Dr. Malin Pinsky presented his current research at the January 9, 2014 STEM Educators’ Series. Dr. Pinsky discussed his work on the evolutionary impacts of fisheries on fish species throughout the world and his use of meta-analysis techniques. Following the lecture, we shared lesson plans related to evolution and fisheries as well as discussed how to bring these topics into your classrooms/clubs.
Below we have included a summary of Dr. Pinsky, Background Materials, the evening broadcast and presentation .pdf, and adapted Lesson Plans to teach on the topics of evolution and fisheries.
Enjoy! The East Coast MARE Team
Dr. Malin Pinsky –
Dr. Malin Pinsky is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Williams College and completed his Ph.D. in Biology at Stanford University. His broad research interests are in marine conservation biology and spatial ecology. His research integrates theory, population genetic, and field ecology to understand the population dynamics of coastal marine species. Put simply, why are species found here and not there? Why are there so many of this species, but so few of that one? Dispersal, human impacts, climate change, and local adaptation are some of the processes that are critical to population dynamics, and yet integrating them together into a holistic picture has been difficult.
Background Materials-
Evolution & Natural Selection:
Genetic Diversity:
Click here to access background information about Fisheries and/or Fish Science.
Science Presentation & Evening Program-
If you are interested in watching the broadcast of the event, click here: https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/42578682.
If you are interested in downloading the presentation slides, click here: Dr. Pinksy’s Presentation
Lesson Plans-
We have developed lessons using data presented during Dr. Pinsky’s talk for your classrooms.
Structure and Take Home Message: Through a hands-on demonstration and real fish genetic diversity data, students will be exposed to the relationship between genetic diversity and overfishing for a variety of fish groups as well as think through the potential consequences of this relationship. A bottleneck lowers the genetic diversity in a population and this can potentially harm the population or individuals within a population. Overfishing a fish population creates a bottleneck, which results in a lower amount of genetic diversity in fish populations that have been overfished. NOTE – This lesson assumes that your students have an understanding of DNA and genes. Click here to download the: New Jersey Core Curriculum Content – Science: Science Practices: Understand Scientific Explanations – 5.1.8.A.2 Common Core English Language Arts Standards: Common Core Math Standards: Next Generation Science Standards: Natural Selection and Adaption, MS-LS4-4 – Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals’ probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment. Science & Engineering Practice Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts Natural Selection and Evolution, MS-LS4-6 – Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time. Science & Engineering Practice Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting ConceptsCan Overfishing Impact Genes and Fish? (Middle School) Lesson:
Science Practices: Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations- 5.1.8.B.2, 5.1.8.B.4
Science Practices: Reflect on Scientific Knowledge- 5.1.8.C.1
Science Practices: Participate Productively in Society – 5.1.8.D.1, 5.1.8.D.2
Life Science: Heredity and Reproduction- 5.3.8.D.3
Life Science: Interdependence- 5.3.6.C.1
WHST.6-8.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
WHST.6-8.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
SL.8.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.8.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
SL.8.5
Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
MP.2
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
6.RP.A.1
Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
6.SP.B.5
Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context.
6.EE.B.6
Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.
7.RP.A.2
Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
LS4.B: Natural Selection
Cause and Effect
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
LS4.C: Adaptation
Cause and Effect
Structure and Take Home Message: The students will be exposed to data on genetic diversity (diversity of DNA sequences) and overfishing for a variety of fish groupings. Students will be assigned a fish group to investigate the potential relationship between overfishing and genetic diversity. They will combine their data as a class to look for overall patterns across fish groups, to discuss data interpretation questions, and to make predictions of the potential impact on the genetic diversity of a fish group based on overfishing. Overfishing can remove many individuals from a population, which can lead to a population bottleneck, which can result in a loss of genetic diversity in the fish population. NOTE – This lesson assumes that your students have an understanding of DNA, genetic diversity, and population bottlenecks. Click here to download the: New Jersey Core Curriculum Content – Science: Science Practices: Understand Scientific Explanations – 5.1.12.A.2, 5.1.12.A.3 Common Core English Language Arts Standards: Common Core Math Standards: Next Generation Science Standards: Natural Selection and Evolution, HS-LS4-3 – Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait. Science & Engineering Practice Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts Natural Selection and Evolution, HS-LS4-4 – Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations. Science & Engineering Practice Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting ConceptsDoes Overfishing Impact the Genetic Diversity of Fish? (Middle School) Lesson:
Science Practices: Reflect on Scientific Knowledge- 5.1.12.C.1, 5.1.12.C.2, 5.1.12.C.3
Science Practices: Participate Productively in Society – 5.1.12.D.1, 5.1.12.D.2
Life Science: Heredity and Reproduction- 5.3.12.D.2
Life Science: Interdependence- 5.3.12.C.2
SL.11-12.5
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
RST.11-12.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
RST.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
MP.2
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
HSN.Q.A.1
Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.
HSN.Q.A.3
Choose a level of accuracy appropriate to limitations on measurement when reporting quantities.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
LS4.B: Natural Selection; LS4.C: Adaptation
Patterns
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
LS4.C: Adaptation
Cause and Effect