Biology KS3 / KS4: The science of ripening and seed dispersal

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This short film, first published in 2013, is for teachers and review is recommended before use in class.

Stefan Gates reveals the importance of the cold of winter for the development of summer fruit, through the mysterious process of vernalisation.

He unpicks how vernalisation actually works, using an apple tree as an example.

This is from the series: Science of the Harvest

This clip could act as a stimulus for a project about the circadian and annual rhythms of plants.

Students could be taught about the way that plants have adapted to their environments.

Can they explain why deciduous plants drop their leaves, or pines have needles in place of leaves?

Can they identify how plants which live in tropical rainforests are different from those in alpine conditions?

This could easily be extended to cover the annual cycles of these plants.

Students could look at the impact that poor weather has on farming in a more general sense.

What implications does global warming have for UK farmers? This may mean more rain as well as higher temperatures.

This clip will be relevant for teaching Biology/Science at KS3 and KS4/GCSE in England and Wales.

Also at Third , Fourth Level, National 4, National 5 and Higher in Scotland.

This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC, CCEA and SQA.