Ecology Ecology is a large theme, and often not given full coverage in a biology class due to time constraints. Below are some basic lessons on ecology and environmental science. Ecology Estimating Population Size | Online Simulation – mark and recapture technique Owl Pellets – dissect owl pellets, reconstruct skeletons Predator Prey Graph - graph data on deer and wolf populations (growth curves)Lesson of the Kaibab – another deer graphing exercise Random Sampling – estimate a population of “sunflowers”Random Sampling with Dandelions – estimate the number of weeds on your school grounds using string and counting the number of plants within a plotted areaInterpreting Ecological Data – graphs and data tables Examine an Ecosystem – observation of jar/pond waterExamine Succession – graphic shows how species are replaced as a pond dries up. Build an Ecosystem – use bags, water BTB, oxygen dataFood Web Label - web lesson, research site, fill out table and answer questionsBiome Map - color N.
EcoHealth Alliance Invasive Alien Species Indicator What are we about? Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major threat to global biodiversity. As a result ‘Trends in IAS’ was selected as one of 22 Headline Indicators (HI) to measure progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity's target of reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010. [ find out more... ] Listing of invasive alien species associated with 10 forms of uncertainty! Populating the pressure indicator for invasive alien species – in other words ‘number of invasive alien species per country’ (see McGeoch et al. 2010) – is dependent on the availability of high quality lists of invasive alien species for a range of taxonomic group, countries and regions. [ view rest of article... ] Database Login to view the database that was compiled in the process of populating the global indicator of biological invasion.
IUFRO Alien invasive species and international trade What does this IUFRO Unit do? The IUFRO Unit 7.03.12 has been established to examine global forestry issues related to the unwanted international movement of alien invasive species, including fungi, insects, nematodes, and plants. The increasing emphasis on pathways for movement of alien invasive species, especially those associated with packaging wood and plants for planting will provide a broad focus for the work of the unit. This emphasis provides an opportunity to integrate across a range of invasive organisms so that links to other IUFRO Working Parties dealing with insects, pathogens and invasive plants will be a priority. There are close relations with other IUFRO working parties as well as the International Forestry Quarantine Research Group (IFQRG) affiliated with the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Plant Protection Convention. Specific objectives of the Unit Activities of the Unit These will include regular meetings at 1-2 year intervals. For further information
Ecosystem Locations reported by various studies as undergoing high rates of land cover change in the past few decades In the case of forest cover change, the studies refer to the period 1980–2000 and are based on national statistics, remote sensing, and to a limited degree expert opinion. In the case of land cover change resulting from degradation in drylands (desertification), the period is unspecified but inferred to be within the last half-century, and the major study was entirely based on expert opinion, with associated low certainty. 30 Nov 2007 - by Philippe Rekacewicz, Emmanuelle Bournay, UNEP/GRID-Arendal Ecosystem carbon payback time The ‘carbon debt’ of biofuels is the number of years it can take to offset the carbon emissions generated by converting land for biofuels. 01 Mar 2012 - by Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal Natural ecosystem conversion 03 Oct 2009 - by Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal Human impact, Greater Asian Mountains region 2000 and scenarios for 2030
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
- 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. Despite appeals for support, just 85 of our 5.6 million users in 2018 made a donation.
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. Sam’s name was drawn randomly from the 1,769 eligible eBirders who achieved the June challenge threshold. 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 July eBirder of the Month Challenge Statistics, Machine Learning, Uncertainty
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
Endangered Species 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. 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. However, the divisions between ecosystems are less important than the linkages between them.
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.