school energy&environment
What is an ecosystem
The climatic regions of the Earth gave origin to a large variety of natural environments. Each habitat is formed by a community of animals and plants, called ecosystem, that, in order to survive, must adapt to the surrounding environment exploiting its resources as best they can. 550 million years ago plants began to grow on the Earth, creating the first environment that was suited for animal life; initially mosses and ferns were dominant, then conifers developed, and then flowering plants. At the same time, also herbivorous animals evolved and the foundations for the complex ecosystems of today were laid.
subjects dealt with in What is an ecosystem
Terrestrial biomes
An ecosystem is a complex system composed of organisms living in a given habitat. Plants and animals are the biotic…
Man and ecosystems
Terrestrial and water ecosystems are complex and perfectly organised natural “factories” that produce all that is required for life on…
Delicate ecosystems
In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) issued its first report, the Brundtland Report (from the name…
The agroecosystem
A typical example of artificial ecosystem is a cultivated field or agro-ecosystem. This is a natural system altered by men…
special reports
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4 August 2022 / Ecosystems
Summer 2022, warm bathing in the Mediterranean
A very interesting site (climatereanalyzer.org) publishes free interactive maps showing information on climate and weather worldwide. For example, air and…
8 July 2022 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
9 May 2022 / Ecosystems
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
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20 October 2021 / Ecosystems
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
White sandy beaches where winter never comes, the most exhilarating Carnivals in the world, the largest forest on Earth: these…
30 July 2020 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
23 June 2020 / Ecosystems
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
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10 February 2020 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
7 January 2020 / Ecosystems
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
6 February 2017 / Ecosystems
Robotics: environmental monitoring and more
The European Robotics Week (18-27 November) during which more than 830 events were organised in 30 countries, has just ended.…
-
4 August 2022 / Ecosystems
Summer 2022, warm bathing in the Mediterranean
A very interesting site (climatereanalyzer.org) publishes free interactive maps showing information on climate and weather worldwide. For example, air and…
8 July 2022 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
-
9 May 2022 / Ecosystems
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
20 October 2021 / Ecosystems
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
White sandy beaches where winter never comes, the most exhilarating Carnivals in the world, the largest forest on Earth: these…
-
30 July 2020 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
23 June 2020 / Ecosystems
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
-
10 February 2020 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
7 January 2020 / Ecosystems
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
-
6 February 2017 / Ecosystems
Robotics: environmental monitoring and more
The European Robotics Week (18-27 November) during which more than 830 events were organised in 30 countries, has just ended.…
-
4 August 2022 / Ecosystems
Summer 2022, warm bathing in the Mediterranean
A very interesting site (climatereanalyzer.org) publishes free interactive maps showing information on climate and weather worldwide. For example, air and…
-
8 July 2022 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
-
9 May 2022 / Ecosystems
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
-
20 October 2021 / Ecosystems
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
White sandy beaches where winter never comes, the most exhilarating Carnivals in the world, the largest forest on Earth: these…
-
30 July 2020 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
-
23 June 2020 / Ecosystems
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
-
10 February 2020 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
-
7 January 2020 / Ecosystems
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
-
6 February 2017 / Ecosystems
Robotics: environmental monitoring and more
The European Robotics Week (18-27 November) during which more than 830 events were organised in 30 countries, has just ended.…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
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Flour from forests
Bread and flour are staple foods for many cultures around the world. It is possible to produce flour from cereals…
