What are the factors that make up an ecosystem? Students will be able to identify the biotic and abiotic factors of an ecosystem and explain how they impact each other.
In this Nature video, learn about the extraordinary impact that birds have on the agriculture of a small Indian community.
In this video, Paul Andersen explains how ecosystems respond to disruptions. Disruptions can cause changes in the number and variety of organisms. It can also lead to migration, extinction or even speciation. Ecosystems that have higher biodiversity are able to respond to large disruptions over time. [6:52]
Paul Andersen explains how ecosystems function. He begins with a description of how life on the planet is ordered from large to small in biomes, ecosystems, communities, population, and individuals. He describes the major terrestrial and aquatic biomes on the planet. [11:14]
Explains how energy flows in ecosystems. Energy enters via producers through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Producers and consumers release the energy from food through cellular respiration. An explanation of gross primary productivity and net primary productivity are included. [7:46]
How and why do organisms interact with their environment and what are the effects of these interactions? [8:13]
Paul Andersen explains how the Earth's climate will natural change due to interactions between the Sun and Earth, volcanism, and plate tectonics. Species may go extinct leading to adaptive radiation or may move to a suitable climate. Primary and secondary succession are also discussed. [6:38]
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on physical characteristics of the ecosystem surrounding their school.
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on physical changes of the ecosystem surrounding their school habitat.
In this interactive activity from Shedd Aquarium, build a fish and then release it into the reef to search for food and evade predators. Try different combinations and observe how each kind of fish has unique adaptations that help it survive in its habitat.
Meet an environmental researcher who discovered as a young child his interest in the environment and now works to improve natural ecosystems in southeastern Ohio.
In this video segment from NatureScene, explore Cartwheel Bay, a wetland in South Carolina, and learn about the variety of carnivorous plants native to this unique landform.
In this video adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, learn about carnivorous plants that act as both producers and consumers in an ecosystem. See sundews and blatterworts capture and digest insects.
This site provides information on the different biomes of the Earth. There are links to related information and other topics.
In this video adapted from the Arctic Athabaskan Council, learn how warmer temperatures in the Arctic are transforming the landscape, triggering a host of effects such as permafrost thawing and insect infestations.
In this video [3:54] adapted from the Arctic Athabaskan Council, learn how warmer temperatures in the Arctic are transforming the landscape, triggering a host of effects such as permafrost thawing and insect infestations.
Welcome to the Zoo's Online Resource Library. Use the search box above to explore our growing collection of digital resources. Check the navigation bar at the top of the page and the categories below for more search options. If you’re an educator, click Lesson Plans.
This article continues an examination of each of the seven essential principles of climate literacy on which the online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured. Principle 2 covers the complex interactions among the components of the Earth system. The author discusses the scientific concepts underlying the interactions and expands the discussion with diagrams, photos, and online resources.
This video segment from Nature shows the destructiveness of the shark fin and shark cartilage industries.
Explore a NetLogo model of populations of rabbits, grass, and weeds. First, adjust the model to start with a different rabbit population size. Then adjust model variables, such as how fast the plants or weeds grow, to get more grass than weeds. Change the amount of energy the grass or weeds provide to the rabbits and the food preference. Use line graphs to monitor the effects of changes you make to the model, and determine which settings affect the proportion of grass to weeds when rabbits eat both.