A disgusting and direct description of detritus and decomposition is digested in this drill! Your life science class learns about the importance of decomposers in the food chain and finds out how one organism's trash is another...

Life is complex. Just a slight change in the population of one species will have a substantial change on the biotic and abiotic factors of that species' environment. In this video, Mr. Andersen explains the effects removing wolves from...

The coral reef ecosystem is abundant and lively. Dive in for an underwater view of the species living there. Polyps, urchin, barracudas, and eels (among others) exist in part because of the sun's presence in this ecosystem. Use this as...

With the forest as an example, Sam and Zoe talk about the components biotic and abiotic of an ecosystem. They also discuss the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers. This concise clip covers all of the basics. As an introduction...

Plants. We can't live without them! Bill Nye discusses how every living thing relies on plants using a concept called the food web. In a very visual demonstration, he ties a cord from one picture to another on a three-dimensional...

Isn't it strange that Earth's largest animal lives on one of its tiniest? Using Sesame-Street-style puppetry, this video explains how this phenomenon happens. Viewers learn that a single mouthful of krill taken in by a whale has the...

Take a look at the coldest, windiest, and driest place on earth: the arctic! Very few species exist here, and those that do have undergone several adaptations to ensure their survival. Learn about some of these unique animals and their...

Rhinozilla is Mia's bearded dragon and the focus of this lesson on energy flow in an ecosystem. She uses him to explain the energy pyramid, from producers through third level consumers, and she likens the food chain to a video game. Mia...

Deciduous forests can be found in almost all corners of the world, ranging from the United States to Russia to New Zealand. While this video has slightly choppy editing, it covers the types of animals, trees, and fungi that live in the...

This teacher playlist demonstrates the Matter Cycling & Photosynthesis unit investigations where the students investigate the idea that all food comes from plants.

This student playlist demonstrates the Matter Cycling & Photosynthesis unit investigations where the students investigate the idea that all food comes from plants.

Hank brings us to the next level of ecological study with ecosystem ecology, which looks at how energy, nutrients, and materials are getting shuffled around within an ecosystem (a collection of living and nonliving things interacting in...

Scientists answer student questions about mangroves and why these plants are a keystone species in Florida's estuaries. [7:06]

See an example identifying roles in a food web. [2:11]

Find out the effects that climate change can have, and how one small change in an ecosystem can throw everything off in an ecosystem. [3:40]

This lesson explains the role plants play in the conversion of inorganic materials into organic material to support living things. It is 1 of 3 in the series titled "The Role of Plants in the Food Chain."