This 3-part interactive and virtual lab activity examines the life cycle of the sea urchin, and how the increasing acidity of the ocean affects their larval development.

As a part of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) website, this page provides a list of palynological references related to the Cretaceous Period. These references cover an array of topics including Early Cretaceous gymnosperm pollen, implications of palynofacies on petroleum potential, lignite microfossils, Cretaceous megaspore pollen, microspore pollen and depositional environments.

This illustrated guide to a corn seedling (Zea mays, Monocotyledon) is designed to help students recognize and learn the plant's individual parts. Along with an explanation of monocotyledon embryos, it includes a short description of the root system and coleoptile.

This illustrated guide is designed to help students recognize and learn the different parts of a flower. The single Web page can be easily printed for use at field sites.

This illustrated guide (dorsal view) to a male spider is designed to help students recognize and learn its common and unique body parts. The single Web page, which can be easily printed for use at field sites or in the lab, also includes a short description for the following labeled parts: chelicera pedipalp anterior eye row posterior eye row cephalothorax (or prosoma) pedicel abdomen (or opisthosoma) spinnerets coxa trochanter femur patella tibia metatarsus tarsus.

This illustrated guide (ventral view) to a female spider is designed to help students recognize and learn its common and unique body parts. The single Web page, which can be easily printed for use at field sites or in the lab, also includes a short description for the following labeled parts: chelicera fang endite labium sternum coxa lung slit epigynum spinnerets.

This illustrated guide to a grasshopper is designed to help students recognize and learn the body parts of an insect. The single Web page, which can be easily printed for use at field sites or in the lab, also includes a short description for the following labeled parts: head thorax antenna abdomen spiracles coxa trochanter femur tibia tarsus genitalia wings.

This Web site takes an in-depth look at pearls. It contains information on how both natural and imitation pearls are created, the freshwater and marine mollusks that are the source of pearls, and examines how pearls became important symbols of wealth, status, and religious beliefs, as well as how mother-of-pearl shells had an even higher value for some cultures.

Coral reefs are among the most productive and biodiverse environments on the Planet. Join Scripps Oceanography marine ecologist Stuart Sandin as he describes his travels to untouched parts of the globe to conduct scientific research aimed at understanding and protecting these fragile ecosystems. Learn how he and his colleagues are working to establish the scientific basis for what constitutes a healthy coral reef and how they are probing the causes of coral reef decline. (58 minutes)

Dr. Steve Running, a Regents Professor in the College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, discusses the paradox of why forests in the West are growing faster while simultaneously suffering from higher die-off rates. Running is a member of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and was the lead author on a 2007 report analyzing North AmericaŐs contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide and its impacts on the global climate. (58 minutes)

In the darkness of the ocean live fascinating creatures that produce their own light called bioluminescence. Join Scripps Institution's Mike Latz and discover how organisms use this light to attract food, hunt prey, and hide from predators, and how applications of bioluminescence have rEvolutionized biomedical research. (47 minutes)

Join Scripps' Bill Gerwick in an exploration of the potential uses of one of the most ancient of all life forms - blue-green algae - as a source for new pharmaceuticals with used ranging from anticancer compounds to drug screening. (54 minutes)

The purpose of this resource is to observe the flowering and leaf stages of selected garden plants throughout the year. After a phenological garden is planted, students observe the growth of leaves and blooming of flowers on the plants. These plants were selected because each plant blooms at a different time in the year.

This collection of learning activities allows students to explore phenology, phenological changes over time, and how these changes fit into the larger context of climate change. Students explore patterns of solar radiation and seasons as well as phenological cycles and ecological affects of these patterns.

In this minds-on activity, students analyze the relationships between photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and the production and use of ATP. Students learn that sugar molecules produced by photosynthesis are used for cellular respiration and for the synthesis of other organic molecules. Thus, photosynthesis contributes to plant metabolism and growth. The optional final section challenges students to explain observed changes in biomass for plants growing in the light vs. dark. This activity helps students meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

In this problem-based learning activity, students are presented with the scenario that they are representatives of an organization that is tasked with evaluating the potential effects of a warming climate on New England forests. Student worksheets, teacher guide, and assessment rubric are included. The resource is part of Forests: A Sticky Situation, from the lesson series The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.

Living cells are divided into two types - procaryotic and eucaryotic. This division is based on internal complexity. This website will provide you with graphic roadmaps to the organization of both of these cell types.

This online article, from Biodiversity Counts, offers insight into how plants interact with arthropods. It has: an explanation of the difference between detrimental and mutually beneficial relationships; some of the chemical and mechanical modifications plants have made to attract helpful arthropods and fend off harmful ones; a detailed overview of pollination, with descriptions of seven common pollination syndromes; a detailed overview of plant defense mechanisms; and a series of questions students can ask when they see an arthropod on a plant in order to learn more about how the two are interacting.

Try your hand at assembling this plant cell jigsaw puzzle created with an image from CELLS alive! This puzzle is 32 pieces and generally takes a few minutes to solve. Have food!

The unit is designed to be completed in six or more sessions. The comprehensive curriculum materials contain information for teachers, including activity tips and an overview of the many varied reasons that plant life flourishes in one plot but not another. Students speculate on why plants are more abundant in some areas of the site than others. They list factors that might account for the differences, such as temperature, humidity, light, soil, rainfall, wind, and human or animal activity, and figure out how they can collect more data on these factors. They discuss why it might be important to take a count of all the individual plants in each plot and develop a plan for conducting the field study. A reading selection describes how scientists count plants and gives students tips for conducting their own survey. Students then count plants and record their data. Several optional activities are provided.