CARD ACTIVITY 1: Classification
Summary
This is a card sort activity that uses the marine life on the Great Barrier Reef to help students understand the principles of biological
classification using real examples.
The species, orders and other classifications contained within the marine life cards represent a broad range of kingdoms and phyla.
Each marine life card includes a section of taxonomic information at the top. Some cards refer to single species such as the Clown
Anemonefish (Amphirion ocellaris), with Kingdom, Phylum and Class information in Latin, and common names included where
possible. Other cards refer to broader classifications such as whole Phylum, Cyanobacteria, or Orders, Sea Anemones (Actiniaria).
Teachers can choose how they wish to use the activity across a range of different classifications, e.g.:
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Using the taxonomic information on each card
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Sorting by e.g. feeding habit or size
Preparation
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Download the Great Barrier Reef marine life cards from: http://oceans.digitalexplorer.com/resources/?collection=coral-oceans
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Print out enough copies for each group
Activity
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Split the class into groups
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Hand out a set of marine life cards to each group
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By reading through and discussing the cards, the students sort each example of marine life according to the taxonomic group
or other form of classification
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Discuss as a class what group each card belongs to, and what the characteristics are of that group
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Discuss scientific keys and challenge the groups to make their own key with the cards they have

Use the underwater panoramas at http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/site/panedia/heron-island to put the different forms of
marine life into context
Bring the oceans to your classroom: oceans.digitalexplorer.com
Copyright © Digital Explorer CIC 2013
CARD ACTIVITY 2: Food webs
Summary
This activity uses cards of marine life around the Great Barrier Reef which students link up a food chain or web depending on age and
ability of the class
The activity supports topics looking at ecosystems and food webs. Students are encouraged to understand how much each species
relies on another. You may like to follow this activity with Activity 3 looking at symbiosis to reinforce this, or Activity 4 looking at the
threats that are affecting the balance of the coral reef food web.

What’s the longest food chain students can make?
Preparation

Download the Great Barrier Reef marine life cards from: http://oceans.digitalexplorer.com/resources/?collection=coral-oceans

Print out enough copies for each group
Activity

Split the class into groups
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Hand out a set of species cards to each group
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By reading through and discussing the feeding information on the cards, the students come up with one or several food chains
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Challenge the students to link up their food chains into a web
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Discuss what food chains or webs illustrate and the impact of population changes to a particular species

Use the underwater panoramas at http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/site/panedia/heron-island to put the different forms of
marine life into context
Bring the oceans to your classroom: oceans.digitalexplorer.com
Copyright © Digital Explorer CIC 2013
CARD ACTIVITY 3: Symbiosis
Summary
This activity investigates how the marine life around the Great Barrier Reef can exist in symbiotic relationships. Using the marine life
cards, students explore how certain species are linked through symbiosis and match them up in pairs.
The activity supports topics looking at ecosystems and symbiosis. Students are encouraged to explore how much each species relies
on another, and how this affects the whole ecosystem.

How many symbiotic pairs can students find? (there are 3 examples in the cards - pearlfish and sea cucumbers; clown anemonefish and anemones; and cleaner wrasse and larger fish e.g. maori wrasse or manta rays)

What distinguishes a symbiotic relationship from other relationships on the Great Barrier Reef, e.g. feeding?
Preparation

Download the Great Barrier Reef marine life cards from: http://oceans.digitalexplorer.com/resources/?collection=coral-oceans

Print out enough copies for each group
Activity

Split the class into groups
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Hand out a set of marine life cards to each group and introduce the idea of symbiosis
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By reading through and discussing the cards, the students come up with as many pairs as they can find
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Discuss the relationships and what students found most interesting
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Challenge the students to find relationships involving two or more species
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Discuss how this symbiosis helps to sustain the coral ecosystem, and what might upset this balance

Use the underwater panoramas at http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/site/panedia/heron-island to put the different forms of marine life into context
Bring the oceans to your classroom: oceans.digitalexplorer.com
Copyright © Digital Explorer CIC 2013
CARD ACTIVITY 4: Threats
Summary
This activity uses environmental threat cards to investigate the different factors affecting marine life on the Great Barrier Reef.
Students explore what these threats are, and sort the different forms of marine life by the threats that affect them.
The activity supports topics looking at environmental changes, and their impact on life on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as examining
the human contribution to environmental change.
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What is the biggest threat facing coral ecosystems?
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Why is this the biggest threat and how did it come about?
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How important is it to investigate threats that affect habitat forming organisms such as corals or marine life at the bottom of
the food chain?
Preparation

Download the Great Barrier Reef threats & marine life cards from:
http://oceans.digitalexplorer.com/resources/?collection=coral-oceans

Print out enough copies for each group
Activity

Split the class into groups
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Hand out a set of marine life cards and threats cards to each group and run through the threats cards as a whole class
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By reading through and discussing the marine life cards, the students sort these by the relevant threats
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Discuss as a class what students feel is the biggest threat and what impact this could have on the coral ecosystem
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Discuss the species which are vulnerable to a combination of threats, emphasising the interrelations within the ecosystem and
between other ecosystems on a local, national and global scale

Use the underwater panoramas at http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/site/panedia/heron-island to put the different forms of
marine life into context
Bring the oceans to your classroom: oceans.digitalexplorer.com
Copyright © Digital Explorer CIC 2013