Describes a simple, relatively inexpensive laboratory activity that allows students to examine the requirements for the fungal decay of wood and devise methods for prevention. (ZWH)

Presents an activity that addresses cultural differences and diversity through ethnobotany. Offers a multicultural framework designed to develop concepts about plant characteristics and taxonomy. (ASK)

Presents a soybean project designed with an interdisciplinary approach that includes the stages of planting soybeans, studying the impact of rhizobium bacteria on soybean root development, synthesizing the raw oil to methyl ester, testing of biodiesel on a hybrid electric car, and studying the commodities market. Integrates plant science,…

Describes symbiosis and its significance in the day-to-day lives of plants and animals. Gives specific examples of mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism in the relationships among fungus and plant roots, animals and bacteria, birds and animals, fish, and predator and prey. (MDH)

Describes a project in which teachers concentrate on providing hands-on learning and work with students to build a nature center. Students participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation phases of the project. (DDR)

An activity that can be used to teach plant nutrition and the use of hydroponics is presented. Materials and procedures are discussed. Possible topics for science projects are suggested. (CW)

Discusses five-kingdom classification and the changes in understanding over the years. First published in 1983. (YDS)

Explains the procedure for creating a field guide for high school students. Provides field guide questions and a sample format of the guide's insect page. (YDS)

Pollination vectors of a variety of types are described including beetles, bees, flies, moths, birds, bats, and the wind. Some of the adaptations of plants designed to help facilitate pollination are discussed. Strategies for incorporating this information into a lesson plan are suggested. (CW)

Describes an experiment to induce carbon dioxide deficiency to demonstrate its effects on plant growth. Suggests further studies to examine respiration by soil microbes and the effects of relative humidity, other gases, and air pollution on plant growth. (MDH)

Explains how the tobacco mosaic virus can be used to study virology. Presents facts about the virus, procedures to handle the virus in the laboratory, and four laboratory exercises involving the viruses' survival under inactivating conditions, dilution end point, filterability, and microscopy. (MDH)

The study of "zonation", the distribution of plants and animals into distinct spatial areas, is a great way to introduce students to basic ecological concepts. Students can conduct methodical, quantifying surveys of zones in areas as diverse as mudflats, beaches, forests, wetlands, and fields. Students collect data from these areas with field…

Describes an easy and inexpensive method of preparing experimental growth media that high school students can use for plant cloning investigations. (PR)

In this article, the author presents a two-week evolution unit for his biology class. He uses Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717) as an example of an Enlightenment mind at work--in this case a woman recognized as one of the great artists and natural scientists of her time. Her representations of butterflies, caterpillars and their pupae, and the…

Events in a community can lead to valuable learning experiences in science. By the end of the summer of 2001, the Green Knoll Fire had burned almost 4000 acres of forest south of Wilson, Wyoming. This article describes how students at the Journeys School of Teton Science Schools participated in a collaborative project with the United States Forest…