Lion In Wait: How Citizens Helped Scientists Identify a Rapid Invasion of Lionfish
Over the past decade, humans have introduced two species of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) into the Atlantic Ocean. These fishes have been seen in a wide range of Atlantic marine habitats, including coral reefs, hard bottoms, seagrass meadows, mangroves, and oyster reefs. Sightings in different habitats mean that Indo-Pacific lionfish are found across a wide area, making it difficult to track their expanding numbers. In this research, the scientists wanted to compare the different ways that information is collected about Indo-Pacific lionfish in an area of the Gulf of Mexico.
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In this FACTivity, you will try different methods of collecting data about types of shoes worn at your school. The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: How does...FACTivity – Lion in Wait
In this FACTivity, you will try different methods of collecting data about types of shoes worn at your school. The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: How does...
Glossary
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Steven Scyphers
My favorite science experience is meeting and hearing stories directly from commercial fishers and other residents of coastal communities. Commercial fishers are people who fish as a part of their...View Profile -
Lad Akins
My favorite science experience is working with nonscientists to answer scientific questions. Many students, SCUBA divers, and interested members of the general public are helping to address issues like the...View Profile -
Marcus Drymon
My favorite science experience has been the opportunity to use data from our shark population monitoring program. This program keeps track of shark populations and applies the information to management...View Profile -
Pam Schofield
So far, my favorite science experience has been living and working in Uganda, East Africa, where I studied the effects of nonnative fishes on the Lake Victoria ecosystem. Uganda is...View Profile -
Charles Martin
My favorite science experience is answering questions about nature. My curiosity about how the natural world works, and how humans have changed the world, drives my scientific research program. I...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- Civic Ideals and Practices
- Global Connections
- Individual Development and Identity
- Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Lessons
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In this lesson, students will use graphic organizers to help guide their reading of an article. Materials: Graphic organizers (included) Writing utensil This lesson plan can be used with any...Lesson Plan – Reading Graphic Organizers
In this lesson, students will use graphic organizers to help guide their reading of an article. Materials: Graphic organizers (included) Writing utensil This lesson plan can be used with any...
Education Files
Project Learning Tree
If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Did You Notice?” and “Improve Your Place” as additional resources.
Citizen Science Connections
iCoast is a project aimed at improving scientific knowledge of coastal erosion issues. Coastal erosion is the process or state of washing away land in coastal areas. Coastal erosion is a common issue following extreme storm events, such as hurricanes. Extreme storms can change or
damage the natural environment and human-made structures.
Scientists have taken more than 140,000 photos of coastal areas
before and after 24 different extreme storms. However, the scientists are
unable to compare and contrast all the photos by themselves. Scientists are asking citizen scientists to use iCoast to identify changes and damage to coastal areas using the photos.
iCoast lets citizen scientists:
• Learn about coastal erosion issues;
• Compare and contrast coastal erosion photos;
• Submit data about coastal erosion following extreme storm events; and
• Contribute to science.
iCoast is a project created by the U.S. Geological Survey. More than
1,000 citizen scientists assist scientists with the iCoast project.
(Note: since the publication of this edition, the iCoast project has been retired.)