Subtopic: Ecosystems

Acid Lake
Add acidity to a healthy lake and see what happens to the plants and animals in this interactive activity adapted from EcoKids.

Analyzing an Ecosystem
In this interactive activity adapted from the University of Alberta, identify the living and nonliving things in an ecosystem. Then look further at the living things to identify the producers, the consumers, and examples of mimicry.

Antarctic Ecosystem
In contrast with its largely lifeless interior, the Antarctic coastal marine environment supports a vibrant and diverse ecosystem. Explore the region's living bounty in this interactive activity adapted from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Arctic Atlas
In this interactive atlas adapted from UNEP/GRID-Arendal, explore different environmental features of the Arctic. Select from a list of themes to customize your map, then zoom in to take a closer look at one of six featured regions.

Arctic Tundra
This video segment from Wild Europe: "Wild Arctic" explores the struggle for survival in one of Earth's most extreme environments.

Bear Necessities
This Nature video segment focuses on the four foods most important to the grizzly bears' survival, and it describes the threats to the supply of each of them.

Biodiversity in the Dzangha-Sangha Rain Forest
In this interactive activity from the American Museum of Natural History, play "connect the dots" and discover the connections between the people, animals, and plants in three habitats of the Dzanga-Sangha rain forest in the Central African Republic.

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.

Changing Arctic Landscape
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.

Contaminants in the Arctic Food Chain
The levels of contaminants found in particular animals vary widely depending on where they fit into the Arctic food chain, as described in this video segment adapted from LOKE Films and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme.

Coral Kid
In this video segment, ZOOM guest Cassie takes us on a tour of the coral reef near her home in Key Largo, Florida, and points out some of its unique features.

The Coral Reef Ecosystem
Students examine a coral reef ecosystem to learn about its living and non-living parts and how they interact. They apply what they have learned to explore the world's biomes, including how the animals in each are adapted to their environment.

Dating Lava Flows on Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaiʻi
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists search for carbonized remains of plants preserved in lava flows to find out how long it has taken rain forests on Hawaiʻi to regenerate after a volcanic eruption.

Desert Biome
This video segment from NOVA: "A Desert Place" describes the physical characteristics and organisms that define the desert biome.

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.

Dolly Garza: A Tlingit and Haida Scientist
In this interactive resource adapted from Raven Radio/KCAW, listen to biologist Dr. Dolly Garza as she explores the sea otter population of Sitka, Alaska, from the perspectives of her tribal heritage and her Western education.

The Effects of Global Warming in Alaska
In this media-rich lesson, students learn how global warming is changing the Alaskan environment and examine the consequences of climate change on the region's human and wildlife inhabitants.

Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem
This video segment, adapted from NOVA, describes the energy flow in a coral reef, including its food web.

Exploring the "Systems" in Ecosystems
In this media-rich lesson, students use a systems thinking approach to explore the components and processes of ecosystems. They analyze both a hypothetical and a local ecosystem by identifying abiotic and biotic components and their relationships.

Global Trends Quiz
In this interactive quiz from NOVA, take the Environmental Challenge and test your knowledge of human impact on the world's natural resources and climate.

Homo Sapiens Versus Neanderthals
This video segment, adapted from NOVA, explores reasons why Homo sapiens had an advantage over Neanderthals in the pursuit of territory and natural resources.

How the Arctic Ecosystem Might Change
In this video segment adapted from the National Film Board of Canada, learn why the unique Arctic ecosystem may be replaced if global warming continues to melt sea ice.

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.

Life of a Tree
In this interactive activity adapted from the National Arbor Day Foundation, take a sixty-two-year journey observing the inner layers, rings, and environmental factors that affect a tree's growth and life cycle.

Melting Permafrost
In this video adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, see melting permafrost and hear Alaska Native peoples and Western scientists discuss its impact on Inuit culture and resources.

A Night in the Coral Reef
Coral reefs are often portrayed as brightly lit, bustling underwater marvels full of colorful creatures. This video segment, adapted from NOVA, paints a different picture as it explores the nocturnal behavior of organisms in the reef.

Oil Contamination Affects Food Web
This video adapted from KTOO explores the impact of oil contamination on the herring population of Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1999, 10 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Penguin Response to Climate Change
Find out how climate change is affecting Antarctic Adélie penguins and their ecosystem in this video segment adapted from Lloyd Fales and Sweetspot Pictures, Inc.

Prairie Dogs
In this video adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, learn about the prairie dog, the importance of its role in its ecosystem, and how it is affected by an ever-growing human population.

Redwoods at Redwood National Park
This video segment from NatureScene describes the characteristics of redwood trees at Redwood National Park.

Root Systems of Trees at the Congaree Swamp
Learn about root systems of trees in the Congaree Swamp National Park in this video segment from NatureScene.

Shark and Turtle
In this Nature video, watch a battle between a loggerhead turtle and a shark.

Students Making a Difference
This interactive activity features three video segments produced by students in Alaska that demonstrate fun and innovative ways to help protect the environment.

Studying the Antarctic Sea Floor
Studying life on the seafloor beneath Antarctica's thick ice is a major challenge for ecologists. Learn about a new device that can reach those icy depths in this video segment adapted from WomenInAntarctica.com.

Symbiotic Strategies
In this Nature lesson, students will investigate the many ways in which species that live in close proximity to each other might interact in an ecosystem.

Tracking Polar Bears
In this interactive activity adapted from the USGS Alaska Science Center, track the movements of a polar bear as it migrates across the changing Arctic sea ice and compare the paths of four different polar bears.

Unlikely Travel Companions
A variety of symbiotic relationships exist between sharks and other marine species in this segment from Nature.

Urban Solutions to Water Pollution
In this KET video segment from Louisville Life, high school students in Louisville, Kentucky describe the benefits of creating rain gardens as a solution to non-point source water pollution.

Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web
In this video adapted from KTOO, scientists discuss how ocean warming may be responsible for the decline in the seabird, seal, and sea lion populations of Prince William Sound, Alaska.