The tropics contain about 40 percent of the area on Earth. Viewers take a trip to Peru as an entrancing video from a larger biology playlist explores the region. It explains the facts and theories about the biodiversity near the equator....

How can you encourage pupils to demonstrate creativity while still meeting the objective of applying technical knowledge? This activity is your answer! Scientists will create an imaginary creature and prepare a graphic organizer with...

Young scientists explore the dark, damp, and dirty world of earthworms in this hands-on life science unit. In order to gain a better understanding of these slimy critters, children first perform a series of investigations before finally...

Do you know the difference between a biome and an ecosystem? Teach elementary ecologists exactly what a biome is with this captivating cartoon! It discusses six biomes: taiga, tundra, deciduous forest, desert, tropical rainforest, and...

Why are our national parks important? Scholars research the national parks and explore the basic ecology of these areas in a differentiated instruction unit on ecology. They learn about ecosystems, food chains, symbiosis, and biomes. The...

How do populations interact with one another? Identify the different types of interactions and how population sizes fluctuate and affect one another using an interesting PowerPoint presentation. Learners explore real-world examples of...

Psychologists study human relationships while ecologist study relationships between organisms in the environment. An introduction to ecology and the related vocabulary benefits scholars as they progress through the presentation and...

Every living thing requires a food source, thus the interconnections in ecosystems become complex. Scholars learn about these interconnections in a presentation on energy flow. It starts with the sun and moves through many different...

Do you know the name for the biological study of interactions? A short presentation with accompanying worksheet introduces individuals to ecology. The materials offer a broad overview of the subject and the levels of organization to...

After a year of PBS Eons videos, viewers raised some excellent points and questions. The hosts highlight the most common including classification of animals, when a new eon starts, how to pronounce scientific terms, and many other...

What happens to a species when members become separated by changes in their environment? Present young biologists with the ultimate example species—the anole lizard. A brief video describes the origins of the multitude of anole species...

What is DNA metabarcoding? Show your biology class the latest method for studying biodiversity in an ecosystem with a fun, informative interactive. Individuals examine the animal species that compete for vegetation, then learn how their...

Take your biology class' understanding of biodiversity to a whole new level! Ecology scholars use data to calculate three different diversity indices based on the organisms in the Gorongosa National Park. The four-part activity uses an...

Dinnertime on the African savanna is a highly choreographed event! Introduce young ecologists to the concept of niche partitioning through a hands-on activity. Pupils research animal behaviors and use data to develop an understanding of...

An educational video offers an overview of ecology and discusses the levels of organization from biosphere down to organisms. It also compares terms such as habitats versus niches, generalist versus specialist, and biotic versus abiotic.

Small but mighty! Learners explore the role of microbes in a healthy ecosystem. An engaging lesson plan asks pupils to design an aquaponics system that demonstrates that healthy microbes are necessary to maintain the ecosystem.

Find your niche in the science classroom. Learners study the role of niche populations within an ecosystem and consider the impact of the loss of these organisms. Their investigation includes vultures, honey bees, and mosquitoes.

Each biome has self sustaining communities, but how did these unique and stable communities form? Investigate how these evolved with changing animal interactions.

Providing a sweeping overview of population and community interactions, this ecology worksheet gets learners thinking. They differentiate between habitat and niche, describe and give exemplars of various animal and plant defenses,...

Chart ecological community interactions and answer questions about niche, defenses, trophic structure, and succession. This community ecology activity provides a general overview of the interactions that occur among organisms that share...

Mammals have unique interactions with their ecosystems. Using a multi-part lesson, learners research local mammals using recommended websites and use their findings to create their own paper ecosystems including appropriate mammals. They...

Take a walk on the wild side! Episode one of an eight-part series of interactive lessons regarding Gorongosa National Park invites learners to become a part of the citizen science community. Scholars read a brief overview of the trail...

The focus of a fossil-based lesson uses graphs and charts that allow young paleontologists to make inferences about events of mass extinction. They must apply their previous knowledge about fossil records in this final lesson of the...