What is Biodiversity?

This excerpt from the KET Kentucky Life Biodiversity series, offers a brief overview of what we mean when we refer to the biodiversity of a particular area or region.

Think Garden: A Year in the Garden

This video tells the story of a traditional summer garden over the course of a year. Learn how to prepare for a garden during winter months. See students get their gardens ready for planting, and then watch as they tend to their gardens all summer.

Select Species Groups of Kentucky

In this interactive adapted from Kentucky’s Natural Heritage: An Illustrated Guide to Biodiversity, students will learn about the variety of species that call Kentucky their home.

Think Garden: What's a Food Chain?

This video illustrates why all living things need food and explains how organisms provide energy to each other. Colorful graphics show the difference between a food chain and a food web, and an animation and poem make food chains easy to understand.

Select Natural Communities

In this interactive adapted from Kentucky's Natural Heritage: An Illustrated Guide to Biodiversity, students will learn about the four major natural communities and the types of organisms that live in each.

Cave Species and Karst Landscapes

In this interactive adapted from Kentucky's Natural Heritage: A Guide to Biodiversity, students will learn about karst landscape, where caves are most prevalent, as well as the different species that can be found in and around caves.

Think Garden: Location, Location

This video shows how location is important to the health of a garden. Learn about the factors that go into choosing a location for a garden. See a variety of alternatives to a traditional garden plot like raised beds, container gardens, hoop houses, and small kitchen gardens.

Migratory Songbirds

Adapted from the Kentucky Life Biodiversity series, this video interactive offers information about the different species of birds and their migration patterns.

Think Garden: A Gardener's Poem

This video explores the many roles of a gardener through a short, fun poem.

Scientific Tools and Methods

Adapted from the Kentucky Life Biodiversity series, the videos in this interactive explore three examples of researchers applying the scientific method in various field situations.

Think Garden: Garden Pests and Helpers

See how some creatures benefit the garden by being pollinators, while other creatures help by eating insects that attack garden plants. Also learn techniques to prevent bigger pests from damaging the garden.

Biodiverse Regions: Black Mountain

Black Mountain in southeastern Kentucky is one of the most biodiverse regions in the state. This KET video offers a brief overview about the factors that make this area so unique.

Lotic Communities

This interactive provides a way for students to learn about lotic communities and the fish, mollusks, and invertebrates that live in these communities.

Amphibian Research

This short video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explains how frogs help biologists study problems in the environment.

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Amphibians

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K points out what it means to be cold-blooded. A frog's life cycle is revealed as well as why it croaks, why it hibernates, and how it catches its prey.

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Animal Babies

This interactive slide show illustrates the variety of animal babies that exist on earth -- some completely independent and others deeply reliant on parental care.

Animal Chefs

Ever wonder how to tempt the taste buds of a 400-pound mola mola? In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn how the chefs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium prepare meals to feed thousands of species.

Animal Coverings

It takes a thick skin to withstand the hardships that life has to offer. This collection of images shows a variety of animals, each with a slightly different type of protective covering.

Animal Defenses

In nature, survival is the name of the game. This video segment explores the world of animal defense and shows that predators don't always have the upper hand.

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Animal Families

How long does a baby elephant stay with her mother? What do you call a baby goat? Young children learn some interesting facts about the lives of baby animals in this original video from KET.

Animal Mouths

This collection of images of six different creatures, including insects and carnivorous vertebrates, illustrates the wide range of mouth types that exist within the animal kingdom.

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Animals Making a Living

For most animals, finding food is a full-time job. This video segment explores the food-finding strategies of a variety of creatures, illustrating the idea that different animals have very different ways of getting enough to eat.

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Animals on the Go

This video segment shows a wide variety of creatures in their respective habitats, with a focus on how the animals move.

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Ants: The Invisible Majority

"The Ant Guy" is on a mission to show the world just how important and amazing ants are and in the process, catalog all of the world's 30,000 ant species. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, find out how you can help.

Backyard Birdfeeders

This video from WPSU’s series Outside suggests how to feed birds in winter, a hobby that can foster awareness, care, and respect for birds.

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Backyard Wildlife

Squirrels and chipmunks are just two of the animals you might see. Backyard Wildlife, an original KET video, encourages children to explore the world outside their back door.

Backyard Wildlife Interactive

Squirrels and chipmunks are just two of the animals you might see. Backyard Wildlife, an original KET video, encourages children to explore the world outside their back door.

Bats of the Southwest

This video segment from the Nevada Department of Wildlife looks at various species of bats and how they impact the environment.

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Be a Bee

Students learn about the importance of the honey bee and other animals to the production of foods that are closely linked to human survival.

Bear Research

In this video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K tag along with two biological researchers as they conduct their research project about bear movements.

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Bears

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K shows bears' adaptations for eating.

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Beavers

This video segment explores the world of the beaver, including the biology of the species and, more importantly, its ability to transform an ecosystem for its own benefit.

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Bighorn Sheep

This video segment from Outdoor Nevada explores the adaptations that help desert bighorn sheep survive in their habitat.

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Biome in a Baggie

This ZOOMSci video segment shows how to create self-contained environments and explore how plants grow under different conditions.

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Bird Beak Gallery

This collection of images of 10 different birds illustrates the diversity of bird beaks.

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Bird Food

There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.

Bird Migration

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K discusses the purpose of migration and shows researchers and students working together to study bird migration at the Idaho Bird Observatory.

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KET Image Bank: Birds

Browse through thumbnail images of native birds in this KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

Birds of Prey

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines birds of prey and explains what characteristics they have that identify them as a raptor and help them catch their prey.

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The Bounty of Bees

Bees are an extremely vital part of life on this planet. In this video segment from QUEST, explore the huge impact these small insects have on our civilization.

Bringing Up Birdy

This lesson from Nature uses the eagle to model universal avian life stages.

Burrowing Owl

In this video segment from Outdoor Nevada, learn about burrowing owls, yearlong residents of open, dry grassland and desert habitats, and the only owls that nest underground and are active both day and night.

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Butterflies

This video from Vegas PBS features colorful insects known as butterflies, and looks at the coloration, species, life cycle, and migration habits within their habitat.

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California's Lost Salmon

Salmon have disappeared from more than 40 percent of their range in the West. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn about the important role these fish play in native ecosystems.

Carnivorous Plants of Texas

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.

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Carnivorous Plants of Cartwheel Bay

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.

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Challenges of Incubation

This video segment from Nature examines American Eagles along the Upper Mississippi River and their struggle to protect their eggs from predators as well as from the cold, extreme weather.

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Colorful Creatures

For animals, bright, flashy coloration can serve as a warning or as an invitation. Either way, colorful skin, feathers, and scales yell, "Notice me!" This collection of images shows examples of some of the world's most colorful creatures.

Cool Critters: Golden Eagles

They aren't as famous as their "bald" cousin, but they are much easier to find. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, meet one of the largest birds of prey, the golden eagle.

Cool Critters: Opossums

Did you know that opossums are good to have in your backyard? In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn why and a bunch of other cool critter facts.

Decomposers

Without the work of decomposers, living organisms would eventually use up all the raw materials in the environment, and dead organisms and wastes would pile up. This video segment from Interactive NOVA: "Earth" describes the role of decomposers as the Earth's great recyclers.

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Desert Habitat

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines warm and cold (high) deserts, and describes some of the plants and animals found there as well as their adaptations for living in each type of desert.

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Desert Tortoise

This video segment from Outdoor Nevada examines threats to the desert tortoise population.

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Disappearing Plants

Plants can only respond to climate change over the course of multiple generations. Learn about the particular challenges that plants face in responding to global warming.

Discovering Antarctica

Take a guided tour of Antarctica by watching brief video segments of its landscape and wildlife in this interactive activity adapted from the British Antarctic Survey.

Diversity of Hardwoods at Congaree Swamp

In this video segment from NatureScene, observe some methods of plant identification with regards to the diversity of hardwoods at the Congaree Swamp.

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Dragonflies in Kentucky

This KET video segment from Kentucky Life explains the differences between dragonflies and damselflies and explores their habitats.

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Drive by Extinction

The Bay checkerspot butterfly is now categorized as a federally threatened species whose decline has been called “drive-by extinction.” In this audio report from QUEST produced by KQED, learn what biologists are doing to prevent this butterfly from going extinct.

Elk

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K describes the yearly life cycle of elk and follows them from their winter habitat to their summer habitat and back.

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Endangered Relationships

This lesson uses videos from Nature’s "Crash: A Tale of Two Species" to explore the interrelationship between the horseshoe crab and a small migratory bird called the red knot.

Endangered Species

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explores the many reasons why animals become endangered or become extinct.

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Energy Flow

This feature, adapted from Interactive NOVA: "Earth," follows the path of energy as it is transferred via the food chain from one type of organism to another.

What Do You Get From That?

Children learn how farm animals contribute to people’s lives by providing food for the table and clothes to keep them warm.

Zoo Safari

Take a trip to a zoo and learn more about some of our favorite animals.

Exploring Plants

In this media-rich lesson, students observe plant growth by watching a time-lapse video and by growing their own seeds. They identify the conditions seeds need to germinate and consider the role that fruits play in seed dispersal.

Falconry

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines falconry and shows some of the equipment used for training a falcon to hunt.

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Farallon Islands Map

With this map from QUEST produced by KQED, explore what it is like to live on the rocky remote Farallon Islands for both birds and the scientists who explore them.

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Finding Animal Tracks

In this video from Curious George, young children identify animal tracks in the snow based on observations of how animals move and comparisons with footprint charts.

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Fish Research

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explains the Chinook salmon's life cycle in the Pacific Northwest and why it is an endangered species. A fisheries biologist takes students through some steps of fish research with explanations of the kinds of information biologists gather to perhaps help manage fish recovery.

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Fledglings

Witness eaglets begin to fly in this video segment from Nature.

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Flood Plain and Higher Ground Habitats

This video segment from NatureScene features the area of the Congaree Swamp where the high ground and the flood plain meet. Learn how a few feet of difference in elevation on a floodplain can yield drastic changes in what you’ll find living there.

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Forecasting Suitable Habitat for North American Wolverines From the Present to 2100

Learn what plants and animals must do in order to survive significant environmental changes.

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Frogs

A boy named Ben learns about the dangers of invasive species—in this case, frogs—in this animated video from LOOP SCOOPS.

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From Seed to Flower

Watching plants grow is like watching paint dry: It happens so slowly that the changes are imperceptible from one moment to the next -- and yet the end results are dramatic. This video segment shows just how amazing plant development can be by depicting various phases of the process using time-lapse photography. Footage from NOVA: "The Shape of Things."

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From Seed to Fruit

Children get a glimpse of what happens underground in the life of a cherry tomato plant in this original animated video from KET.

From Seed to Fruit Interactive

Children get a glimpse of what happens underground in the life of a cherry tomato plant in this original animated video from KET.

Fruit Wrappers

In this video from Curious George, join students as they investigate banana peels and fruit seeds to discover their different functions.

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Germinator

This ZOOMSci video segment teaches you how to germinate seeds in a plastic bag and helps you understand some of the factors that influence the germination process.

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Gila Monster

This video segment from Outdoor Nevada looks at the Gila monster's behavior, habitat, and unique adaptive characteristics.

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Growing Independent

Watch young eagles learn to catch food in this video segment from Nature.

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Guess How Whales Hear!

This video segment explores how one marine biologist used the scientific process to discover how whales hear.

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Habitat and Diet in Racehorse Development

This animated segment from KET's Electronic Field Trip to a Horse Farm demonstrates one of the ways calcium, a naturally occurring mineral derived from limestone, enters a horse's diet to give it an advantage in bone strength.

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Hatching

Learn about eagle parenting techniques in this video from Nature.

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Healthy Eating Habits

This animated video segment adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, featuring American Indian characters, promotes replacing sugary foods with fruits and vegetables.

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Horned Lizard

In this video from Outdoor Nevada, learn about the habitat, diet, and defense mechanisms of horned lizards.

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Horseshoe Crabs and Humans

This video from Nature highlights the horseshoe crab and its immense value to humans.

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Horseshoe Crabs and Red Knots

This video from Nature describes horseshoe crabs as an essential source of nutrition for migrating birds.

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How to be an Alpha Male Koala

This video resource from Nature: "Cracking the Koala Code" offers ringside seats to a territorial battle for dominance between two male koalas.

Hummingbirds

This video segment from Outdoor Nevada explores the traits, behaviors, and habitat of four hummingbird species.

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Idaho Fish

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K introduces Idaho's native fish species, and discusses why some populations are doing fine while others are struggling with declining numbers.

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Indiana Bats of Carter Cave

This KET video segment from Kentucky Life explores one of the endangered habitats of Indiana bats and describes the benefits of bats to humans.

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KET Image Bank: Flowering Plants

Browse through thumbnail images of flowering plants in this KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

KET Image Bank: Insects

Browse through thumbnail images of various insects in this KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

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KET Image Bank: Mammals

Browse through thumbnail images of different species of mammals in this KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

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KET Image Bank: Reptiles

Browse through thumbnail images of reptiles in this a KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

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The Koala Diet

This enhanced video resource from Nature: "Cracking the Koala Code" examines how the koala’s unique diet of eucalyptus leaves affects their behavior.

Life in Florida's Spring

In this video segment from Nature, get a close up look at life in the warm Florida springs and the numerous predators supported by the abundant life.

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Life in the Deep

Learn about some strange creatures that inhabit the deep oceans, including transparent sea cucumbers and oil eating tube worms, in this audio segment from PRI's The World Science Podcast.

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The Living Fossil

In this video from Nature, learn about the horseshoe crab, a creature that has survived for 350 million years.

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Maple Syrup

This video from WPSU’s series Outside shows how to identify a sugar maple tree by its branches, twigs, buds, and bark, and explains how to produce maple syrup.

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