Ecosystems Practical Activity

Thank you for participating in the Marine Mammal Foundation Ecosystems education program. To complete the activity, please answer all questions below. Once you have completed all of the questions, please submit your answers.

To begin the practical activity, use the provided Burrunan dolphin sighting data set for the summer, autumn, winter and spring seasons, and plot the sightings onto the relevant seasonal Port Phillip Bay maps. For each coordinate, colour in the associated square.

Once you have completed the data set, please use the additional data provided to the following questions.

Participant's Name

First Name

Last Name

Participant's School

Participant's Year Level

Question 1

Looking at the 4 maps you have created, do you observe any patterns, trends, similarities, or differences in the distribution of Burrunan dolphins across Port Phillip Bay for each season? Please describe your observations.

Question 2

The beside map identifies the location of seagrass regions within Port Phillip Bay. Comparing and contrasting the maps you have created, do you think seagrass habitat influences the distribution of Burrunan dolphins in Port Phillip Bay?

Question 3

The beside maps contain the distribution of snapper and southern calamari in Port Phillip Bay. We know that snapper are usually found in the Bay during the winter months, and southern calamari are more abundant during the summer. Using the maps you have created, do you think the distribution of these fish species influences the distribution of Burrunan dolphins within Port Phillip Bay? If so, why or why not?

Question 4

Using the knowledge you have developed about the distribution of Burrunan dolphins in Port Phillip Bay, please summarise what you believe drives the distribution of dolphins in the Bay each season.

Question 5

Understanding species distribution such as the Burrunan dolphin is important to make evidence-based conservation decisions which effectively conserve and protect our environments. Using the beside image of Port Phillip Bay Marine Protected Areas, do you feel that these MPA’s are located in areas to best protect the Burrunan dolphin? Please explain your reasoning as to why/why not.

Question 6

Would you change the location of MPA’s in Port Phillip Bay? Why/why not?

seagrass regions.png — Q2. Seagrass areas in Port Phillip Bay

snapper distribution.png — Q3a. Snapper distribution in Port Phillip Bay.

Calamari distribution.png — Q3b. Southern calamari distribution in Port Phillip Bay

Marine national parks.png — Q5. Marine Protected Area (MPA) locations in Port Phillip Bay (identified in orange)

Ecosystems Practical Activity

Ecosystems Practical Activity

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