Category: Global Systems Science

Chapter 3 { Ecosystem Change Contents } I. An Interview with Dr. Samira Omar Desert ecosystems are very vulnerable to overgrazing by domestic animals. Herds people living at the edges of desert ecosystems have often triggered positive feedback mechanisms that have further reduced the productivity of the land both for wildlife and people. Nature’s time […]

Chapter 2 { Ecosystem Change Contents } Picture the following chain of events: hundreds of oak caterpillars munching holes in the leaves of an old oak tree while squirrels and jays collect acorns and gobble caterpillars too. The squirrel stops to scratch a flea. A pair of chickadees hop through the branches collecting caterpillars for […]

{ Ecosystem Change Contents } { All GSS Books } Design your own miniature ecosystem in a clear plastic or glass container and observe it for at least one month.  In the following laboratory investigation, you will design a small model ecosystem in a terrarium and follow the changes in the living and non-living components […]

Chapter 1 { Ecosystem Change Contents } Imagine you are an astronaut viewing planet earth from a space shuttle 160 miles above the surface. Changing patterns of clouds and reflections from water and snow fields create the illusion of a colossal spherical organism. Many human cultures have believed that Earth is alive; many have attributed […]

{ Ecosystem Change Contents } { All GSS Books } Bryant, Jeannette, ed. Conservation Directory: A list of Organizations, Agencies, and Officials Concerned with Natural Resource Use and Management. National Wildlife Federation, 1995. Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962. Chadwick, Douglas H. “Dead or Alive: The Endangered Species Act.” National Geographic. Vol. […]

ECOSYSTEM CHANGE is about the interdependence of all living things and the nonliving environment. It is also about how human activities are changing ecosystems around the world. See Overview. Contents Chapters Investigations Stay Current 1. Earth Alive! 1.1 Make a Model Ecosystem Chapter 1 2. Energy Through the System Chapter 2 3. Studying Desert Ecosystems […]

Staying current for Chapter 8 See Non-chronological resources for this chapter { Losing Biodiversity Contents } 2026-09-17. Trump officials move to dismantle key protection for US endangered species. By Maya Yang, The Guardian. Excerpt: More than 1,600 critically imperiled species protected under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) face losing further federal protections following a […]

Staying current for Chapter 7 See Non-chronological resources for this chapter { Losing Biodiversity Contents } 2026-10-14. Coral can heal rapidly from bleaching—if it touches a clone. By Warren Cornwall, Science. Excerpt: When coral bleaches during a heat wave and ejects its symbiotic algae, it usually means either a death sentence or a slow recovery […]

Staying current for Chapter 6 { Losing Biodiversity Contents } 2026-03-04. North American birds: from decline to free fall. By Science Advisor. Excerpt: North American bird populations have been falling for decades. But a new study in Science suggests something even more troubling: In many places, those declines are accelerating. Using data from 1033 North American […]

Staying current for Chapter 5 See Non-chronological resources for this chapter { Losing Biodiversity Contents } 2026-10-05. Preserving Soil Carbon by Preserving the Forest Floor. By Rebecca Owen, Eos/AGU. Excerpt: Forest soils store an estimated 40% of the world’s terrestrial carbon, but estimates suggest that around 15%–30% of that soil carbon is lost when a […]