Big Fleas Have Little Fleas

A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw Sierpinski triangles and then work together to construct a model of a benthic habitat with the same structure. They apply what they have experienced to how corals can help support complex communities. This can be used in an ecology or biology class.