The blue planet seas of life dvd series#

Students will observe multiple types of interspecies relationships in this episode, ranging from competition to mutualism. Teachable Moments: Of all the oceanic ecosystems, the coral reefs boast the greatest biological diversity and complexity. Key Concepts: Coral reefs, aquatic ecosystems, coral polyps, biodiversity, food webs, symbiosis, interspecies relationships, parasitism, mutualism, commensalism, competition, predation. Water, having a high specific heat, does not have the wide range of temperatures that air does throughout the year, but it can still vary in ways that affect the biodiversity present. However, oceans within these latitudes also experiences changes.

Teachable Moments: The concept of seasons is typically only associated with land ecosystems within temperate latitudes. Key Concepts: Seasons, latitude, aquatic ecosystems, migration, photosynthesis, plankton, food webs, food chains, keystone species. However, the biodiversity in the open ocean, away from the flow of nutrients from the coasts, is the lowest for all aquatic ecosystems.īlue Planet - Seasonal Seas View Worksheet Teachable Moments: The open ocean is often referred to as a 'marine desert.' This may seem contradictory to students, who perceive a desert as a hot, dry, sandy ecosystem. Key Concepts: Open ocean, aquatic ecosystems, euphotic zone, adaptations. This is a great opportunity to show how these factors drastically impact the biodiversity found within each oceanic zone. Temperatures drop, pressure increases, and sunlight fades away. Teachable Moments: The entire nature of the oceanic ecosystem changes as one travels deeper and deeper into the abyss. Key Concepts: Oceanic zones, euphotic zone, disphotic zone, aphotic zone, photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, adaptation, camouflage. Tip for teachers: Use closed captioning! Many of the animals and plants have very unusual names with very unusual spellings! Seeing them in text makes it much easier for the students to follow! I have not written anything for the first episode entitled 'The Blue Planet', as it is largely a recap of the other episodes.Įach episode provides a tremendous opportunity for 'teachable moments.' Whether your focus is biology, earth science, or ecology, there is a good chance your concepts are covered by one more more of these episodes.

The blue planet seas of life dvd series#

The worksheets and student guides I have written for this series are all based on the BBC version starring David Attenborough as the narrator. There are a total of 8 episodes of Blue Planet. Each of the 50-minute episodes covers a different aspect of marine life. The Blue Planet is a documentary series released in 2001 by the BBC.