How was the first rubber produced?

Rubber is produced from a white milky liquid called latex, which oozes from cuts made in the trunk of the rubber tree. This tree originally grew in the jungles of Central and South...

Where did potatoes, maize and tomatoes come from?

These familiar plants were cultivated in America for centuries before being found by the early European explorers. Potatoes were brought to Europe in the 16th century, and were a great...

How has over-fishing affected the seas?

Modern fishing methods are capable of sweeping up almost all the fish in a particular area. In addition, these methods destroy those fish that are not caught by damaging their habitat. This...

How have we changed animals and plants?

Most of the farmed animals and crops that we use today are extremely different from their wild ancestors. Wild wheat is only a large form of grass, while maize produced small, hard...

Which are the main plants grown as crops?

About 150 types of plant are regularly cultivated as food crops, although thousands more are eaten in local areas.The most important crops are cereals (grass-like plants), especially...

Coral reefs

Coral reefs have the most diverse forms of life of any habitat. They are home to thousands of species of fish and invertebrates, all living in a complex balance which makes the reef...

What lives in tropical rainforests?

Tropical rainforests contain the most varied mixtures of animals and plants of any habitat on the Earth. They contain large and small predators and a bewildering variety of birds. All...

What lives in conifer forests?

Conifer forests cover huge areas of cool parts of the world. They are not rich in plant life apart from the trees, because the deep shade of the forested areas prevents most other plants...

Killer loads

An ecological community is a very finely balanced system, and changing one element can alter the whole community. This fact was discovered when giant African cane toads were imported...

Which communities live in hot deserts?

The plants and animals living in hot deserts have all developed ways of conserving or storing water. Cacti and other succulent plants store water in swollen stems and leaves. Some cacti...

What is a food chain?

A food chain is a sequence that demonstrates how one organism forms the food for another. It begins with the simplest animals and plants, and continues until the top of the chain is...

How can bugs make drugs?

Penicillin was the first antibiotic that was made from a mould. Since then, many other drugs have been produced from moulds and 1 bacteria. No one knows why these substances are produced...

What are bacteria?

Bacteria are the simplest true living organism. Unlike other living cells, bacteria do not have a nucleus. Instead, their genes are scattered throughout their interior. Bacteria have...

What are protozoa?

Protozoa is the name given to the whole group of single-celled animals. All protozoa are very tiny, and most are able to move about, usually by means of beating hairs which are called...

What lives in a puddle?

Rain puddles may look as if they contain only clear rainwater, but they also contain millions of tiny organisms. Most of these are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Microscopic...

What are bonsai trees?

Bonsais are decorative miniature trees that were first developed in Japan. They are grown in shallow dishes and the shoots and roots are carefully trimmed to stunt their growth. Some...

Which is the largest tree?

Trees are the largest living organisms that live on Earth.The biggest tree is the Californian giant redwood, which grows nearly 100 m high and can have a trunk that is 11 m thick.The...

What is a conifer?

Conifers produce their seeds without the aid of flowers, whereas deciduous trees are actually flowering plants. Conifers produce cones, which are whorls of papery scales packed tightly...

How do roots find water?

Several outside factors influence the way in which roots grow. They grow away from light and are pulled downwards by gravity, as you can see in simple experiments with large seeds such...

What are seeds?

After fertilization takes place, the egg cell develops into a seed from which a new plant can develop. The seed contains an embryo from which the new plant will grow. It also contains...

Smelly giants

The biggest flower of all is the rafflesia, a parasitic plant that does not photosynthesize. It grows in the rainforests of southeast Asia. The plant grows underground and is not visible...

What is pollen?

Pollen is the plant's equivalent of an animal's sperms. It carries the male reproductive genes. Pollen consists of tiny grains, each with a tough coat that is often patterned with...

Why are flowers brightly colored and scented?

Flowers are colored and perfumed to attract insects, which play an important part in pollinating them. Some plants also produce a sugary liquid called nectar, which bees feed on. Bees...

What are fungi?

Fungi used to be considered as part of the plant kingdom, but they are now thought to be quite different.The main part of the fungus is a mass of tiny threads called a mycelium. Fungi...