This engaging series encourages viewers to move beyond a simplified view of the environment to a deeper level of understanding: that the global ecosystem is made up of interdependent ecological communities populated with their own particular life forms and vulnerable to damage by both natural forces and human activity. Each program is correlated with Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science standards. The five programs are 17 to 22 minutes and each includes a teacher's guide:
AQUATIC BIOMES - Ranging from rivers and lakes, to wetlands and intertidal zones, to coral reefs and kelp forests, aquatic ecosystems are as diverse as the life-forms that inhabit them. This program introduces students to a variety of the world’s aquatic biomes. The characteristics of saltwater and freshwater environments are clearly described, as are the plants and animals that call these watery regions home. The importance of evolution and adaptation for aquatic species is emphasized. #5895 20 minutes
DESERT BIOMES - Whether it’s a stretch of sand dunes in equatorial Africa or a cactus-covered plain in California, any place that receives less than ten inches of rain per year is considered a desert. By comparing and contrasting arid and semi-arid regions, this program provides students with a balanced picture of what the Earth’s desert biomes are like. The program also investigates how the few plants and animals that inhabit these ecosystems survive the extreme temperatures and severe lack of water that characterize the desert environment. #5896 17 minutes
RAINFOREST BIOMES - At one time, lush, steaming jungles covered much of the planet’s land mass. Through this program, students can expand their understanding of rainforests and how their inhabitants live. Special attention is given to the threats to these incredibly rich ecosystems, home to more than half of the different kinds of animals and plants that live on Earth. #5897 20 minutes
TUNDRA BIOMES - About a fifth of the Earth’s land surface is tundra: cold, dry, treeless, and home to a diverse range of inhabitants including lichens and lemmings, sedges and snowy owls, and dwarf willow bushes and musk oxen. By viewing this program, students can develop a fundamental appreciation for the world’s Arctic and Alpine tundra biomes. The plants and animals that populate tundra environments are clearly identified, along with the adaptations that enable them to live in places where the temperature can drop to 70 degrees below zero. #5898 22 minutes
GRASSLAND BIOMES - The prairies of the American west, the pampas of Argentina, the steppes of Russia, and the veldt of South Africa all share at least one thing in common: they are covered with miles upon miles of grass. This program can help students learn to identify the climates, life-forms, and behavioral adaptations that go with each type of grassland biome. Factors that threaten the survival of these habitats’ distinctive animal communities - and of the ecosystems themselves - are also addressed. #5899 17 minutes