This site from SERC presents Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) warm up questions about snakes and whales. The questions examine the adaptations needed to move from water to land, links between snakes and marine lizards, and the independent evolution of marine and land mammals. Full description.

This site from SERC presents Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) warm up questions about elephants. The questions examine health problems of elephants in captivity, whether or not elephants belong in zoos or wild animal kingdoms, breeding elephants, and the importance of elephants for conservation, research, and public education. Full description.

This site from SERC features Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) warm up questions about the appearance of modern human behavior in early hominids. The questions examine the emergence and meaning of modern human behavior, the way that beads symbolize modern human behavior and thought, and the events that cause organisms to undergo change. Full description.

This site from SERC's Starting Point presents sample Gallery Walk questions about the biosphere. These questions encourage students to examine adaptations life forms undertake to survive in deep sea vents, Antarctic dry valleys, caves, hypersaline environments, thermal hot springs, and deep Earth habitats. Potential questions also examine nutrient cycling in various ecosystems, the impacts of increasing ... Full description.

The Stella Smolts Migration Model focuses on the spring migration of hatchery smolts to the ocean. It may be used to test the relative merits of barging fish or drawing down the reservoirs to help the smolts reach the ocean. This pre-made Stella Model demonstrates how model simulation might be used in fishery management. Students learn how previous simulation models have been used to help managers ... Full description.

Daisyworld model is a very simple planet that has only two species of life on its surface - white and black daisies, and bare ground. Daisyworld is a good example of homeostasis and was first proposed by James Lovelock as a plausible example of his Gaia hypothesis. The Daisyworld activity helps students build a Stella model of Daisyworld from scratch. After constructing the model they perform guided ... Full description.

The goal of this paper written as part of the MIT Systems Dynamics in Education Project is to teach the reader how to distinguish between stocks and flows. A stock is an accumulation that is changed over time by inflows and outflows. The reader will gain intuition about stocks and flow through and extensive list of different examples and will practice modeling simple systems with constant flows. STELLA ... Full description.

The Daisy World model is intended to illustrate a mechanism through which biota might optimize their environment by means of negative feedback. The model offers a very simplified approach to a feedback system and can provide an introductory lesson in how models work. The aim of the model is to implement and test a mathematical model describing possible influence of biota on an abiotic (climatic) system ... Full description.

The United States Government's Invasive Species website is the gateway to Federal efforts concerning invasive species. On this site users can learn about the impacts of invasive species and the Federal government's response, as well as read select species profiles and find links to agencies and organizations dealing with invasive species issues. This is also the website for the National Invasive Species ... Full description.

This pdf document commissioned by the Pew Ocean Commission describes the problem of invasive species along the United States coastline. The document provides information regarding how bioinvasions occur, the number of invasive species introduced, the effects of bioinvasions, prevention, reduction and control of marine bioinvasions and recommendations for action against invasive species invasion. The ... Full description.