GRADE LEVEL: 9-12

SUBJECT MATTER: Science

TIME ALLOTMENT: Two or three 45-minute class periods

OVERVIEW

In this lesson, students will use segments from Nature: Wild Balkans to explore the roles and interrelationships of organisms in the varied environments of the Balkan Peninsula. In the Introductory Activity, students will identify the Balkan Peninsula on a map and hypothesize what natural environments and wildlife might be present there. Students will use an interactive map to identify different regions of the Balkan Peninsula and the wildlife that resides in each region. In the Learning Activity, students will explore the regions of the Balkan Peninsula in more depth by viewing and discussing segments from the episode. Students will explore the habitats and wildlife of each region and the ways in which species collaborate and compete, as well as the role of humans in these environments. In the Culminating Activity, students will explore one species in depth and create a 3-D diorama or computer-generated simulation of the species in its environment. Students will discuss their projects with the class.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to:

• Describe at least three different habitats in the Balkan Peninsula and the species that reside in each.
• Explain how species cooperate and compete within an ecosystem.
• Describe the roles that humans play in the Balkan Peninsula.
• Discuss one species in depth, including its preferred habitat and how it cooperates and/or competes with other species.

STANDARDS

National Science Education Standards

Grades 9-12:

Content Standard C: Life Science
Fundamental concepts and principles that underlie this standard include:

• The Interdependence of Organisms
  • Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The interrelationships and interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for hundreds or thousands of years.
  • Living organisms have the capacity to produce populations of infinite size, but environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension has profound effects on the interactions between organisms.
  • Human beings live within the world’s ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected.
• The Behavior Of Organisms
  • Organisms have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli. Responses to external stimuli can result from interactions with the organism’s own species and others, as well as environmental changes; these responses either can be innate or learned. The broad patterns of behavior exhibited by animals have evolved to ensure reproductive success. Animals often live in unpredictable environments, and so their behavior must be flexible enough to deal with uncertainty and change. Plants also respond to stimuli.
  • Like other aspects of an organism’s biology, behaviors have evolved through natural selection. Behaviors often have an adaptive logic when viewed in terms of evolutionary principles.

MEDIA COMPONENTS

Nature: Wild Balkans, selected segments

• Danube Delta (Delta Dunarii)

A close look at the Danube Delta (Delta Dunarii), Europe’s most extensive wetland.

• Dobrudza

A look at the dry and stony region of Dobrudza.

• Durmitor

A look at the wildlife and terrain of Durmitor region of the Balkans.

• Kopacki Rit

A look at Kopacki Rit, one of Europe’s most extensive and important wetlands.

• Skadar Lake

A look at Skadar Lake, the largest lake in the Balkans.

• Tikves

A look at the terrain and the vultures & other inhabitants of the desolate, mountainous region of Tikves.

Access the streaming and downloadable video clips at the Video Segments Page.

Websites:

• Interactive Map: Wilderness of the Balkan Peninsula

This map on the Nature: Wild Balkans website highlights the different regions highlighted in the episode. This map is used in the Introductory Activity to provide an overview of the different regions of the Balkan Peninsula.

• Balkan Peninsula Map

This map features the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.

• Photo Gallery: Rare Animals of the Balkans

This page on the Nature: Wild Balkans website features images and descriptions of some of the Balkans’ rarest species. Students could use this as a resource in the Culminating Activity.

MATERIALS

For the class:

• Computers with internet access.
• Computer, projection screen and speakers (for class viewing of online/downloaded video segments).
• 1 copy of the “Regions of the Balkan Peninsula” answer key.

For each student:

• 1 copy of the “Regions of the Balkan Peninsula” student organizer.

PREP FOR TEACHERS

Prior to teaching this lesson, you will need to:

Preview all of the video segments and websites used in the lesson.

Download the video clips used in the lesson to your classroom computer(s) or prepare to watch them using your classroom’s Internet connection.

Bookmark any websites that you plan to use in the lesson on each computer in your classroom. Using a social bookmarking tool such as del.icio.us or diigo (or an online bookmarking utility such as portaportal will allow you to organize all the links in a central location.Print out one copy of the “Regions of the Balkan Peninsula” student organizer for each student.

Print out one copy of the “Regions of the Balkan Peninsula” answer key.

Proceed to ACTIVITIES

Excerpts from the NATURE episode, Wild Balkans.

Danube Delta (Delta Dunarii)
(View full post to see video)
Dobrudza
(View full post to see video)
Durmitor
(View full post to see video)
Kopacki Rit
(View full post to see video)
Skadar Lake
(View full post to see video)
Tikves
(View full post to see video)

1. Danube Delta (Delta Dunarii)
A close look at the Danube Delta (Delta Dunarii), Europe’s most extensive wetland.

2. Dobrudza
A look at the dry and stony region of Dobrudza.

3. Durmitor
A look at the wildlife and terrain of Durmitor region of the Balkans.

4. Kopacki Rit
A look at Kopacki Rit, one of Europe’s most extensive and important wetlands.

5. Skadar Lake
A look at Skadar Lake, the largest lake in the Balkans.

6. Tikves
A look at the terrain and the vultures & other inhabitants of the desolate, mountainous region of Tikves.

They are among the most reliable witnesses to a crime — expert in their testimony and bulletproof in their account. Yet they never utter a single word. They are the animals, plants, and insects that are being recruited by a special breed of forensic scientists to solve the most seemingly impenetrable of crimes.

Within the United States and around the globe, biologists are joining the ranks of criminal investigative teams to interpret evidence offered by those with a “natural ability” to crack a case. How do ants nesting in a human skull help police to zero in on a suspect? Can microscopic pollen grains track the path of a killer and link him to the crime scene? Astonishing real-life cases illustrate the tactics employed by these supersleuthing scientists and their “wild” associates. We learn how maggots not only can clock the time of death but also are used to trace terrorist activities by revealing the explosives used in a bomb attack, and we meet a dog whose ultrasensitive nose effectively sniffs out a case of arson.

For the investigators, reading the clues requires a strong stomach and a keen eye for the intricate workings of the natural world. A visit to The Body Farm, a forensic research facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, details the various factors in the decay of a human body and how to recognize the false evidence that wildlife may leave. In Vancouver, scientists dive in to explore the more complicated process of underwater decomposition. They are learning how the behavior of curious marine creatures such as enormous sun stars and octopi could taint the evidence.

Step behind the yellow tape and become prime witnesses to the myriad of ways in which Crime Scene Creatures are making it increasingly difficult for criminals to get away with murder.

Online content for Crime Scene Creatures originally posted May 2006.

Icelanders harvest feathers from eider ducks

Over the centuries, Iceland’s human inhabitants, today more than 250,000 strong, have forged close ties to the island’s wildlife. But the relationship has had its ups and downs. When settlers first arrived, for instance, Iceland was covered with stands of healthy forest. Within a century, however, the trees had been felled to provide fuel and timber to growing villages. Today, far less than 1% of the island’s original forest remains. Residents are now making efforts to replant imported trees. Similarly, humans haven’t been kind to Iceland’s thin glacial soils. For hundreds of years, they have herded sheep across their lands, harvesting valuable wool and meat. In fact, there are twice as many sheep in Iceland as people. Unfortunately, however, the woolly livestock overgrazed the thin vegetation and promoted erosion, reducing once green fields to rocky, barren lots. Up to a third of the country’s fields were seriously scarred.

Today, new management methods have reduced some of the damage. And Icelanders are increasingly aware that they bear responsibility for preserving nature, including some of the world’s most important bird nesting grounds. Near Latrabjarg, for instance, is the world’s single largest seabird-nesting cliff, while southern Iceland hosts the globe’s biggest skua colony. Iceland is also home to some of the world’s largest colonies of puffins, seabirds beloved the world around whose colorful, clown-like beaks are their most identifying feature. By protecting these remarkable natural sites, Iceland is not only helping to preserve the world’s biological heritage, it also helps promote a healthy economy. Increasingly, tourism, including bird watchers who come to see the colonies, has become one of the nation’s most important sources of income.

Protecting wildlife, however, does not always mean fencing it off from humans. For generations, some Icelanders have made a living acting as nursemaids to nesting eider ducks. As Iceland: Fire and Ice shows, the ducks benefit from the human attention, as the farmers protect the birds from predators. The humans, on the other hand, benefit from a feathery harvest: they gather the soft down that eiders use to line their nests once the feathers are no longer needed to insulate the eggs. The down eventually makes its way into some of the softest, warmest pillows and comforters around the world — souvenirs from the land of fire and ice that some sleepers may never realize they possess.

Charlie Russell’s and Maureen Enns’s efforts to reintroduce three orphaned grizzly bears to Kamchatka is one example of the growing international efforts to restore wildlife to their rightful place in the world. But sometimes restorationists want to put predators like grizzlies back into places they haven’t been seen in centuries, sparking opposition from those who say dangerous animals just can’t coexist with people in some places anymore.

Controversy, for instance, surrounds a U.S. government proposal to reintroduce grizzly bears into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness areas of Idaho and western Montana. The preserves hold the largest contiguous area of suitable grizzly-free habitat remaining in the lower 48 states. More than half of those who opposed the reintroduction said in a recent poll that they fear that the bears will threaten hikers and nearby residents. But the National Wildlife Federation, which supports reintroduction, says bear attack statistics suggest such fears are unfounded. Since 1900, they note, the chance that a park visitor might be harmed by a bear is less than 1 in 2 million.

“It is important to note that encounters with the bears are infrequent because grizzlies do not naturally behave aggressively toward humans,” a group spokesman says. “Grizzlies are solitary creatures and tend not to wander beyond their home range, much less seek out interaction with people. [They] do not attack people unless surprised, protecting their food or young, or provoked by aggressive human behavior.”

“No grizzly is going to come looking for you,” adds Bud Moore, a retired forester who sides with the federation and has lived in bear country his entire life. “They don’t want to mix with people.” Moore stresses that people must learn to be respectful of bears, rather than fear them. Those who enjoy outdoor recreational activities like camping, hiking, and hunting can take some simple precautions to prevent chance encounters with grizzlies, according to the wildlife federation. For instance:

• Grizzlies are most likely to attack if they are surprised. Hikers that make noise on the trail or converse normally within a group will alert a bear to their presence long before they get close enough to frighten it.
• Wilderness users should be alert for any sign of bear activity, such as fresh tracks, droppings, or a carcass. If you do come across such a sign, it is wise to turn back or take an alternate route so as to avoid a confrontation.
• Grizzly females are very protective of their young. While they may be cute, travelers should recognize grizzly cubs as a sign of danger and avoid them at all times.
• Most importantly, be sure to store food and garbage properly when in grizzly country. Place all foodstuffs in commercially available bear-proof containers or suspend it out of reach of bears. Campers should also cook away from their campsite and sleep in different clothes than those they cooked in, as grizzlies have an acute sense of smell.

The importance of keeping grizzlies out of human food and garbage cannot be overemphasized, the National Wildlife Federation says. Bears that become habituated present a danger because they lose their shyness. Grizzlies that end up wandering around towns are bound to get into trouble, bringing tragedy to both people and themselves. But by using common sense, wilderness lovers can help make the outdoors a safer place for both bears and humans.

It was perhaps the saddest photograph Brian Call had ever taken. But it may help the Florida panther reach a happy ending in its struggle for survival.

Brian Call took this photo of a cougar that was struck by a car. In the spring of 2001, Call — a Florida wildlife illustrator and photographer — was driving home from a night of photography in a state park when he encountered a horrific sight: a young Florida panther, crumpled and silent in the middle of a rural highway. Stunned, Call climbed from his car to see if he could help, but it was too late. The panther had died minutes before; the body was still warm to the touch.

Soon, Call realized that the panther’s mother was hidden in some nearby trees, calling desperately to its lost daughter. Later, he would learn that the dead panther’s sibling, a male, was also killed that night by a car, not far away on the same highway.

Call knew he was witnessing a tragedy. As NATURE’s Trail of the Cougar notes, the elegant, powerful panther is Florida’s celebrated state mammal. But they are also one of the state’s rarest inhabitants, with less than 100 of the big cats remaining. Unfortunately, each year a few panthers lose their lives on the state’s highways, which increasingly hem in the cat’s shrinking habitat.

“I was quite upset, but I managed to pull myself together enough to document the scene,” Call recalled later. “The photos were the hardest images for me to take, but I made a promise to this panther that I would use them to help people become more aware of the hazards this endangered species faces.”

Indeed, Call’s photo has helped dramatize the threat that highways pose to Florida panthers. So did a memorial service he later organized at the spot. And while some major roads have fences and underpasses to help protect the cats, others remain dangerous byways. He hopes his efforts will help remind drivers to slow down to prevent tragic collisions — and convince government officials to step up efforts to protect the species.

Call discussed his interest in nature photography and his efforts on behalf of Florida’s panthers with NATURE:

NATURE: How did you get interested in nature photography?

Well, I’m originally from Massachusetts and I was always interested in nature. In the late 1980s, I went on a vacation to the Virgin Islands and learned how to use a professional camera. When my wife and I moved to Florida in 1991, I bought a nice camera. I had fallen in love with the Everglades; we didn’t have much money, but that was our escape. And I’ve been photographing there ever since, for the last 11 years.

Had you ever photographed a Florida panther before that night on the road?

No. But photographing a panther in the wild is the dream of every nature photographer in Florida. That night, I was on my way home from the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. When I found the panther in the middle of the road, my first reaction was to sit there and pat it. Then, I heard a chirping sound and realized it was the mother calling out to her cub. That made the whole scene that much more tragic.

It also really moved me to want to do something more than take photographs. I had always believed that using photography to bring nature back to the public and my friends would be enough. But at that point I decided it wasn’t. So my wife and I came up with the idea of holding a roadside awareness ceremony [in June 2001]. I was really motivated to bring this problem to the attention of people.

What was the ceremony like?

It was great. We put signs up along the road. I gave a speech and had some panther biologists give talks. There was a nice crowd and lots of media. Some passing cars even slowed down. But we stayed way over on the side so no one became a road kill themselves.

Signs on Florida roads alert drivers to cougars in the area. Is there any kind of sign marking the spot?

We couldn’t leave anything permanent. We tried, but the [highway department] couldn’t understand why we wanted a roadside marker for something that wasn’t human. They said it had never been done before. I didn’t understand. I mean, this is the state mammal of Florida, and it symbolizes the state’s wilderness. I thought it was worthy, but they declined.

Are drivers aware of panthers?

There are signs all over the place that say “panther crossing,” and there are some flashing lights and rumble strips. But I’m still amazed at how many people fly down those roads.

Has it changed your driving habits?

I always drove the speed limit anyway, especially out in wilderness areas. Sometimes it takes me forever to get home.

Are cars the major threat to panthers?

Road kills are a major source of mortality. But they are not the only thing killing them. Panthers also fight over territory and sometimes to the death, because there is not enough habitat for them. So my biggest thing right now is preserving their habitat. That is the number one way to protect the Florida panther and its future.

You are active with Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge. Can you tell us more about that?

We assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists out on the refuge [headquartered in Naples, Florida]. We promote their mission and undertake activities, such as tree plantings and open houses. Anything to help raise awareness about panthers.

Have you seen other panthers in the wild?

I am actually lucky enough to have seen a live panther in the wild. I was with a small group and one crossed a dirt road we were on. He was about 100 feet away. We saw him for about 4 or 5 seconds. We also found tracks that day and a kill site; the panther had killed some type of bird. It was a high point for my wife and me. So I’ve seen a live panther but haven’t gotten any photographs of one. But I’ll keep trying.

Coastal paradise is showcased in Living Edens: Big Sur – California’s Wild Coast, a special presentation of NATURE.

California is the land of Disney, Hollywood, and freeway traffic jams. But on a much grander scale, it’s also the land of natural marvels, including a coastal paradise where wildlife and flora thrive in an unspoiled environment. This magnificent region is explored in intimate detail in Living Edens: Big Sur.

On the 100-mile stretch of coastland south of the Monterey Peninsula, the filmmaker, Bruce Reitherman, reveals a variety of wildlife that has found refuge and hope here, including such rare and endangered birds as the California condor and the peregrine falcon. The return of the condor to Big Sur testifies to the success of one of the most ambitious captive breeding programs in history.

Ocean mammals too have found a hospitable haven in Big Sur. Thousands of elephant seals come ashore each winter, the females to give birth and the males to battle for the right to father the next generation. Sea otters are filmed using rocks as anvils to pry a rich meal from even the most resistant of mussels.

Inland, Big Sur encompasses forests of majestic ancient redwoods and oak woodlands, home to the acorn woodpecker, which is sustained through the winter by the oak tree’s nut-like fruit.

Online content for Living Edens: Big Sur – California’s Wild Coast was originally posted November 2002.

Big Sur’s rugged mountains, crashing surf, and abundant wildlife have captivated generations of visitors. But the region has also attracted scientists bent on understanding this remarkable biological melting pot, where plants and animals from dramatically different ecosystems often mingle side by side. One biologist who has taken a close look is Paul Henson, who lived in the region in the 1980s and, with Don Usner, wrote The Natural History of Big Sur (University of California Press, 1996).

Big Sur attracts scientists due to its status as a biological melting pot. In no other part of the world do fog-loving coastal redwoods thrive on one slope of a canyon while arid-climate yuccas grow on the other, the book notes. Similarly, sea otters and cormorants live near dry-climate creatures like canyon wrens and whiptail lizards.

Henson, who now works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service overseeing biological studies in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, spoke with NATURE about Big Sur’s remarkable diversity.

How did you come to write this book?

I earned my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and did a lot of work at a university reserve called Big Creek that covers a big chunk of the Big Sur coast. Then, in the mid-1980s, I got a job doing sea otter research. During my down time, we started on the natural history guide. We realized that there was lots of good information floating around, but it hadn’t been consolidated in one place, and made accessible to scientists and understandable to regular readers. So we decided to do it.

Big Sur attracts scientists due to its status as a biological melting pot.

What makes Big Sur unusual?

For lack of a better term, it represents a kind of harmonic convergence of different ecological zones. It’s where the north meets the south, for instance. What’s called the Oregonia province to the north meets the Californian province to the south. So you have redwood trees meeting cacti and intermingling. You have northern and southern species of marine alga. One minute, you are hiking along in a wet cool canyon, and all of a sudden there will be a cactus. One minute it smells like Oregon and the next it smells like Mexico.

The geology plays are role, right?

The geology and topography forms the basis for it all, and it has driven geologists crazy for years. It’s incredibly jumbled and complicated. You have all these faults and slices of rock that have moved over time. And then on top of that you have a very interesting climate. Big Sur has a Mediterranean climate, which it shares with just four or five other areas in the world. It’s a climate that is extremely conducive to a lot of plants doing well. Taken together, those things make it one of the most ecologically fascinating and diverse areas in North America.

Big Sur is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in North America. Big Sur has its share of rare species …

Yes. In the 1800s, it attracted a lot of famous botanists because there are plants there that grow nowhere else. The Santa Lucia mountains have a lot of unique species because, at times, that area has been an island. So plants and animals that lived there have been cut off from other populations and evolved in their own direction. Probably the most famous species is the Santa Lucia fir tree, which is found in just a few canyons and nowhere else in the world. It looks like a tree in a Dr. Seuss book — the top droops over and it has these interesting cones.

Do you have a favorite spot in Big Sur?

Probably the Little Sur River Valley in the Ventana Wilderness. It has such a great combination of giant redwood trees and really dry chaparral. It’s one of those places where you have very different ecosystems within spitting distance of each other.

How about a favorite animal?

Probably golden eagles. The raptor [bird of prey] populations there are amazing. There are places where you can sit on a hillside, look out, and see five or six different raptors in a minute — golden eagles, red shouldered hawks, kites, red tailed hawks, kestrels. It’s a great show.

In the summer of 1521, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon lay dying on a Florida beach, mortally wounded during a skirmish with a native tribe. Drawn by tales of crystal clear springs bubbling with glittering flecks of silver and gold, the aging adventurer had come seeking the legendary fountain of youth. Instead of finding immortality, however, the trip cost Ponce de Leon his life.

But the sparkling springs were no fantasy — as NATURE’s Springs Eternal: Florida’s Fountain of Youth shows. In an amazing underwater tour, Springs Eternal takes viewers down into Florida’s magical transparent pools, where toothy alligators lurk and lumbering manatees slumber. The filmmakers even follow researchers deep into the earth, diving into the dark and mysterious underground rivers that feed the springs.

Florida’s springs are home to many alligators.

Ponce de Leon named his landfall “La Florida,” meaning “land of flowers.” But Florida is just as famous for its springs, which spew out billions of gallons of fresh, cool water every day. The state boasts more than 350 gushers, one of the highest concentrations in the world. The reason for the watery bounty can be found underground, where porous limestone bedrock provides plenty of nooks and crannies for water storage. The bedrock, in fact, is riddled with flooded underground caverns.

Most of the wildlife action, however, is to be found in the remarkable pools and rivers formed by the springs. Shoals of fish drift in the lazy currents, including some oceanic species that swim up from the sea each winter to enjoy the warmer water temperatures. Rich carpets of rippling aquatic grasses carpet the sandy floor, attracting grazing manatees, the gentle marine mammals also known as sea cows. The springs are also known for a more ferocious inhabitant: the American alligator. Indeed, alligators are so common that Ponce de Leon’s fountains of youth might better be called fountains of tooth.

The large reptiles, which can grow up to 12 feet long, predate the dinosaurs. Having changed little in the last 65 million years, these living relics have managed to elude extinction. Only human exploitation has hampered their success. In Florida, for example, alligator populations plummeted due to spiraling demand for their leathery hides, which were made into everything from boots to wallets. Between 1930 and 1940, over one million alligators were killed in Florida alone. In the 1970s, however, stiffer regulations allowed populations to rebound. Today, they are quite common again, living proof of the power of foresighted conservation policies.

Springs Eternal gives viewers a front-row seat to alligator life, from the bellowing, splashy displays put on by males in search of a mate, to the gentle courtship that follows a first date. It also provides a fascinating glimpse into the enormous mounds of rotting vegetation that female alligators build to incubate their eggs. In early summer, the expectant mothers bury up to 90 golf-ball-sized eggs in their mounds, then stand by on a protective vigil.

About two months later, the eggs begin to hatch. The newborns call out in high-pitched peeps, alerting their mother to lumber over and scrape away the entombing material, allowing the babies to claw their way free. Moms may even help break open the eggs and tuck the young into their mouths for a trip to the nearby water. Typically, however, only half the eggs hatch, the rest having been eaten by predators, such as snakes and raccoons.

For the next six months, the hatchlings will stick together in groups called “pods” that are protected by the mother. The youngsters may stay in the vicinity of the nest for up to three years. But just two of every 10 newborns will make it to adulthood. The other eight will be snapped up by hungry neighbors, including sharp-beaked herons. Springs Eternal captures several of these long-legged wading birds on the hunt, stalking baby gators drifting unaware in the grass. The tough-skinned reptiles aren’t an easy meal. The herons must repeatedly shake and pound their prey against the water to break its bones, so that it will slide down their narrow throats.

Birds aren’t the only threat to baby gators. Hungry fish eat their share — as do other alligators. Even young alligators that have grown 4 feet long may fall victim to cannibals lurking in their neighborhoods. Still, enough gators survive their perilous early years to keep populations growing. And as more people flock to Florida, the two animals are bound to come into conflict. While alligators rarely attack people, they have been known to help themselves to pet dogs and livestock.

Sometimes, however, having a wild alligator on your property can be a benefit. Large gators, for instance, dig themselves sunning holes near lakes and rivers, providing a place for rainwater to collect. In dry years, farmers have discovered that these “alligator holes” are perfect natural watering holes for their livestock, saving them the work of building new ones.