School Workshop: Rainforest Ecology and Adaptation (year 12 and 13)

Workshop overview

Rainforests are complex and biodiverse ecosystems which play a significant role in regulating climate across the globe. Life here must cope with extreme abiotic and biotic conditions. This session looks into the ecology of the rainforest, the challenges to life here and how plants have evolved adaptations to thrive. It also touches on some of the human pressures on these precious ecosystems and how that influences the ecology.

What happens in the workshop

This classroom-based session links strongly with Biology and Geography A level specifications. We encourage the students to ask questions and build a running dialogue with us throughout the interactive session. After this there is an optional activity linked to the content that the students can complete in our Biomes.

Visiting teacher

“ It was a perfect opportunity for our students to learn outside the classroom. ”

Practical information

This workshop enables students to:

Differentiate between the meaning of key ecological terms (biome, climate, ecosystem, biodiversity, adaptations).
Describe the key characteristics of climate, rainfall, nutrient cycling and ecology in rainforest regions.
Explain plants adaptations to the biotic and abiotic conditions found in the rainforest.
Identify some of the implications of human disturbance on rainforest ecology.

We've designed the workshop to complement the following specifications:

Edexcel A level Biology B (2015). Topic 3 Classification and Biodiversity 3.2ii. Topic 5 Energy for Biological Processes 5.7viii.Topic 10 Ecosystems 10.1, 10.2i, 10.2iii, 10.3
Edexcel A level Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) from 2015.Topic 4 Biodiversity and Natural Resources 4.1, 4.2i, 4.3. Topic 5 On the Wild Side 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.10
AQA A level Biology, 3.4.4 Genetic diversity and adaptation. 3.5.3 Energy and ecosystems. 3.5.4 Nutrient cycles. 3.7.4 Populations in ecosystems
AQA A level Geography. 3.1.6.2 Ecosystems and processes. 3.1.6.3 Biomes
OCR A level Biology A.6.3.1 Ecosystems
OCR A level Biology B. 3.1.3 e The development of species: evolution and classification
OCR A level Geography (from 2016).Topic 1.2 – Earth’s Life Support Systems, 2a Tropical Rainforests

It also offers content aimed extending students thinking beyond the specifications.

The workshop costs £8.50 per pupil, with a minimum charge of £170 per group (includes VAT). This includes:

a facilitated 1-hour session with our Education Team plus reference material to take away
task linked to the taught session to stimulate students’ thinking when they’re out and about on site (optional)
free access to the whole Eden site for the day
if required, a base for your bags in our purpose-built education centre, The Core

The price includes free entry for accompanying adult helpers (please note our suggested adult/pupil ratios are as follows: Early Years Foundation Stage, 1:3; Key Stage 1, 1:6; Key Stage 2 and 3, 1:10; Key Stage 4, 1:15; Key Stage 5, 1:20). Additional adults are charged at our group booking rate.

We also offer a free preparatory visit to Eden for teachers wanting to plan their school trip, which should be booked in advance.