THALASSA prepared a laboratory and practical class for approximately fifty students at the Lycée Massena of Nice following a request from the SVT teacher Mr Langouet. Students were introduced to cnidarians, their role and ecological importance but also to the environmental challenges this organisms face.
We chose as study model the symbiotic sea anemone Anemonia viridis present in the french Mediterranean coast. We let them discover the different feeding strategies of this symbiotic cnidarian by extraction of cnidocysts directly from animal tentacles and observation under the microscope, as well as observation and quantification of the photosynthetic unicellular algae using a hemocytometer.
This teaching afternoon was the opportunity to exchange with students about a Mediterranean species and learn how much one species can teach us about the characteristics and fragility of these organisms around the world.
