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Listed under:  Science  >  Life  >  Ecosystems  >  Symbiosis
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Science Talk 2007: Martina Doblin

An interview and lab tour with Dr Martina Doblin, a phytoplankton ecologist at UTS. Martina talks to students and their teacher from Concord High School about her work studying microscopic organisms such as the toxic algae that make up harmful algal blooms.

Interactive

Sites2See: Aim to sustain

A page supporting learning for sustainability, with selected links to interactive resources, including videos, games and activities for K-6 students, teachers and parents. This resource relates to the 'Aim to sustain' resources produced for Stage 3 and 4 students.

Video

Party locusts

This 8 minute video segment from Catalyst is an excellent example of animal behaviour of locusts as a successful adaptation and how understanding the behaviour can potentially help reduce the damage they cause.

Video

Seahorses

This six and a half minute video segment from Catalyst shows one of the most beautiful and bizarre creatures under the sea, the seahorse. Their highly unusual reproduction has not been sufficient to overcome the impacts of habitat destruction and human predation.

Video

Coal Gas

This 12 minute video segment from Catalyst outlines how for decades, scientists have worked to develop technologies that can unlock the energy from coal while reducing the risks of digging it up and burning it. Now entirely new industries are booming as they tap into coal seams either too gassy or too deep to be mined by ...

Video

Sea Urchins

This 7 minute video segment from Catalyst describes an excellent example of how biologists have worked to investigate and solve a problem of an invading species of sea urchin that was devastating a marine ecosystem. The scientific approach to develop a biological control needed to rely on technologies such as radio tracking ...

Interactive

Catchment Detox

Students play the game and make decisions about the development of a catchment with competing economic and environmental demands. Students receive feedback on how sustainably their catchment has been managed.

Video

Rob Harcourt

This 6 minute video segment from Catalyst highlights a number of diverse investigations that are part of the work of a marine biologist. It uses an incredible collection of photographs to inform and inspire people about conservation.

Video

Catalyst: Megafauna fossils

Travel back in time in outback Australia and investigate the giant lumbering beasts of the past - the megafauna. Visit a fossil site in Cuddie Springs, New South Wales, where megafauna bones have been discovered. Explore the connection between Aboriginal peoples and megafauna, and theories for the extinction of Australia's ...

Online

Water quality and the Murray-Darling Basin

This lesson sequence examines the issue of water quality in the Murray-Darling Basin: why it is important, what are the indicators of water quality and ways to monitor water quality. It includes a teacher PowerPoint presentation, separate teacher notes and a student worksheet. This lesson sequence is one in a series exploring ...

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NSW ecosystems on show

This resource highlights fifteen natural ecosystems found in New South Wales. Each resource has been designed for students investigating ecosystem types in NSW, providing a greater understanding of their location, function, how they are impacted by human activity and how schools and communities can work to protect them. ...

Online

Investigating key Australian fibre production practices in the cotton, timber and wool sectors

This is a unit of work about how cotton, timber and wool are produced, processed and brought to customers in Australia. It explores: where cotton, timber and wool comes from; past, present and future production systems; and a range of other related topics including land management, water management, waste management, revegetation, ...

Online

Biosecurity

This is a unit of work about the biosecurity of Australia’s agriculture. The unit focuses on how introduced species can affect the balance of ecosystems. The major activities in this unit focus on the concept of interdependence in ecosystems; the importance of biosecurity and control of outbreaks. A simple experiment models ...

Online

Biodiversity: protecting the environment

This study guide examines the complexity and importance of maintaining a vibrant and healthy farming environment including management of the biodiversity that pasture, livestock and natural fauna and flora. A range of articles and activities explore the challenges and opportunities that cattle and sheep farmers are embracing ...

Online

Water: Our most precious resource

This study guide explores how Australian cattle and sheep farmers manage sustainable and efficient water use, including maintenance of healthy soils, moisture preservation, erosion and viable grazing systems. A range of articles and student activities explore the water cycle and ways in which farmers are using water saving ...

Online

Exploring the production and marketing of seafood

This is a teacher resource containing a series of inquiry teaching sequences relating to seafood production and marketing in Australia. It contains material to assist planning, implementing and assessing a research task about the technologies and methods used in the fishing and aquaculture industries to catch and farm seafood, ...

Online

Investigating Australian approaches to producing fish, seafood and meat

This is a unit of work about the Australian fish, seafood and meat industries. It has a particular focus on farming practices, processing methods and how food is brought to customers. The resource explores: where meat, seafood and fish come from; past, present and future farming and production systems; and a range of related ...

Online

Greener farming: protecting the environment

This study guide examines ways Australian cattle and sheep farmers are monitoring and researching how greenhouse gas emissions are being produced by farms and steps farmers use to reduce them. This includes selective breeding programs to produce cattle and sheep whose digestive processes emit less methane, research into ...

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Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This biodiversity learning resource guides students through an extended school based investigation. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

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Who's for dinner?

Look closely at a food chain and food web from a billabong habitat. Help animals to feed and survive. Play the role of a tadpole, fish or heron. Help the animal to grow and breed by feeding and avoiding predators. Notice that eating high-value food sources may increase an animal's risk of being attacked by predators.