adaptation

What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is made up of animals, plants and bacteria as well as the physical and chemical environment they live in. The...

In this activity, students learn about animal and plant adaptations in Antarctic species and use these ideas to design their own unique animal or plant. By...

Many people are surprised to hear that vegetation – mainly mosses and lichens – manages to grow on the Antarctica mainland. These relatively simple photosynthesising organisms...

NIWA Scientist Mike Williams is interested in the daily positions of icebergs, like the big iceberg B15A. Mike wants to learn about ocean circulation and to...

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest and highest continent on Earth. What makes the frozen continent so valuable to scientists and vulnerable to human contact? Every...

Position: Professor, Principal Investigator Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland. Field: Marine science. Professor John Montgomery is the former Director of the of Leigh...

In this activity, students test and compare the firmness of different apple varieties using an instrumental method adapted for the classroom. The activity forms part of...

In this activity, students conduct focus group research to generate consumer feedback on a proposed future apple variety. The activity forms part of the unit plan...

In this activity, students use industry methods to test and analyse some attributes of a variety of different apples. They use the findings to create an...

In this unit, students investigate trends and drivers and what may be possible and preferable attributes for new fruit varieties in the future. Purpose To understand...

Consumer and sensory science play an integral role in developing new fruit varieties such as the red-fleshed apple. Consumer science involves understanding consumers Consumer scientists try...

What determines whether an apple has red flesh? Find out how researchers at Plant & Food Research discovered the genetic basis of red flesh colour. Red-fleshed...

Information about apple genetics is helping breeders at Plant & Food Research in New Zealand to breed new apple cultivars faster and more efficiently. Selectively breeding...

The genome sequence of the Golden Delicious apple was published in 2010. It sheds light on the history of the apple and should make apple breeding...

Breeding a new apple cultivar takes a long time and involves many steps. The aim is to produce high-quality fruit that consumers will like and want...

A collection of apple genetic resources, known as a germplasm collection, is maintained by Plant & Food Research at their Hawke’s Bay orchard to provide a...

A new apple cultivar with red skin and red flesh is being developed at Plant & Food Research. Discover how the idea came about and why...

Students consider the harms and benefits (consequences) of easy care sheep breeding. Purpose Students use a round robin activity and PMI worksheets to generate ideas about...

Students use a three-level reading guide strategy to locate, interpret and apply the information to consider the role of research in finding easy care sheep traits....

Students develop their knowledge of selective sheep breeding so they can formulate an argument and make ethical decisions about breeding easy care sheep. Purpose To use...

To breed easy care sheep, scientists at AgResearch first had to find sheep that expressed the traits they wanted – they did this in stages. To...

Falling prices and demand for wool led scientists at AgResearch to develop an easy care sheep that is more efficient to farm and brings better returns....

New Zealand sheep farming has been heavily influenced by fluctuations in demand and returns for meat and wool. Discover what other factors have contributed to this...

Easy care sheep developed by AgResearch were produced using selective breeding. Find out more about selective breeding and why scientists use this method to breed the...