Lesson Plan: Teaching about Microbial Life and Climate Change

Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.

1.Introduce the topic through videos	When teaching the topic of microbes, discuss the relationship between microbial life and climate. As climate change alters the environment, microorganisms respond, adapt, and evolve in their surroundings. Microorganisms have generation times that may be as short as a few hours; therefore, they respond to environmental and climate-related changes at a faster rate than most other organisms. Thus, microbes are ideal systems for understanding the effects of climate change on biological systems. • Play the micro-lecture (approx. 3 min) “What Are Microbes?” to provide an overview of microbes, their classification, and their role in the biosphere. • The micro-lecture “What Are Microbes?”, provided by RMIT University and contributed by Dr. Taghrid Istivan, is available at https://www.rmit.edu.au/media-objects/multimedia/video/seh/how-stuff-works/what-are-microbes. • Discuss the significant role of microbes in sustaining life on earth. • Now, play the animation/video (approx. 3 min) “Food Pathogens and Temperature” to illustrate how microbial growth depends on various environmental factors. Use the graphs in the animation to explain the effect of changing temperature on microbial growth. Proceed to explain how global warming may affect microbial growth and establish a relationship between the environment and microbes. • The animation/video “Food Pathogens and Temperature” is provided by McGraw Hill and is available at http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072501855/student_view0/chapter16/animation_quiz_1.html. • Note: This tool requires a Flash player, and therefore, may not play in some browsers. Please enable the Flash player or use a browser (such as Firefox) that supports the playback of Flash content.
2.  Discuss the topic further through a reading activity	•  Now, use the handout in the reading “Microbes and Climate Change” to explain the crucial role of microbes in the environment. Discuss the role of microbes in gas cycling, the consumption and production of greenhouse gases by microbes, and the resulting effects on climate. • This reading discusses the role of microbes in ecological systems and their role in the biogeochemical cycling of elements such as carbon and nitrogen. • This handout and reading is provided by the Microbiology Society and is available at https://microbiologysociety.org/uploads/assets/uploaded/f4c5c7a3-3386-427b-a5cafc7d2102806c.pdf.  • Note: More information on the relationship between microbes and climate/climate change can be found in the Additional Resources section.
3. Conduct a classroom activity	•  Next, help students explore this topic further in an engaging manner through a classroom activity “Microbes and Climate”. In this activity, students can use online resources to identify the relationship between a specific marine microbe and the climate system. They will then present their findings. • The classroom activity “Microbes and Climate”, created through the Educational and Research Testing Hypotheses program from Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research Institute, is available at https://www.mbari.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Microbe-climate_student.pdf. • This handout and reading is provided by the Microbiology Society and is available at https://microbiologysociety.org/uploads/assets/uploaded/f4c5c7a3-3386-427b-a5cafc7d2102806c.pdf

 

Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:

1. What are microbes?
2. What are the factors that influence microbial growth?
3. What is the relationship between microbes and climate?
4. How might climate change affect microbial growth and survival?

The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:

1. describe the relationship between microbes, the environment, and climate
2. describe microbial growth and its phases, and the key factors affecting microbial growth
3. discuss the possible impacts of climate change on microbes

If you or your students would like to explore the topic further, these additional resources will be useful.

Reading	A reading, “Is Climate Change Putting World’s Microbiomes at Risk?” by Jim Robbins on YaleEnvironment360, that briefly describes the impact of climate change on microbial growth. Go to the Reading
Laboratory Activity	A laboratory activity, “Effect of pH on Growth Rate” from Prof. John Blamire and hosted on the Brooklyn College website, that will help students to analyze the effect of changing pH on microbial growth and survival. Go to the Activity
Reading	The reading resources, “Carbon cycle” and “Nitrogen cycle” from the Microbiology Society, describe how microbes interact with the environment through the carbon and nitrogen cycle. Carbon cycle Nitrogen cycle
Reading	A reading, “Climate Change Could Impact Vital Functions of Microbes” from the American Society for Microbiology and available on ScienceDaily, to learn about the impact of climate on microbes. Go to the Reading
Reading	A reading resource, “Other Environmental Conditions that Affect Growth” from OpenStax on LibreTexts, to learn more about the environmental factors affecting microbial growth (see modules 9.3, 9.4, and 9.5 for relevant material). Go to the Reading

1.       Video/Micro-lecture, “What Are Microbes?”	RMIT University; Dr. Taghrid Istivan
2.       Video (animation), “Food Pathogens and Temperature”	McGraw Hill Education
3.       Reading, “Microbes and Climate Change”	The Microbiology Society
4.       Classroom Activity, “Microbes and Climate”	Joan Matsuzaki, Katie Lodes, Michelle Garcia, Liz Kumabe, Beth Marass, Linda McIntosh; Educational and Research Testing Hypotheses program from Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research Institute
5.       Additional Resources	Jim Robbins on YaleEnvironment360; Prof. John Blamire, hosted on the Brooklyn College website; The Microbiology Society; The American Society for Microbiology, available on ScienceDaily; OpenStax, LibreTexts
6.       Images	Yale News