HCC Science Olympiad : Ecology

Studying ecology today is more valuable than it has ever been because of pollution and other environmental factors continuing to be a mainstream issue of concern across the globe. This volume engages the reader with bright images of animals and other life in their natural settings and informs readers on what is being done to preserve life. Sidebars and biographies of important figures helps make this a well-rounded learning experience. It is a valuable resource for any reader concerned about the environment.

Plants and animals interact with each other to form an ecosystem. The ecosystems are found all over the world, in areas called biomes. The biomes have different climates, which in turn determine what kind of plant and animal life make up the ecosystem.

Throughout the world, from deserts to rain forests, Earth's plants, animals, and insects are working together with their environment. Readers will learn how this delicate balance works, through photosynthesis, water and carbon cycles, and food webs.

Introduces readers to deserts and important animals and plants that live there. Learn how deserts benefit the rest of the world and the threats they face.

Introduces readers to grasslands and important animals that live there. Learn how grasslands benefit the rest of the world and the threats they face. Read online with Destiny Discover; log on via Classlink or with your school username (ending with your graduation year) and your personal password.

Bees buzz around wildflowers while wildebeest graze on the grass, all watched over by a hungry lion. Grasslands are bursting with activity. And all that life relies on one another to stay healthy. When some of that life is put at risk, others soon suffer. Uncover the truth about biodiversity, explore its impact on the environment, and learn what you can do to help life in the grassland. Read online through SORA, log on with your school Google account.

Explore land and water habitats by examining their climates, land formations, ecosystems, and the life forms they support.

The introductory pages of this book describe the biomes of the world and then temperate grassland biome. The 5 main chapters look at different aspects of temperate grassland: climate, plants, animals, people, and future. Between the chapters are detailed maps that focus on key grassland regions. Throughout the book you'll also find boxed stories or fact files about temperate grasslands. At the end of the book is a glossary.

Helps students learn about plains and plateaus. Math challenge questions provide students with the opportunity to apply math skills as they learn about the characteristics of plains and plateaus.

As the world's climate changes, two areas are being significantly affected. Deserts are expanding and becoming even more dry and arid. Forests are disappearing, thanks in part to logging by humans. The Earth doesn't need more deserts, and it desperately needs more forests. Inside, find out more about these two vital biomes and how people are working hard to make sure they survive properly. Read online with SORA; log in with your school Google account.

Many people have heard of Earth's largest deserts: the Sahara in northern Africa, the Gobi in east central Asia, and the Arabian in the Arabian Peninsula. However, some people may not know that these deserts weren't always so big. Desertification is the process by which natural or human causes turn previously productive land into desert areas. This book explores the different causes of desertification and the ways even longtime desert lands can change. Fact boxes and sidebars provide readers with additional information relating to the main text.

Tour 6 North American deserts in 24 hours from day break in the Mojave Desert through midnight in the Great Basin. This meticulously illustrated picture book takes readers on a cross-continental tour in 24 hours, visiting 6 different deserts at different hours of the day, and returning to each desert as night falls. Meet the critters that call these habitats home, from the turkey vultures that fly under the hot daytime sun to the gila monster that crawls across the cool nighttime sand. While exploring the desert, young readers can play hide and seek with all kinds of desert creatures! Every nook and cranny is filled with critters big and small for readers to identify using the matching key at the bottom of the page. However, these incredibly important, fragile ecosystems are in danger. On the daytime visits, children in grades 2-4 can learn about the challenges these deserts and animals face due to climate change, invasive species, and other threats. When returning to each desert at night, readers can also learn about what's being done to protect these unique habitats. The deserts depicted are the Mojave, the Chihuahuan, the Great Basin, the Sonoran, Painted Valley, and Death Valley. Budding naturalists can dive into the extensive material in the back of the book, including an author's note with age-appropriate resources on how to get involved, a glossary with science vocabulary, and a bibliography.

Exploring the desert is an unforgettable experience. Most days there is not a cloud to shade the blazing sun. Within minutes, exposed skin shows signs of sunburn. Even the sunlight reflected from the ground damages the skin. Hundreds of animal species live in the desert, big and small. How do they survive with so little water, the extreme heat, and a limited, and sometimes toxic, food supply? Author Ana Maria Rodríguez explores many of the amazing animals in this extreme environment.

Most of these experiments about the desert biome can be done in an hour or less. Read online with Destiny Discover; log on via Classlink or with your school username (ending with your graduation year) and your personal password.

Information about the earth's deserts, --examines a particular biome's weather, life forms, and threats to its survival. User-friendly maps and fact boxes provide insight and details about each biome.

Discusses The Food Chain And How It Includes A Description Of Terms Like Energy, Producers, Consumers, Decomposers, And How It All Fits Together. Read online with Destiny Discover; log on via Classlink or with your school username (ending with your graduation year) and your personal password.

What are food chains like in different habitats? Who eats whom in forests? Why are decomposers so important? Investigate the curious world of life science. Find out for yourself about food chains and webs through activities that you can do at home. Learn about where all food chains and webs start. See which animals are at the top of a tundra food web. This book will show you the importance of investigating and understanding the world around you.

Aliens have taken over Earth! They've overrun our parks, our gardens, our lakes and streams. These strangers did not come from outer space, though. They are plants, animals, and other organisms that have hitchhiked beyond their own home sweet habitats on Earth. Learn about the damage invasive species do to our environment and economy. Can these alarming aliens be stopped?

Learn About The Destructive Effect Non-Native Plants Can Have On An Environment. Read online with Destiny Discover; log on via Classlink or with your school username (ending with your graduation year) and your personal password.

Invasive species threaten local ecosystems and the planet's biodiversity, but are they all as bad as we think they are? Plants, animals, insects and fish are moving in.

When living things die, it is important that they get broken down. Scavengers help break dead things into smaller pieces. Decomposers can then turn those pieces into nutrients for the soil. Decomposers and Scavengers: Nature's Recyclers look at how animals and other organisms make the world a better place by breaking down waste, as well as the threats they face and how people can protect them. Easy-to-read text, vivid images, and helpful back matter give readers a clear look at this subject. Features include a table of contents, infographics, a glossary, additional resources, and an index.

Forest elephants protect our forests by trampling trees. Whales boost ocean health with their massive poo-nados. Sea otters defend kelp forests from purple invaders. And echidnas bury tons of soil to stop climate change. But we can't leave them in this fight alone. We need to protect our heroes who, in return, defend our planet. Get ready to learn all about these four legged, and two-flippered, creatures and how YOU can be a climate hero too!

In this young readers adaptation of the New York Times-bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. Adapting from her New York Times-bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning adult nonfiction, Elizabeth Kolbert explores how humans are altering life on Earth.