ecology

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...

What usually happens when you cut up a piece of fruit to eat or to put in a salad? If it is an apple, a pear,...

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...

Position: Senior scientist, Land and Environment group, AgResearch, Invermay, Mosgiel. Field: Soil scientist. Dr Ross Monaghan is a senior scientist for the Land and Environment Group...

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

Hub's writer, Nelville Gardner, talks about our pollination resources. One of the scientists featured in the articles on pollination, Dave Kelly of the University of Canterbury,...

Phosphorus is a chemical element found on Earth in numerous compound forms, such as the phosphate ion (PO43-), located in water, soil and sediments. The quantities...

Biogeochemistry is a big word. Biogeochemistry also covers an enormous field of study. It is a systems science – a way of looking at how the...

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...

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...

In this activity, students read about pollination using a three-level reading guide and use their ability to locate information to interpret the scientific information. Students apply...

Dr Ross Monaghan, Dr Selai Letica, Professor Richard McDowell and other scientists from AgResearch at Invermay are researching how to reduce excessive levels of nutrients in...

Dr Richard McDowell from AgResearch at Invermay is concerned about phosphorus being lost from the soil and causing water pollution via eutrophication. Phosphorus – necessary in...

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...

In this activity, students take on the role of flower parts and act out the process of insect pollination By the end of this activity, students...

What’s in soil? When you pick up a handful of soil, what do you see? All soil is made up of inorganic mineral particles, organic matter...

Position: field services manager and research assistant, University of Canterbury. Field: Ecology As part of her job as Terrestrial Ecology Technician, at the School of Biological...

Position: Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury. Field: Population ecology Professor Dave Kelly is a population ecologist who has a particular interest in pollination...

Position: Head of research, Plant & Food Research. Field: Honey bees and pollination. For Dr Mark Goodwin, working with pollination has its challenges. Most crop plants...

The flowers and fruit of flowering plants come and go as part of their life cycle. Some flowering plants don’t even have stems and leaves all...

In October 2011, the Greek container ship MV Rena ran aground on Ōtāiti, also known as the Astrolabe Reef, off the coast of Tauranga. The oil...

Flowering plants need to get pollen from one flower to another, either within a plant for self-pollination or between plants of the same species for cross-pollination...

Sexual reproduction is a way of making a new individual by joining two special sex cells, called gametes. In the sexual reproduction of animals and plants,...