Students use a variety of media to discuss and analyze human-related pressures upon marine ecosystems and resources.

Students watch videos to examine ways that human actions can throw a marine ecosystem out of balance and lead to species decline. Then they brainstorm a list of stakeholders and generate questions about them.

Students research captive-breeding programs and species-survival plans and explore the pros and cons of each.

This multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, outlines how the population of lionfish, an invasive species, has been spreading north since its introduction in the 1980s off Florida, collapsing the reef food webs and reducing the area of the coral reefs. Lionfish have no known predators and a rapid reproduction rate, which is why they are taking over and reducing the overall biodiversity of NC reef ecosystems. Components of this resource include a video, related text articles, and an interview with a NC marine ecologist. Links to these components are provided on the page under the heading "UNC-TV Media."

Students will learn how scientists are using a new invention, a lionfish zapping robot, to combat this harmful invasive species. Students will learn about the invention process, including researching an invasive species and designing their own invention to help deal with the problem.

In this lesson, students will learn about the effects of deforestation on the carbon cycle, climate and the environment. In the second part of the lesson, students use the Global Forest Cover data tool developed by the World Resources Institute to conduct their own research on changes in forest cover.

Students will use online videos and photo galleries to conduct a virtual bolus dissection for the Laysan albatross and learn how marine debris can be mistaken for food and harm marine organisms.

This multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, describes how the North Carolina Arboretum is documenting the vast number of ingenious molecular adaptations that have emerged in plants that grow in North Carolina. Components of this resource include a video and a related blog article. Links to these components are provided on the page under the heading "UNC-TV Media."

This brief video lesson discusses the environmental impact of a t-shirt being made. Discussion/assessment questions and suggested supplemental resources are also included.

Students research the ways that humans impact coral reef ecology and identify some of the organisms that live in coral reef habitats. They will write a narrative essay as if they are one of these organisms and discuss how they are affected by human activities such as over-fishing, habitat destruction, pollution, etc.

Students analyze a map to identify and describe multiple landscapes in the Amazon rain forest, the organisms that inhabit those landscapes, and the role of the forest in the water cycle and nutrient cycle. Then they construct a scientific argument for the effects of deforestation on the local ecosystem and the water and nutrient cycles.

In this WebQuest students will research the natural history and biological diversity of the Mono Basin, an environment directly affected by the needs of humans. They will explore the unique environment of Mono Lake, the extreme forms of life inhabiting the area, the role of Mono Lake in the search for extraterrestrial life, and the impact humans have made on the area. In the end, they will be faced with a very tough decision: Are humans justified in taking water- the very life- from the Mono Basin to satisfy their needs?

Students engage in a discussion to determine the information they need to learn to solve a real-life problem: how to justify the designation of a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) in order to protect the ocean.

Students will analyze a real-world environmental case of building a road through the Amazon rain forest. They will explore the geographical, cultural, and environmental context of building the road, identify the stakeholders and their role and impact, and map out the intended and unintended consequences from the decision that they make.

In this lesson, students participate in a group discussion that defines urban forest management and how different situations require different management. Students then learn about the impact of biodiversity on an urban forest using a map-reading and data-manipulation exercise. Students learn about potential management problems caused by invasive species and plot where exotic species come from on a world map. Finally, students present their opinions to the class in a group presentation, explaining if and how the problems of urban forests are problems in rural forests.

Students explore the Everglades ecosystem using the Internet, to develop an understanding about conservation of resources in the context of the Everglades, to explore relationships between species and habitats, and to develop an understanding of how human beings have altered the equilibrium in the Everglades.

In this lesson, students explore man's relationship to the wolf, particularly as related to ecological issues, and reflected in photography. Students will write a response to demonstrate their understanding of the topic.

Students use videos and a mapping tool to identify species, populations, and communities of marine organisms and make observations about how they are impacted by anthropogenic disturbances.

Students compare and contrast two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by evaluating case studies. Then they learn how the MPA classification system works in the United States and apply that system to the MPA case studies.

In this lesson, students explore Marine Protected Areas on an interactive map and compare and contrast three case studies. They learn how the MPA classification system workd in the United States, apply that system to example scenarios, and create case studies of their own.