PLANTS
Why do some leaves change color?
Leaf color depends on pigments and how their amounts shift. Light, temperature, and seasonal changes influence what colors become visible.
Life Science
The living world is full of hidden teamwork.
From cells to forests, life depends on systems that interact. Explore how organisms grow, respond to their surroundings, and depend on one another.
Start small
A leaf is more than a green surface.
Plant cells contain structures that help them capture light, move water, and build the materials a plant needs. When many cells work together, they form tissues with different jobs. A leaf’s shape, thickness, and surface features can all affect how it interacts with light, water, and air.
At larger scales, plants connect to pollinators, soil organisms, herbivores, and the weather. Biology becomes easier to picture when you move between scales: cell, organism, population, ecosystem.
Three ways into biology
Follow the connections.
These short features connect familiar questions to larger biological ideas.
MICROBES
How do microbes help ecosystems?
Microbes break down materials, cycle nutrients, and live in relationships with plants and animals. Their roles depend on the environment.
ECOLOGY
What makes an ecosystem resilient?
Diversity can give an ecosystem more ways to respond to change, but resilience also depends on the kinds of relationships and conditions in that place.
What is a cell?
A cell is the basic unit of life. Some organisms are made of a single cell; plants, animals, and many fungi are made of many cells with different roles.
What does “ecosystem” mean?
An ecosystem includes living things and the nonliving parts of their environment, along with the interactions among them.
Why do scientists classify organisms?
Classification provides a shared way to describe relationships and organize observations. Scientific classifications can change as evidence improves.