Classroom/Laboratory Activity: Survival Skills—Response of Organisms to Climate Change

A classroom/laboratory activity to analyze the distribution of beetle, mammal, and plant species (for datasets from North America) in the past (based on fossil records), determine whether the same species exist today, and compare the past and present geographic ranges and ecosystems of these species.

Students will create maps, analyze data, and interpret their findings to learn how organisms have survived climate change since this last glacial maximum (LGM). Students will determine ecoregion changes over the past 20,000 years and the resulting geographic range shifts for some species.

Use this tool to help your students find answers to:

1. How does climate change affect ecoregions?
2. Describe the geographic range shift of the beetle species that lived in eastern Iowa during the last glacial maximum (based on the data provided in the activity).

About the Tool

Tool Name	Beetles, Mammals, and Plants: Is Climate Driving Range Shifts Since the Last Glacial Maximum
Discipline	Biological Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline	Biodiversity, Animal Diversity, Evolution and Behavior, Species and Speciation, Ecology, Populations, Zoogeography
Climate Topic	Climate and the Biosphere
Type of Tool	Laboratory Activity
Grade Level	Undergraduate
Location	North America
	USA
	Iowa
Language	English
Translation
Developed by	Christian George (High Point University), Jessie Rock (North Dakota State University), Allan Ashworth, North Dakota State University)
Hosted at	Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College
Link	https://serc.carleton.edu/neotoma/activities/121242.html
Access	Online
Computer Skills	Intermediate