A close examination of the life within a pond or lake reveals adaptive structures and behaviors that promote survival of many species. Yet, their life cycles and body structures tell us much about the natural world and the delicate balance within it.
The term "protist" covers a wide range of microscopic organisms formerly clumped into "Kingdom Protista." New molecular analyses show that the protistan lines of evolution go so far back in time they can be considered as different kingdoms of life.
Topics: Structure and Behavior of the Plasma Membrane, Osmosis, Transport Proteins, Phagocytosis, Pinocytosis, Receptor Mediated Endocytosis, Golgi Function, Lysosomes and Hydrolytic Digestion, Microtubules, Cilia, Actin, and Myosin Motor Proteins.
Topics: The Protein Nature of Life, Protein Structure, Transcription, Translation and Protein Synthesis, Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes, Exons and Introns, Mutations, Renegade DNA—The Viruses.
Photosynthesis Topics: Chloroplast Structure, Light Trapping by Chlorophyll, The Light-Dependent Reactions of Photosynthesis, The Light-Independent Reactions of Photosynthesis.
Cellular Respiration Topics: Glycolysis and Fermentation, Mitochondrion Structure, Aerobic Respiration, Krebs Cycle, Electron Transport Chain, ATP Synthesis.
• Plant Minders – takes a peek at the vibrant ecosystem of the domestic garden and the part played by pollinators, predators, and scavengers, including bees and butterflies, aphids, soldier beetles and ladybird beetles, and the reproductive structures of flowering plants.
• The Living Humous – studies the living component of soil, where dead organic material is broken down through the efforts of decomposer bacteria, sow bugs, millipedes, centipedes, and fungi.
• The Rotting Log – looks at how dead wood returns to the soil with the help of termites and the symbiotic microorganisms living in the termite gut.
• Down the Rapids – a survey of insect larvae adapted for surviving in fast-moving water, including mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and water tigers (diving beetle larva).
• Over the Falls – living in the violent torrent of waterfalls are the larvae of blackflies, a fly larva with suckers, and the mysterious water penny.
