Word Count: 10877
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A Fifty-Year Science Adventure
Short Description:
Originally published in 1976 and newly revised for the 50th anniversary of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, "The Endless Chain of Nature" follows the scientific adventures of student and professional researchers working in a small "closed" ecosystem in the Hubbard Brook Forest in New Hampshire. Written for middle-school readers and older, "The Endless Chain" introduces key ecological ideas in an engaging story of people solving puzzles and mysteries.
Long Description:
This real-life science adventure opens a window into a forest ecosystem in New Hampshire, and an experiment that has gone on for fifty years — so far.
In a three-hundred-year old old farmhouse near a forest lake filled with fish, tadpoles and splashing children, young people and professionals work side by side to solve puzzles about how land, water, living things, and the climate all fit together and all affect each other. The team includes students, teachers, and leading scientists from around the world.
Together they examine a closed ecosystem in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest — one of the first Long Term Ecological Research sites. In the past half-century it has led to important discoveries, including what we now know as acid rain. Their work is a fascinating study of the complex relationship between organisms and the environment.
Out in the woods, the team nets birds with the ornithologist, sifts through debris for insects with the entomologist, goes fishing with the ichthyologist, climbs trees with the botanist, chases salamanders with the herpetologist, and digs ancient mud cores out of the bottom of the lake with the paleobotanist. One student researcher — the grandson of a scientist who worked at the Brook in its earlier days — measures trees to help understand what affects their growth.
Using techniques that are both basic and advanced, they carry on experiments begun 50 years ago to see what has changed, and to figure out why. We see the ecology puzzle fit together into a picture of the complex and fascinating chain of nature, and we discover how our lives and actions affect other links in the chain. Surprises are in store in every chapter.
2013 marks the 50th Anniversary of the launching of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. This pioneering effort to explore the complex ways in which water, air, soil, plants and animals interact began in 1963 in a 3,160 hectare reserve in New Hampshire. It became, and remains today, a world-renowned laboratory yielding many important insights, including identifying the phenomena of acid rain and enhancing the understanding of the impact of climate change on natural systems.
Word Count: 51536
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Much of the general population believes that the energy sources we depend on are perpetual. While people believe that energy use is the culprit for environmental damage, they are not aware of the methods and principles by which energy conversion devices operate. This course will provide you with knowledge and information on the main operating principles of devices/appliances in common use and will help you in making energy efficient and economical choices. The objective of the course is to expose you to energy efficiency in day to day life in order to save money and energy and thereby protect the environment. I hope the information in this course will help you become an environmentally-responsible individual of this Global Village.
This unit covers the broad spectrum of topics that make-up our very amazing human body. Students are introduced to the space environment and learn the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space. The engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies are also discussed. Then, students dive into the different components that make up the human body: muscles, bones and joints, the digestive and circulatory systems, the nervous and endocrine systems, the urinary system, the respiratory system, and finally the immune system. Students learn about the different types of muscles in the human body and the effects of microgravity on muscles. Also, they learn about the skeleton, the number of and types of bones in the body, and how outer space affects astronauts' bones. In the lessons on the digestive, circulatory, nervous and endocrine systems, students learn how these vital system work and the challenges faced by astronauts whose systems are impacted by spaceflight. And lastly, advances in engineering technology are discussed through the lessons on the urinary, respiratory and immune systems while students learn how these systems work with all the other body components to help keep the human body healthy.
Ensembl offers integrated genome, variation, gene regulation and comparative genomics data on an open access web browser platform. This course includes an introduction to Ensembl, what kind of data Ensembl has, and how to browse and export the data.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Navigate Ensembl using the web browser platform
Access main data types in Ensembl: genomes, genes, genetic variation, regulatory features and comparative genomics
Annotate your own variant data with the VEP
Mine Ensembl data using BioMart
Display your own data in Ensembl
This course focuses on genomes on the Ensembl website at www.ensembl.org. It provides a quick beginner's guide to the overall structure of the Ensembl genome browser.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Explain what Ensembl is and where the data come from
Access and navigate the Ensembl homepage
Search the Ensembl browser with a gene, location (a region of a genome), or variant of interest
Explore a region on a genome, a gene and a transcript
Determine where to view gene trees, sequence variation, and regions involved in gene regulation in Ensembl
View a sequence for a gene, protein, or a genome of interest
Determine how genes are annotated
Assess the different ways the data are presented in Ensembl (including the gene, location, transcript and variation tabs)
Export Ensembl data quickly and easily with the browser and BioMart
Ensembl runs API workshops worldwide, and here we have made one available online. You will find a collection of video lectures from the 'Ensembl API workshop' that took place at EMBL-EBI 22nd-24th May 2013, using Ensembl version 71. The exercises associated with the workshop are included to carry out at your leisure.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Describe how data are organised in the Ensembl database
Describe how Ensembl assigns objects and methods
Navigate the API Doxygen documentation
Write Perl scripts that query the Ensembl database for various different kinds of data
This quick tour provides a brief introduction to Ensembl Genomes, the non-chordate genome browser.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Describe what Ensembl Genomes is and how it can help you to access and analyse genome-scale data
Recall where to find out more about the Ensembl Genomes resource
This course provides a very short introduction to the Ensembl website for browsing chordate genomes.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Outline Ensembl and what you can do with the resource
Know where to find out more about Ensembl
The Ensembl REST API provides language-agnostic programmatic access to genomic data in the Ensembl database. This course uses Jupyter Notebooks hosted by Google Colab to walk you through the APIs and practise writing scripts to access these data. A video provides a brief overview of the REST API, endpoints and instructions on working with the Jupyter notebooks.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
Describe the data types accessible through the Ensembl REST API
Describe the methods in the Ensembl REST API
Navigate the Ensembl REST API documentation to find available methods
Write scripts to access data via the Ensembl REST API
Short Description:
Labs in this book supplement the information gained in lecture, as well as providing some perspective and experience with hands-on applications of ideas in pest management. The labs are presented in week-by-week order, so the pre-labs and reading for week 1 are labeled “Pre-Lab 1” and “Week 1 Reading”. Data dashboard
Word Count: 21598
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The classic campus-based project is an environmental or sustainability assessment, often referred to as an environmental audit. This course, taught at Carleton in 2001, describes how this type of project can be undertaken. In this scenario, a student, campus environmental group or class researches aspects the envinormental impact of the school.
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Chapter Sections:
-The Earth, Humans, and the Environment
-The Process of Science
-Environment and Sustainability
-Environmental Ethics
-Environmental Justice and Indigenous Struggles
-Chapter Attributions
Word Count: 80205
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This college-level open textbook covers the most salient environmental issues from a biological perspective.
Short Description:
This college-level open textbook covers the most salient environmental issues from a biological perspective. Order a print copy: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/environmental-biology/23350620
Long Description:
This open textbook covers the most salient environmental issues, from a biological perspective. The text is designed for an introductory-level college science course. Topics include the fundamentals of ecology, biodiversity, pollution, climate change, food production, and human population growth.
Order a print copy: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/environmental-biology/23350620
Word Count: 95192
ISBN: 978-1-63635-036-3
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Taking into consideration the outstanding importance of studying and applying the biological means to remove or mitigate the harmful effects of global pollution on the natural environment, as direct consequences of quantitative expansion and qualitative diversification of persistent and hazardous contaminants, the present book provides useful information regarding New Approaches and Prospective Applications in Environmental Biotechnology. This volume contains twelve chapters divided in the following three parts: biotechnology for conversion of organic wastes, biodegradation of hazardous contaminants and, finally, biotechnological procedures for environmental protection. Each chapter provides detailed information regarding scientific experiments that were carried out in different parts of the world to test different procedures and methods designed to remove or mitigate the impact of hazardous pollutants on environment. The book is addressed to researchers and students with specialties in biotechnology, bioengineering, ecotoxicology, environmental engineering and all those readers who are interested to improve their knowledge in order to keep the Earth healthy.
This course explores the complex interrelationships among humans and natural environments, focusing on non-western parts of the world in addition to Europe and the United States. It uses environmental conflict to draw attention to competing understandings and uses of “nature” as well as the local, national and transnational power relationships in which environmental interactions are embedded. In addition to utilizing a range of theoretical perspectives, this subject draws upon a series of ethnographic case studies of environmental conflicts in various parts of the world.
This course explores the complex interrelationships among humans and natural environments, focusing on non-western parts of the world in addition to Europe and the United States. It uses environmental conflict to draw attention to competing understandings and uses of “nature” as well as the local, national and transnational power relationships in which environmental interactions are embedded. In addition to utilizing a range of theoretical perspectives, this subject draws upon a series of ethnographic case studies of environmental conflicts in various parts of the world.
This first-year undergraduate open textbook covers the most salient environmental issues from both biological and social science perspectives.
This class provides a general introduction to the diverse roles of microorganisms in natural and artificial environments. It will cover topics including: cellular architecture, energetics, and growth; evolution and gene flow; population and community dynamics; water and soil microbiology; biogeochemical cycling; and microorganisms in biodeterioration and bioremediation.