MS-LS2-4

Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

  1. Life

    Explainer: What is an endangered species?

    Threats such as climate change and habitat loss can put species at risk of going extinct. Different words describe that risk.

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  2. Environment

    Bees and butterflies struggle to find flowers in polluted air

    Emissions from cars and trucks make it harder for insects to find flowers. That in turn reduces flower visits and pollination, a new study finds.

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  3. Environment

    Recycling a climate-warming gas could make ‘greener’ farmed fish

    Instead of warming the climate, methane gas can be collected to help farmers. Along the way, it may also save some fish.

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  4. Animals

    Rewilding returns lost species to strengthen ecosystems

    Restoring the missing species can help undo human-caused problems by aiding forests, slowing climate change and reducing wildfires.

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  5. Animals

    Baleen whales eat — and poop — a lot more than we thought

    The amount of food that some whales eat and then poop out suggests these animals have a powerful influence over ocean ecosystems.

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  6. Climate

    Here’s how some sea-loving trees ended up far from the coast

    This “relict ecosystem” that’s more than thousands of years old moved inland due to warming and a rise in sea levels.

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  7. Animals

    Let’s learn about elephants

    Check out five wild facts you may not know about a familiar animal: the elephant.

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  8. Environment

    Cheatgrass thrives on the well-lit urban night scene

    Middle-grade campers team up with ecologists at Denver University to show that streetlights boost the growth of a reviled invasive species.

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  9. Animals

    Cloning boosts endangered black-footed ferrets

    A cloned ferret named Elizabeth Ann brings genetic diversity to a species that nearly went extinct in the 1980s.

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  10. Environment

    Wildfire smoke seeds the air with potentially dangerous microbes

    Studies now show that most wildfires don’t kill microbes. That’s fueling worries about what risks these smoke hitchhikers might pose to people.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    What is the role of in-person classes in COVID-19’s spread?

    New data haven’t shown that schools pose a big coronavirus risk to kids and their families, despite fears that they might.

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  12. Animals

    Urchin mobs can literally dis-arm a predator

    Urchins are important herbivores — but not strict vegetarians. When hungry enough, they may even rip apart their predators for lunch.

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