Part III: Saltmarsh Habitat

This lesson is designed to follow “Assessing fish-habitat value” lesson plan where the students were introduced to the saltmarsh habitat. The objective here, is to have students gain insight into the provision of ecosystem services and the possible impact of human activities on saltmarsh habitat. Students will begin by examining marsh-grass density and learn about interactions between saltmarsh and the water column as it pertains to sedimentation. Next, the students will manipulate a dataset to explore habitat quality and biodiversity of saltmarsh. The lesson is in two parts, which can also be used as stand-alone exercises. The movie and links to all of the necessary materials are below. Start off by reading through the lesson plan.