THE HUMAN OCEAN: 20th CENTURY CHANGES

ISCUSSION POST GUIDLINES

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINE WHEN MAKING A DISCUSSION “TEST QUESTION” POST

· 1-Don’t copy any of my discovery questions

· 2-NO COPYING ANY PREVIOUSLY POSTED TEST QUESTION (review before you post)

· 3-NO FORMATING,  NO indentations, NO BOLD, CAPITALS, ETC

· 4-INCLUDE AN EXPLANATION AND Resource

· 5-When you write an incorrect response, check it out.   Some people create responses that are worded terribly, make no sense, or are actually correct.

EXAMPLES 

1-Point QUESTION (is a very poor effort)

                -if you write a True-False question, make a very meager effort or make multiple errors

2-Point Example

-a two point question shows minor effort and creativity—it is not thought provoking

-there are either misspellings, major grammatical errors, or it makes no sense

-any question that asks for a numerical answer (like a percentage)

What is the percentage of Earth’s water that is tied up in glacial ice?

                                A) 3%                    B) 10 %                 C) 30%                  D) 50%

Answer: A

Explanation: 3% or Earth’s water is tied up in Ice

3-Point Example

                 -a three point question promotes a bit of thought but is still quite simple

-if there are not four “unique” response or you use….  D) all the above, or none of the above

                – if you write a decent question but make too many spelling or grammatical errors

IN the ITCZ, or inter-tropical convergence zone, there is a tendency for the warm humid near the ocean to move this way?

A) north               B) south               C) up                      D) down

Answer: C

Explanation:  The ITCZ is where the atmosphere is the hottest, most energetic and is the zone on Earth where low density air is constantly rising. (link input here)

4-Point Example

                -well written, thought provoking, no major mistakes

-good job of referencing and explaining

According to the otter-urchin-kelp interaction example illustrated in the article “The Functioning of Marine Ecosystems”, which of the following species will be categorized as a keystone species?

A) Kelp, because the productivity of kelp determines food abundance for marine animals.

B) Urchin, because urchin prevent food overabundance provided by kelp.

C) Urchin, because urchin are an important food source for higher trophic level marine animals.

D) Sea otter, otters stabilize the system in the kelp forest by reducing urchin grazing.

Answer: D

Explanation: The keystone species is one “whose impact on its community or ecosystem is large, and disproportionately large relative to its abundance” (Power et al., 1996). In this example, the sea otter is a high trophic level marine animal. Therefore, their abundance determines the abundance of the other two species. Although option A, B, C are facts, urchin and kelp are not keystone species.

Grading will be based on

1-Spelling

2-Accuracy

3-Format

4-Depth of Thought and Inquiry

5-Validity

6- Relevancy

7-Citation and explanation

4 POINTS POSSIBLE

· 1 POINT=POOR QUESTION, or too many errors

· 2 POINTS=AVERAGE QUESTION, slight errors

· 3 POINTS=GOOD QUESTION, no errors

· 4 POINTS= VERY GOOD QUESTION  (full credit)