Students will define ecological forecasting, and be able to describe three examples of this process. Students will explain how the life cycle and ecological preferences of sea nettles help make them unusually abundant in the Chesapeake Bay and describe the economic and ecological impacts associated with large numbers of sea nettles in the Chesapeake Bay, and how ecological forecasting may help reduce these impacts. They will also define "limiting factors," explain how physical factors can be used to forecast sea nettle "outbreaks," and describe the limitations of these forecasts.

Students participate in an activity that demonstrates the principles and dynamics of food chains and how energy is transferred when it passes from one organism to another.

This brief video lesson describes the miraculous journey of infant sea turtles as these tiny animals run the gauntlet of predators and harsh conditions. Then, in numbers, see how human behavior has made their tough lives even more challenging. Discussion/assessment questions and suggested supplemental resources are also included.

This brief video lesson describes the symbiotic relationship that exists between the Clark's nutcracker and the whitebark pine tree. Discussion/assessment questions and suggested supplemental resources are included.

This resource explores the biology of the symbiotic relationship between the Hawaiian Bobtail squid and bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri.

Students analyze videos to make observations about species, populations, and communities of organisms and discuss their symbiotic relationships. Then they create a hypothetical marine ecosystem and describe the adaptive, trophic, and symbiotic relationships between the biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem.

Students will examine a variety of organisms within the tropical montane cloud forest ecosystem and learn about the different forms of symbiosis.

This lab-based course covers the foundational principles of modern life science as outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It also includes approximately a third of the Earth and Space Science standards, primarily those connected to environmental science and ecology. The course emphasizes all three dimensions of the NGSS, with special attention to the crosscutting concepts of Patterns and Energy and Matter. Additionally, scientific inquiry and engineering design practices are emphasized throughout the course. The course is designed to follow a chemistry course and so builds on student understandings of molecules as they explore the biomolecular underpinnings of life's functions, the evolution of life, and the interactions of life in ecosystems. Technological, historical, political, and environmental aspects of biology will also be addressed. Critical thinking, data analysis, and argumentation from evidence are also emphasized.

Even though lions are a predator of buffalo, by looking at data we conclude that a decrease in lion population can't explain the increase in buffalo.

Students will compare and contrast three types of symbiotic relationships, describe the relationship between zooanthellae and coral, and explain the effects of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their symbiotic partners.

In this lesson, students will analyze population graphs, collect data to generate their own population graph, and experience limiting factors and their impact on carrying capacity in a small deer population. Students will be able to identify, explain, and evaluate the impact that different limiting factors have on the population of organisms including food, water, shelter, predation, human interference, changes in birth and death rate, changes in immigration and emigration, disease, and reproduction.

In this lesson, students will analyze real scientific data from a short visualization clip to form logical hypotheses about what drives the migration patterns of raptors. Students will also describe and explain the connectedness of organisms within and across ecosystems and illustrate how primary productivity is the foundation of all food webs and how seasonal changes in primary productivity influence the behaviors of higher order consumers.

In this project, students identify an invasive species and its impact on local ecosystems by doing research and performing a quadrant study. Once students have assessed the health of their local ecosystem, they will work with environmentalists to devise a plan that will alleviate the invasive species problem in their area.

This multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, describes how Ms. Palma, a Great Egret named after a NC school principal,is being tracked with a radio transmitter device attached to her back. Data from her daily and yearly activity will give scientists information about egret behavior and habitat. 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 multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, describes how Dr. Roland Keys, Director of the Biodiversity and Earth Observation Lab at the NC Museum of Natural Science, is using remote controlled, hidden cameras, telemetry and GPS to record animal behavior and movement and to study whether human activity is affecting animal populations in a specific area. Components of this resource include a video, a related blog article, and an interview with Dr. Keys. Links to these components are provided on the page under the heading "UNC-TV Media."

In this lesson, students use Internet resources to explore relationships between habitats and species as well as the effect of physical and human forces on living things and their environment.

This is an encyclopedia entry for "biosphere." The biosphere is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists. The biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees, to the dark environment of ocean trenches, to lush rain forests and high mountaintops. Text for this entry is appropriate for the middle and high school grade levels.

This is an encyclopedia entry for the term "carnivore." A carnivore is an organism that mostly eats meat, or the flesh of animals. Sometimes carnivores are called predators. Text for this entry is appropriate for upper elementary, middle, and high school grade levels.

This encyclopedia entry is for the term "food chain." A food chain describes who eats whom in the wild. Text for this entry is appropriate for the upper elementary, middle and high school grade levels.

This is an encyclopedia entry for "habitat." A habitat is a place where an organism makes its home. Text for this entry is appropriate for middle and high school levels.