Secondary Catalogue

The terrestrial zone is the area of land around the pond that is not regularly inundated with water. This video looks at biotic and abiotic factors in the terrestrial zone, discussing the flora and fauna found in this zone and the potential impact human activity can have on the whole pond. Informative diagrams and in-the-field footage make this an essential resource for senior secondary biology students. Show Less

The organisms found in the littoral zone are critical for the biological cycling of abiotic factors. This video explores the complex relationships between primary producers, lower level consumers and higher order consumers and how they can be modelled using food chains and food webs. Informative diagrams and in-the-field footage make this an essential resource for senior secondary biology students. Show Less

The euphotic and profundal zones, which together comprise the limnetic zone, are home to a variety of organisms. This video looks at the characteristics of primary producers and consumers and how energy is transferred and lost through the different levels in a food chain. Informative diagrams and in-the-field footage make this an essential resource for senior secondary biology students. Show Less

The benthic zone teems with life and biodiversity and acts like the digestive system of the pond. This video explains how organisms here have adapted to living in conditions of low light and low oxygen and why they are crucial for processes of nutrient cycling and maintaining water quality. Informative diagrams and in-the-field footage make this an essential resource for senior secondary biology students. Show Less

The plants found in the littoral zone play an important role in maintaining and supporting the biotic and abiotic conditions of a healthy pond. This video explains how these plants photosynthesise, looking at the role reeds and rushes play in transforming sunlight into energy that flows through the ecosystem. Informative diagrams and in-the-field footage make this an essential resource for senior secondary biology students. Show Less

A pond is an ideal place to see how living and non-living things interact with each other and their environment. This video introduces key aspects of pond ecosystems, explaining how abiotic factors define the four pond zones and how relationships between organisms can be modelled with food chains and food webs. Informative diagrams and in-the-field footage make this an essential resource for senior secondary biology students. Show Less

The skeleton plays a crucial role in all vertebrates, including humans. This video introduces viewers to the role of the human skeleton, covering the key functions of shape, movement, protection, blood cell production and mineral storage. Detailed animated graphics paired with clear definitions and examples makes this essential viewing for secondary students studying the human body. Show Less

There are many diseases, both historical and still widespread today, that are related to the health of our bones. This video discusses rickets, spina bifida, scoliosis, osteoporosis and arthritis, explaining their causes and methods of treatment or prevention. Detailed animated graphics paired with clear definitions and examples makes this essential viewing for secondary students studying the human body. Show Less

Knowing what bones are made from is essential for understanding what happens when they break and mend. This video guides viewers through the minerals and proteins in bones and the two types of bone tissue, then explains the various classifications of bone fractures, including the healing process. Detailed animated graphics paired with clear definitions and examples makes this essential viewing for secondary students studying the human body. Show Less

The points at which bones connect with each other, or the joints, are critical for the body’s range of movement. This video explains the structural and functional classifications of joints, providing detailed descriptions and examples of fibrous joints, cartilaginous joints and the six types of synovial joints. Detailed animated graphics paired with clear definitions and examples makes this essential viewing for secondary students studying the human body. Show Less

The human skeleton contains up to 206 bones, arranged in a particular structure to fulfil their unique functions. This video comprehensively covers different types of bones and their function, the axial and appendicular skeletons and includes a focus on the vertebrae and the skull. Detailed animated graphics paired with clear definitions and examples makes this essential viewing for secondary students studying the human body. Show Less

Photosynthesis supplies all oxygen for life, and it began in the sea. Amazingly, it all relies on one basic kind of chemical reaction that was achieved over two billion years ago by cyanobacteria, and cyanobacteria living as endosymbionts in plants and phytoplankton still produce almost all our oxygen. This programme tells the story of the cyanobacteria, how they changed our planet and are involved in supporting its many life forms. We look at the four major groups that photosynthesise in the sea: cyanobacteria, eucaryote phytoplankton (microalgae), seaweeds (macroalgae), and seagrasses. These groups are responsible for supplying around half the oxygen we breathe—so in terms of understanding the processes that keep us alive, this is a very important story. Show Less

In the final episode, 'Heat and the Human Body', we look at the brilliant systems within our bodies that allow us to maintain a more-or-less constant body temperature regardless of the weather conditions. Sweating, shivering, pumping more blood to some parts of our bodies than to other parts, curling up into a ball, and spreading out your arms and legs all play their part in keeping our bodies at the right temperature! But what happens when we reach our limits? Show Less

Everyone likes to visit the beach. But for living things a beach represents one of the toughest environments on earth. Beaches are in constant flux, hammered by waves and wind and extremes of temperature, sometimes submerged and sometimes dry. Beach erosion threatens human activities too. This program looks at many aspects of beaches, from the life in the littoral zone to the basic geology of beaches. Show Less