Episode Guide

1. The Biology Of Lakes, Ponds, Streams, And Wetlands — Life is examined in terms of habitat, diversity, adaptation, ecological niches, and interrelationships. The program covers five sections. (40 min.) The Weedy Shallows: This unit places many of the organisms studied in biology into an ecological perspective: hydras, planarians, annelids, aquatic insects, rotifers, and protists, all interesting organisms that provide food for fish and other vertebrates. Open Water Environments: Adaptations for planktonic life are observed in Daphnia and other cladocerans, copepods, rotifers, and planktonic algae. Bottom Environment: Explores bacterial decomposition, recycling of materials, adaptations for bottom life, and ecological relationships in the bottom community. Stream Life, Inhabitants, and Adaptations: This unit takes a revealing underwater look at the highly specialized organisms that live in rapids, under rock communities, and in slower waters. Vernal Pools: Investigates adaptations for life in temporary wetland environments. (38:24)

2. The Biology Of Seashores — Explores the seashore as an ecologist would in five sections. (35 min.) Abiotic & Biotic Factors: Tides, wave shock, desiccation, and food sources. Adaptations for Wave Shock: Shows the variety of body forms and structures found in an environment ripped by waves. Defense: Examines structural, chemical, and behavioral adaptations that protect animals in this crowded environment. Feeding: Looks at adaptations used to harvest the abundant food sources of the shore. Reproduction: Examines asexual and sexual strategies and the importance of larval development in the plankton. Rocky Shores, Sandy Beaches, Mudflats, Docks: Reveals complex webs of life living in these accessible habitats. (29:11)