biodiversity

interesting

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 explore ethical issues related to farming and environmental pollution. They learn about the science involved and the range of perspectives among stakeholders....

In this activity, students demonstrate how substances are dissolved and transported by water through the soil. By the end of this activity, students should be able...

In this activity, students learn about soil quality and soil properties by conducting a visual soil assessment (VSA). The activity involves digging up a 20 cm...

Positions: Professor – Lincoln University, Principal Scientist – AgResearch, Chief Scientist – National Science Challenge: Our Land and Water. Field: Soil and water quality. Professor Richard...

Position: Stakeholder Relationship Manager for Māori Agribusiness, (formerly Scientist), AgResearch. Field: Environmental science (soil) Dr Selai Letica’s interest is in soil nitrogen cycling in agriculture. She...

Farming is an economic venture – farmers work the land to gain an income. Many New Zealand farmers have an interest in preserving and enhancing the...

Clover grows well in New Zealand pasture and has long been used to get nitrogen into the soil. It was introduced in the 1800s from England...

Just as we have essential needs for our growth, plants also have essential needs for their survival. These include: sunlight air water nutrients appropriate temperature. As...

Farming is a way of life in New Zealand. Farms cover about half of the country’s land and are important to our economy. Agriculture has shaped...

Nitrogen is the most abundant element in our planet’s atmosphere. Approximately 78% of the atmosphere is made up of nitrogen gas (N2). Nitrogen is a crucially...

New Zealand has a wide variety of landscapes. A day’s sightseeing journey might include volcanic plateaus, rolling hills, river basins and coastal lands. It is easy...

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...

Antarctica is not just a land of ice and snow – it is the coldest, driest climate on earth. When we say the word ‘desert’, we...

The Antarctic ecosystem is unique in that the food chains are very short and often based on the availability of krill, which is vital for all...

Dr Katja Ridel’s interest has always been chemistry, and after she finished her PhD in Germany, she took on a position at NIWA in New Zealand....

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...

An online search of the word ‘scientist’ produces about 127 million results. Interestingly, the same search for images yields variations of a single representation – you...

Dr Selai Letica from AgResearch at Invermay is concerned about the nitrous oxide emissions that contribute to greenhouse gases. Nitrous oxide Greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere...

What do soil, farming and science have to do with each other? Actually, they are inextricably related. For centuries, humans have used science to improve soil...

In this activity, students learn to read and interpret aspects of soil moisture maps and compare data by location and over time. This activity complements the...