Biomes Video & Map GREEN Click on a biome on the above graph for more information, informative videos, and links to scientist profiles, travel information, lesson plans and species profiles for each region. We'd like to know where you're coming from. If you've used this site for a class project or browsing for fun, add yourself to our map and communicate with other "ecogeeks" Journey to Planet Earth . Ecosystems We are intimately familiar with ecosystems. They are the woodlands where we live, hunt, cut timber, or hike; the lakes, streams, and rivers we fish, boat, transport our goods on, and tap for water; the rangelands where we graze our cattle; the beaches where we play, and the marine waters we trawl; the farmlands we till; even the urban parks and green spaces we stroll. In effect, every centimeter of the planet is part of an ecosystem. Ecosystems are: They are systems combined of organic and inorganic matter and natural forces that interact and change. They are intricately woven together by food chains and nutrient cycles. When talking about ecosystems, the matter of scale or size is important. A small bog, a single sand dune, or a tiny patch of forest may be viewed as an ecosystem, unique in its mix of species and microclimate — a microenvironment. In World Resources 2000-2001, "ecosystem" refers to an even larger concept — categories of ecosystems.
Sustainable Table | Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering (GE) is the modification of an organism’s genetic composition by artificial means, often involving the transfer of specific traits, or genes, from one organism into a plant or animal of an entirely different species. When gene transfer occurs, the resulting organism is called transgenic or a GMO (genetically modified organism). Genetic engineering is different from traditional cross breeding, where genes can only be exchanged between closely related species. With genetic engineering, genes from completely different species can be inserted into one another. For example, scientists in Taiwan have successfully inserted jellyfish genes into pigs in order to make them glow in the dark. What are genes? All life is made up of one or more cells. During genetic engineering processes, specific genes are removed from one organism and inserted into another plant or animal, thus transferring specific traits. GE Crops Some GE crops are actually classified as pesticides. GE Animals
A Zunal Biome Zoo You will be assigned into groups of five and be given one of the world biomes to conduct your research.In your groups you will assign the roles of specialists to break down the assignment. You will work individually on your specific specialist role and find the information relevant to produce your virtual tour. As a team you will work together to make a virtual tour of your biome through a PowerPoint presentation. You must include; *An introduction page that briefly describes your group and biome *Forms of images, videos, maps, graphs, and other multimedia to make your information easy to read *At least 3 slides for each specialist and their findings *Pictures and descriptions of the animals selected for the new exhibit *Make sure to show the unique characteristics of the biome * Resources from where the information was found are needed to be shown at the end of the presentation Your team will present your virtual tour of your biome to the class. A. B. C. D. E. * World Biomes * Ecosystems
Infopacket: Biomes Scientists divide the world into large natural areas called biomes. Each biome is known for certain kinds of plants and animals. But what’s really at the heart of a biome is its climate. In this downloadable Spotlight, get 8 packed pages of information about the world’s major biomes. An ideal curriculum supplement, this free infopacket includes full-color photos and a 5-question assessment with answer key. Download, print, pin and share! Bill Moyers Reports: Earth on Edge - Ecosystems Ecosystems are communities of interacting organisms and the physical environment in which they live. They are the combination and interaction of the plants, animals, minerals, and people in any given area of the Earth. A small bog, a single sand dune, or a tiny patch of forest is an ecosystem. But ecosystems are also forests covering thousands of kilometers, a major river system, a desert. Every centimeter of the planet is part of an ecosystem. In our heavily industrialized societies, work, religious expression, and recreation often take place in urban areas. It is our very reliance on ecosystems that is threatening them. For comprehensive data about the world's ecosystems, visit EarthTrends at www.earthtrends.wri.org/. Take our Interactive Quiz to see how much you know about ecosystems, then check out our Get Involved section to learn about ways you can make a positive difference in your home, your community, and your world.
Endangered Species and Sustainability “I would like to see our renovated Headquarters complex eventually become a globally acclaimed model of efficient use of energy and resources. Beyond New York, the initiative should include the other United Nations headquarters and offices around the globe.” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Speech on World Environment Day 2007 In 2007, on World Environment Day (5 June), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with the above words, made public his ambition to make the United Nations more efficient in its operations. In October 2007, at the meeting of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), the Executive Heads of UN agencies, funds and programmes committed to move their respective organizations towards climate neutrality, and developed the UN Climate Neutral Strategy. Specifically, they committed to: The UN Climate Neutral Strategy highlights the advantages of harmonization. The main building at UN Headquarters in New York was recently renovated. Greening the Blue
News and Features — eBird Sam Murray, June eBirder of the Month Please join us in congratulating Sam Murray of Augusta, GA, winner of the June 2017 eBird Challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Our June winner was drawn from eBirders who submitted 15 or more eligible checklists containing at least one breeding code in June. eBird Illustrated Checklists are here! You can now view a digital bird guide for any hotspot or region in the world: an Illustrated Checklist. eBird Server Maintenance on July 20 – website unavailable 03:30-08:00ET All of eBird will be unavailable on July 20 between 03:30-08:00ET (08:30-13:00GMT), due to regularly scheduled server and database maintenance. Edward W. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology invites applications for our Edward W. Bird Academy giveaway: How to Identify Bird Songs As summer winds down across much of the Northern Hemisphere, there’s still a lot of bird song to be heard. July eBirder of the Month Challenge Statistics, Machine Learning, Uncertainty
- ARKive - Extensive Animal Encyclopedia Wildscreen's Arkive project was launched in 2003 and grew to become the world's biggest encyclopaedia of life on Earth. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. Freely accessible to everyone, over half a million people every month, from over 200 countries, used Arkive to learn and discover the wonders of the natural world. Since 2013 Wildscreen was unable to raise sufficient funds from trusts, foundations, corporates and individual donors to support the year-round costs of keeping Arkive online. Therefore, the charity had been using its reserves to keep the project online and was unable to fund any dedicated staff to maintain Arkive, let alone future-proof it, for over half a decade. Therefore, a very hard decision was made to take the www.arkive.org website offline in February 2019.
Teaching resources for 11-14 year olds Persuasive Writing — Invasive Species Students will learn about the applications and techniques of persuasive writing before writing their own persuasive article for a school newsletter on the topic of invasive species. Climate Change Students will learn about the causes and consequences of climate change, and the ways in which climate change can impact plants and animals. Engineering in Nature The Engineering in Nature Challenge inspires students to explore engineering principles while developing a greater connection to nature. Adaptations to Arid Habitats Students will learn about how different animals and plants are adapted to surviving in arid habitats. Invasive Species Students will explore the impacts that invasive species may have on native species and habitats, and will investigate some of the most common methods used to control invasive species. Species Discovery Explore how scientists discover, classify and name species previously unknown to science. ARKive School Museum Guess Zoo