markers. Methods To begin, we introduce the class to basic information about bottlenose dolphins, geographic coordinate systems, and utilization areas using a PowerPoint presentation that is available online (see On the web). …