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Biology/Environmental Science: Measuring Ecosystems With Professor Iain Barr From University of East Anglia
March 19 @ 11:10 - 11:55
In this Biology/Environmental Science session, Iain Barr, Professor of Field Ecology in the School of Biological Sciences at University of East Anglia, will run an interactive talk for students on Measuring Ecosystems.
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi, microbes, etc.) interacting with each other and their physical environment (such as air, water, and soil) in a specific area. The interactions between living and physical factors form a system where energy flows and matter cycles. Ecosystems can vary in size, from a small pond to a large forest or even the entire planet.
In this session, we will consider ecosystems, ranging from a closed system like a terrarium to complex systems that are in constant flux or change, such as a coral reef or tropical forest, and assess why change is needed in systems to promote biodiversity.
We will also explore the services ecosystems provide to humans and how these services can be measured and evaluated. This leads to the need for ecosystems to be assessed by scientists in order to determine their ‘value’ metric. To measure an ecosystem, we can use the living organisms as indicators, with surveys and censuses conducted by scientists to assess biodiversity. We will explore the use of acoustics in measuring ecosystem complexity and consider what an ecosystem in poor condition and one in good condition might look and sound like. We will use sonograms, or visualisations of sounds on a screen, to observe how species can fit into an ecosystem acoustically as well as physically.
Lecturer Profile: Professor Iain Barr
Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.
As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.
Suitable for: Aged 16+ pre-university students studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Biology/Environmental Science and related disciplines. Student groups as well as students and teachers joining individually are very welcome.
Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the topic in advance and questions they have. Students can also think about questions about studying at university level.
The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the speaker via typed comments and questions and/or via a microphone. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.
Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: