MS-LS2-3

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

  1. Oceans

    Scientists Say: Atoll

    Atolls form when coral reefs build up around underwater volcanoes.

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  2. Plants

    Well-known wildflower turns out to be a secret meat-eater

    Look closely at Triantha occidentalis, and you’ll see gluey hairs — and a trail of insect corpses on its stem.

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  3. Environment

    Wildfire smoke seeds the air with potentially dangerous microbes

    Studies now show that most wildfires don’t kill microbes. That’s fueling worries about what risks these smoke hitchhikers might pose to people.

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  4. Earth

    Stores and malls buy into ponds and rain gardens for flood control

    An extra bonus: These rainy-day ponds clean up that dirty water running off parking lots.

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  5. Environment

    ‘Zombie’ wildfires can reemerge after wintering underground

    Climate change may make these not-quite-dead blazes more common. Scientists are learning to predict where a zombie might emerge.

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  6. Microbes

    Let’s learn about microbes

    There may be a billion species of microorganisms on Earth — but scientists have only discovered a small fraction of them.

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  7. Earth

    ‘Tree farts’ make up about a fifth of greenhouse gases from ghost forests

    Heat-trapping gases from dead trees play an important role in the environmental impact of “ghost” forests.

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  8. Animals

    Explainer: What are cicadas?

    There are more than 3,000 species of cicadas, but the best known in North America are periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years.

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  9. Environment

    What you can do to improve soils

    Soils are the life-sustaining structures under our feet. Here are some tips for keeping soils healthy. First rule of thumb: Give more than you take.

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  10. Agriculture

    Healthy soils are life-giving black gold

    Scientists explain why everyone needs to value the soils beneath our feet — and why we should not view them as dirt.

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  11. Agriculture

    Soil (and its inhabitants) by the numbers

    Teeming with life, soils have more going on than most of us realize.

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  12. Animals

    Choked by bacteria, some starfish are turning to goo

    For years, researchers thought gooey, dying starfish were infected. Instead, these sea stars are suffocating. And bacteria may be behind it all.

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