![Eric with hula hoop](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-09/Eric_with_hula_hoop_1.jpg?itok=ZdQIrUoF)
ScienceXplosion - The Circle of Life
Interactives
In this episode, Eric uses a hula-hoop to count and catalog all the creatures he finds in that space! Biodiversity represents the variety of living things in any ecosystem - including in your own backyard!
![Mussels on a rocky coastline](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-03/mussels-on-rocky-coastline.jpg?itok=4PnEYQCV)
Using Mussels to Monitor the Environment
STEM Explained
Mussels are a kind of invertebrate that filter food out of the water they live in. This makes them a great tool for monitoring environmental water quality and tracking bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs.
![Dense tropical rainforest](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/tropical-dense-cloud-forest-coverd-in-fog.jpg?itok=hZ-ak9O8)
Tropical Rainforest Biome
Backgrounders
Learn about the location, plants, animals, human impacts and conservation of tropical rainforest biome.
![African savanna](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/African_savanna.jpg?itok=47nbBHlh)
Savanna Biome
Backgrounders
Learn about the location, plants, animals, human impacts and conservation of the savanna biome.
![Monument Valley, Arizona](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/Monument_valley.jpg?itok=OVV6_Owd)
Desert Biome
Backgrounders
Learn about the location, plants, animals, human impacts and conservation of the desert biome.
![Wild elk in boreal forest, Banff National Park](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/wild-elk-banff.jpg?itok=3aL59Nl5)
Boreal Forest/Taiga Biome
Backgrounders
Learn about the location, plants, animals, human impacts and conservation of the boreal forest/Taiga biome and meet Anne-Claude Pépin who is a fire management technician.
![Frobisher Bay near Baffin Island](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/arctic-in-spring-baffin-island.jpg?itok=4FtztWsL)
Arctic Tundra Biome
Backgrounders
Learn about the location, plants, animals, human impacts and conservation of the arctic tundra biome.
![Variety of plant groups in Banff National Park, Alberta](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-01/plant_taxonomy_banff.jpg?itok=xQe0JVAi)
Plant Taxonomy
Backgrounders
Learn about the categories, or phylum, of the plant kingdom with examples from each.
![Dragonfly](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-11/What_is_an_insect.jpg?itok=JKD6nofn)
What is an Insect?
Interactives
The What is an Insect? e-book explores the amazing world of insects while showing the characteristics and diversity of insects.
![guppies](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/Guppies_0.jpg?itok=GxqR4Z2f)
Why are Guppies so Diverse?
STEM Explained
Different members of a species can have different traits. You can see this in a species found at your local pet store - guppies!
![Red Onion, Parsnips, Lettuce Red Onion, Parsnips, Lettuce](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/ropl.jpg?itok=v3BvJdhW)
Vegetables
Picture Collections
14 images of some plants such as carrots, cabbage and leeks whose roots, stems or leaves are used for food
![Iguana Iguana](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/photo-1428542244207-0aaec316e609.jpg?itok=b0mH_hlU)
Reptiles
Picture Collections
10 images of some cold-blooded vertebrates such as snakes, lizards and alligators typically having dry, scaly skin
![various marine microorganisms as they appear under a microscope](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/marine_microorganisms.jpg?itok=MgdaDkhz)
Marine Microbiology: Meet the Microbes of the Sea!
STEM Explained
The ocean is full of very small but very useful creatures called microbes. Without them, none of the sea plants or animals you’ve seen would exist!
![Boreal Forest Boreal Forest](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/photo-1434394566634-da0fa7e334b8.jpg?itok=vRRjTv2B)
Plants: Biomes
Picture Collections
9 images of plants in some large naturally occuring habitats called biomes such as tundra, grasslands and boreal forests
![Seed Germinating Seed Germinating](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/Seed_germination.jpg?itok=wV7-g9v7)
Plants: Germination
Picture Collections
6 images of some seedlings sprouting as one of the stages towards full plant growth