Benthic Macroinvertebrates Curriculum Overview (6th-8th Grade)
Benthic Macroinvertebrates Curriculum Overview (9th-12th Grade)
Benthic macroinvertebrates, or “stream bugs”, are aquatic animals living at the bottom of the water that are big enough to see with the naked eye and do not have a backbone. These stream bugs are vitally important to the local ecosystem, from being the primary consumers of plankton and detritus to providing a food source for young salmon. Rivers, lakes, and ponds throughout our watershed contain dozens of different species of stream bugs, but they may be hard to spot if you don’t know where to look!
Stream bug labs can take place in the classroom or in the field. For more information, please read through the curriculum overviews above or reach out to Sam Nadell at snadell@thurstoncd.com.
