This report discusses the three primary categories of atmospheric pollutants of aquatic ecosystems and how their ecological effects impact humans, fish and wildlife. Pollutants of concern such as organic compounds, synthetic fragrances, fluorinated surfactants, flame retardants, mercury, and nutrients are reviewed. The emission, deposition, and fate of atmospheric pollutants are discussed; in...
In this Issue, students explore large-scale anthropogenic changes to the nitrogen cycle by examining studies that document anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen globally, the export of nitrogen from rivers to the ocean, and the ecology of Pfiesteria in the Chesapeake Bay.
This teaching activity explores what the short- and long-term effects of a whole-watershed deforestation experiment are on streamflow. Students can use an MS Excel file or hard copy of data to graph short- and long-term streamflow response to a whole-watershed manipulation. Students can then compare results to baseline data, draw conclusions about hypotheses, and consider implications of...
In this activity, students work with data collected during 15 years as part of a long-term research project at Harvard Forest. Students analyze the data to address the question, "How have stands of pine and hardwood forest responded to long-term nitrogen fertilization?" Students address the question using data on several ecosystem characteristics and processes: net primary productivity, tree...
All ecology texts include figures showing carbon cycles of various types (terrestrial, marine, global, etc). However, education research shows that introductory level students (both college and high school) and many citizens do not understand the biological and ecological processes that are the foundation for these cycles.
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