Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log in
  • Create Account
  • Community
    • Group Rules
    • Join the Community
  • Classroom Resources
  • Teaching Tools
  • Professional Development
  • Partner Content

Analyzing Patterns in the Savanna Landscape

Topic

  • Ecology
  • Ecosystems
  • Science Practices
  • Models & Simulations

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Scientists at Work

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:07:57
Saved By
15 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This video showcases the work of mathematician-turned-biologist Corina Tarnita, who uses quantitative approaches to understand the role of termite mounds in the savanna ecosystem.

Termite mounds are biological hotspots that concentrate nutrients and water in semiarid savanna ecosystems. When viewed from above, the mounds form a strikingly regular polka-dot pattern. Tarnita uses mathematical modeling to explain the regularity of this pattern, how it arises, and how the mounds enhance the stability of the ecosystem.

The accompanying “Student Worksheet” incorporates concepts and information from the video.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

Student Learning Targets

  • Examine research practices.
  • Develop scientific explanations and justify claims using evidence.
  • Explain what spatial patterns can reveal about ecosystems.
     

Estimated Time

One 50-minute class period to complete the associated handout.

Key Terms

ecosystem resilience, geometry, mathematics, termite mound

Primary Literature

Bonachela Juan A., Robert M. Pringle, Efrat Sheffer, Tyler C. Coverdale, Jennifer A. Guyton, Kelly K. Caylor, Simon A. Levin, Corina E. Tarnita, 2015. Ecological feedbacks. Termite mounds can increase the robustness of dryland ecosystems to climatic change. Science 347, 6222 (2015): 651-5. https://doi.org10.1126/science.1261487.
 

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Video files meet criteria. Spanish files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 11.11.15
Date Updated 06.15.20

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2.C, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-6; SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-4.A, ENE-4.B, SYI-1.H; SP2, SP4, SP6

IB Biology (2016)

C.2

AP Environmental Science (2013)

II.D

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.2, 3.4, 7.2

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.7, WHST.9-12.1
Math.N-Q.1, Math.S-ID.1, Math.S-ID.2; MP2, MP3, MP4, MP7

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5; DP2

Materials

Download HD (M4V) 291 MB
Download HD (WMV) 239 MB
Download SD (M4V) 65 MB
Download SD (WMV) 65 MB
Download Transcript (PDF) 132 KB
Download Spanish Dub - Español (M4V) 306 MB
Download Transcript - Español (PDF) 253 KB
Download Student Worksheet (PDF) 1 MB
Download Student Worksheet - Español (PDF) 2 MB

Use This Resource With

Interactive Media Resource
Interactive Video Builder

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About Gorongosa

Showing of
Image of a map from the interactive.
Click & Learn
Gorongosa National Park Interactive Map
Image of E.O. Wilson from the film
Film Activities
Activity for The Guide: A Biologist in Gorongosa
Image of the timeline from the interactive
Click & Learn
Gorongosa Timeline
Photo of animals drinking from a watering hole
Lessons
Biodiversity Studies in Gorongosa
Sable antelope
Lessons
Scientific Inquiry and Data Analysis Using WildCam Gorongosa
Image of a researcher working at his computer from the film
Scientists at Work
Think Like a Scientist: Gorongosa
Image of an animal drinking from a watering hole
Lessons
Building Ecological Pyramids
Photo of a lion taken from a trail camera
Click & Learn
WildCam Lab
Image of a researcher touching blades of grass
Scientists at Work
Surveying Gorongosa's Biodiversity
Image of Rob Pringle holding a tracking antenna
Scientists at Work
Niche Partitioning and Species Coexistence
Illustration of a termite mound from the video
Animations
How Termites Enrich Ecosystems
Close-up photo of an ant from the video
Scientists at Work
Surveying Ant Diversity in Gorongosa National Park
Graph from the activity
Lessons
Exploring Biomes in Gorongosa National Park
Overhead photo of researchers taking measurements of an anesthetized elephant
Scientists at Work
The Genetics of Tusklessness in Elephants
Image of women walking with pots of coffee seedlings.
Wild Hope

Coffee for Water

Trail camera image of a lion
Click & Learn
WildCam Gorongosa
Varias cebras sobre un pastizal.
Card Activities
Creating Chains and Webs to Model Ecological Relationships
Image of EO Wilson and Tonga Torcida from the film
Short Films
The Guide: A Biologist in Gorongosa
Image from the interactive
Animations
Gorongosa's Water Cycle

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Graph from the activity
Data Points
Modeling Ecosystem Effects of Termite Mound Patterns
Varias cebras sobre un pastizal.
Card Activities
Creating Chains and Webs to Model Ecological Relationships
Image of niches from the activity
Card Activities
Modeling Trophic Cascades
An illustration entitled Model Builder showing arrows connecting different colored shapes
Tools
Model Builder
Photo of bleached corals
Phenomenal Images
Stressed-Out Corals
Image from the film of Mary Power measuring the depth of a stream.
Scientists at Work
Riverine Food Webs: How Flow Rates Affect Biomass
Photo of termite mounds in Mozambique
Phenomenal Images
Mozambique Mounds
Close-up photo of an ant from the video
Scientists at Work
Surveying Ant Diversity in Gorongosa National Park
Image of zebras from the video
Scientists at Work
A Science-Based Approach to Restoring Gorongosa's Wildlife
Image from the film of Silliman inspecting grasses.
Scientists at Work
Trophic Cascades in Salt Marsh Ecosystems
HHMI BioInteractive
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Advisors
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility