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Think Outside the Box: Predicting the Spread of Invasive Species

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Wildlife
  • Globalization
  • Invasive Species
  • Nonnative
  • Scales
  • The Great Lakes
  • Zebra Mussel
The cover of "Thin Outside the Box" featuring a blue and green graphic of bug outlines
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Globalization causes many things to happen. For the scientists in this study, globalization has increased the spread of invasive species. If scientists can predict the spread of invasive species, the spread may be slowed or stopped. The question the scientists in this study wanted to answer is: How can scientists better predict the spread of invasive species?

Think Outside the Box: Predicting the Spread of Invasive Species

Part Of

Ecosystem Services - Vol. 12 No. 1

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Download PDF
  • In this activity, students will explore their schoolyard at different scales. The question students will answer is: What are the similarities and differences of the schoolyard ecosystem at different scales?

    FACTivity – Thinking Outside the Box

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Wildlife
    • Compare and Contrast
    • Ecosystem
    • Habitat
    • Observation
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Sampling
    • Scales
    In this activity, students will explore their schoolyard at different scales. The question students will answer is: What are the similarities and differences of the schoolyard ecosystem at different scales?
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Think Outside the Box: Predicting the Spread of Invasive Species

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Glossary

View All Glossary
  • biodiversity

    (bī ō dǝ vǝr sǝ tē ): Biological variety in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.

  • collaboration

    (kǝ la bǝ rā shǝn): The act of working together.

  • data

    (dā tǝ or da tǝ): Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

  • economy

    (i kä nǝ mē): A system relating to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a country, area, or period.

  • ecosystem

    (ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.

  • globalization

    (glō bə lə zā shən): The act or process or state of making worldwide in scope or application; especially, the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets.

  • invasive species

    (in vā siv spē sēz): An organism that is not native to the place where it is found and tends to grow and spread easily usually to the detriment (harm) of native species and ecosystems.

  • nonnative

    (nän nā tiv): Not naturally occurring in an area.

  • population

    (pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.

  • resilience

    (ri zil yən(t)s): An ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

  • scale

    (skāl): (1) Something graduated especially when used as a measure or rule: such as a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances or a range of responses to a statement that vary from strongly agree to strongly disagree; (2) A distinctive relative size, extent, or degree.

  • species

    (spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.

  • Dr. Tom Crist working in the field.

    Tom Crist

    Ecology

    My favorite science experience was conducting field studies on the biodiversity of forest canopy insects in Ohio.
    View Profile
  • Dr. Bob Parmenter working in the field.

    Bob Parmenter

    Biologist | Wildlife Ecologist

    “[One of] my favorite science experience[s] has been working on the Mount St. Helens volcano since its explosive eruption in 1980. In the early years after the eruption, the roads...
    View Profile
  • A photo of Dr. Ariel Lugo and a group of people hiking along a river.

    Ariel Lugo

    Tropical Ecologist

    “My favorite science experience is trying to understand the functioning of natural ecosystems in collaboration with bright people, including high school students.” “[Another] favorite science experience is interacting with other...
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Lesson Plans
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • 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.

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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.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • 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.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • 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.


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    Director, Natural Inquirer program

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Lessons

  • This lesson plan has students analyze how an article fits into the broader theme of the journal, specifically the Ecosystem Services edition of Natural Inquirer. Also included is a bonus...

    Lesson Plan – Ecosystem Services

    • Lesson Plan
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    This lesson plan has students analyze how an article fits into the broader theme of the journal, specifically the Ecosystem Services edition of Natural Inquirer. Also included is a bonus...
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Ecosystem Services - Vol. 12 No. 1

Education Files

Jump To

  • Additional Resources

Additional Resources

  • U.S. Geological Survey: Zebra Mussel Distribution Map

    A distribution map from the USGS. This map is updated frequently.

    View Website
  • U.S. Geological Survey: Zebra Mussel Information Page

    The zebra mussel is a small shellfish named for the striped pattern of its shell. However, color patterns can vary to the point of having only dark or light colored shells with no stripes. This mussel is typically found attached to objects, surfaces, or other mussels by threads extending from underneath the shells.

    Visit Website
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The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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