Countries: US

This program demonstrates techniques for using a student microscope to achieve spectacular images. Emphasis is on correct lighting procedures and the techniques required for viewing living cells.

The Biology of Plants uses clear graphics and succinct narration describe the molecular level mechanisms of photosynthesis. The taxonomy section introduces the nonvascular plants (mosses and liverworts), primitive vascular plants (ferns and horsetails), gymnosperms and flowering plants–with emphasis on life cycles in each group; a good general introduction to the green kingdom. Download free guide from our website.

The program begins with an in-depth study of Hydra; its feeding methods, stinging cells, reproduction by budding, and its sex life. Obelia illustrates a two-stage cnidarian life cycle, with the asexually-reproducing polyps and free swimming sexual medusae, characteristics shared by most members of Class Hydrazoa. The beautiful jellyfish of Class Scyphozoa pulse or drift through the open sea. Members of Class Anthozoa, sea anemones, hug the intertidal rocks trapping crabs and other small animals. Corals, their warm sea relatives, create one of the oldest and richest ecosystems on earth–the coral reef.

This program provides detailed observations on structure, behavior and life cycles of planarians and other free-living flatworms, some so small they can only be studied with a microscope (Class Turbellaria). It examines the bizarre life cycles of flukes (class Trematoda) and tapeworms (class Cestoda) with revealing shots of these parasites at home in the organs of their vertebrate hosts.

Nematodes (round worms) include a number of important human parasites. Thirteen common rotifer species illustrate this diverse group of microscopic animals. Bryozoans have evolved remarkable filter-feeding strategies that are observed in freshwater and marine species. Gastrotrichs, tardigrades (water bears), nemerteans, and a recently discovered phylum, the gnathostomulida, acquaint students with many of the lesser-known branches of animal life.

Phylum Mollusca is the second most diverse phylum of animals, with over 100,000 known species. First examined are the basic characteristics of the phylum – a soft body, muscular foot, mantle cavity with gill, and hard calcified shell. The four most familiar classes of mollusks (chitons; gastropods, bivalves, and cephalopods) are studied in depth, viewing structure, life history, from the Burgess Shales in Western Canada, unfolding into the modern view of molluscan evolutionary relationships.

Phylum Annelida is made up of segmented worms divided into three classes: Oligochaetes (earth worms and aquatic worms such as Tubifex), Polychaetes (Nereis and thousands of other species that live in almost all marine habitats), and Leeches. Their segmented bodies, similar internal anatomy ( seen in action through revealing new micro/macro imaging techniques), and developmental stages unite these diverse worms.

The term “algae” is a catch-all for several evolutionary lines of photosynthetic organisms: Red Algae (plastids with chlorophyll A), Brown Algae (with chlorophyll A and C), and Green Algae(Chlorophyll A and B). These photosynthetic organisms play vital roles in aquatic and marine ecosystems, providing oxygen, food and shelter for vast communities of living things. Download free guide from our website.