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Could be used in biology or environmental science to introduce the concept of how small changes in the environment can have profound effects on an ecosystem and food webs.
Hadley and biologist Sean Carroll discuss the different ways in which climate change is impacting Yellowstone National Park's ecosystems. Examples include pine bark beetles and drought.
Comments from expert scientist: The 7-minute video nicely illustrates some of the ecological linkages between different species in Yellowstone; it entirely attributes the beetle infestation of whitebark pine, and the drying of ponds and associated declines in amphibians, to climate change, but does not consider the other stressors co-occuring with climate change; the video provides a very broad-brush look at complex issues, supporting the narration's simple thesis that Yellowstone is vulnerable to influences coming from outside the park.
A very coherent, clear explanation of how different species in a food web are affected by changes in climate.
Accompanying worksheet (PDF) for students is available to complete as they watch the video
Comments from expert scientist: The associated "Student Worksheet" asks 15 questions that address concepts and facts introduced in the video. The questions span an overly broad range of grade-level appropriateness and complexity, from very simple to very challenging. Some questions are simply not realistic for non-experts to try to grapple with, let alone answer, in the absence of substantive supplemental resources.
