Running time: 4 minutes. 2016
Free Filtration for Puerto Rico
Learn about the shrimp who work 24/7, 365 days a year to keep the rivers and streams of Puerto Rico running clear. These crustaceans sweep the streambed and filter particles out of the flow to keep waters clean for swimming and drinking. In the process they serve as vital components of the tropical stream ecosystem.
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Applicable Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by grade level include:
Grades 3-5
LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures & processes
LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy & dynamics
LS4 Biological Evolution: Biodiversity & humans
ESS3C Human impacts on earth systems
Middle School
LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy & dynamics
LS4 Biological Evolution: Biodiversity & humans
ESS3-4 Earth and human activity
ESS3C Human impacts on earth systems
High School
LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy & dynamics
LS4 Biological Evolution: Biodiversity & humans
ESS3-4 Earth and human activity
ESS3C Human impacts on earth systems
Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns, similarity and diversity, Cause and effect; Stability and change
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Students will learn about the role freshwater shrimp play in filtering tropical streams and rivers.
Students will learn that dams can pose a barrier to shrimp and fish migration.
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Freshwater Shrimp - Any shrimp that live most of their lives in fresh water.
Functional Feeding Group - A set of species that source their food in similar ways. In freshwater shrimps, functional feeding groups include filter feeders, shredders, and predators.
Filter Feeding - Straining fine particles of food out of the water.
Aquatic Connectivity - The degree of connectedness in a watershed. Rivers with few barriers that block fish movement have high aquatic connectivity while rivers with lots of dams and culverts which block movement have lower aquatic connectivity.
Dams - Structures built across rivers and streams block the flow of water.
Migration -The movement of a large number of animals from one place to another.
Ecosystem - An interconnected system consisting of all the living organisms and non-living features of the environment found in a particular place.
Ecosystem Services - Value provided to humans by the natural functioning of ecosystems.
Watch the Film
In English. EN, ES closed captions optional (use 'CC' box in bottom control bar). Full screen viewing button on lower right.
Film Discussion and Reflection
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What are the roles of shrimp species in Puerto Rico? What functional feeding groups do they represent?
What are some threats to shrimp survival?
Why do humans like to use the same waters that shrimp occupy?
Where do shrimp exist in the food web relative to other species?
Why are so many types of shrimp able to live in the same place?
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What aquatic organisms play similar roles in your local streams?
How might river systems be modified to improve conditions for migrating species?
Without shrimp, how would a society clean its water? What costs might be associated if shrimp are lost from streams?
What are some other examples of ecosystem services performed by other species?
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Dr. Alan Covich - Professor Emeritus, University of Georgia
Images available to download for educational and classroom uses. Access more freshwater imagery at the Freshwaters Illustrated Archive.
Extended Exploration
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Mapping a tropical stream in the rain forest Gr 6-12
Using Google Earth, students map migration of shrimp, and compare seasonal patterns of the tropics to the region where they live.
Measure shredder activities in stream leafpacks Gr 5-12
From the Stroud Water Research Center: leafpacknetwork.org - Detailed lesson plans, background information and resources for kids to place leaf packs in a local stream, recovering the packs and identifying the kinds of invertebrates that are eating the decomposing leaves.
WikiWatershed.org - A web tool kit including an app for contributing leaf pack data to compare with other students.
Count filter feeders in a local stream Gr 7-12
From the Stroud Water Research Center: Rock Pack Experiment Detailed lesson plans, background information and resources for kids to assess net-spinning caddisfly activities from rocks they’ve recovered after leaving them for 4 weeks.
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El Yunque National Forest - Information about the national forest featured in the film.
“Caribbean Cruise,” National Inquirer Number 18 The Freshwater Edition pp. 41-57: Examining the amount and quality of organic matter over time from two Caribbean Watersheds. Written for high school students, this article describes many physical dimensions of El Yunque, including the effects of Hurricane Hugo and drought, illustrates the importance of Course Particulate Organic Matter (CPOM) in the stream food web, and provides student activities to assess long term stream flow.
Stroud Water Research Center: leafpacknetwork.org. The Leaf Pack Network Manual Introduction chapter has very accessible, well-illustrated information about stream invertebrates and stream ecology, including functional feeding groups and stream continuum.
Functional Feeding Groups: National Park Service Aquatic Insects and Macroinvertebrates
A Teacher’s Guide to Ellie’s Log by Judith Li. (available online at www.ellieslog.org) See Activity 12: “A Rotten Experiment” is a classroom experiment in which students measure the rate of leaf decomposition for different leaves.
El Yunque National Forest
• Search for El Yunque at http://www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque (Learning center information in Spanish and English).
• America's Rain Forests: a distance learning comparison of temperate and tropical rainforests with student and teacher resources.
• Shrimp of El Yunque National Forest: a two-page guide to native shrimp.
Journey to El Yunque - Journey to El Yunque is an interactive online inquiry that invites middle school students to learn how El Yunque forest animals are adapted to hurricanes, and to investigate how more frequent and intense hurricanes might impact them in the future.
Luquillo LTER River Education Program provides information about natural resources of the El Yunque forest.
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Rio Mameyes watershed
Luquillo Long Term Ecological Research Site
Related Pages and Lessons
Tags: click a tag to view other film pages related to that subject.
