Ecology
Every living thing is part of a cycle between air, water, earth and the rest of the environment. Ecology explores these connections and looks at the place of humans in the web of life.
Gallery closure
From 7 January - 1 March 2013 the Ecology gallery will be closed for essential refurbishment work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Discover our planet’s ever-changing ecology and find out why we need to connect with nature in order to survive. You can also investigate more ways of protecting the planet by using our ecology action email points.
Experience and explore the power of water in our spectacular video quadrasphere display. Water is essential for all living things – find out how the water cycle works to sustain life on our planet.
Shrink to 8,000 times smaller than your normal size and take a peep inside the giant leaf factory. There you’ll discover how green plants harness the power of the sun to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, producing the oxygen that all life depends on.
Carnivores, like this Bengal tiger eating an antelope, get their energy and nutrients from meat and in the wild must kill other animals to survive.
Nothing is wasted in nature. See how natural raw materials are recycled in the life processes of a rabbit and find out how the animal’s eating, excreting and eventual decomposition enable minerals and nutrients to flow from one living thing to another.
It’s our challenge to work with the planet’s ecology, not against it. Taking less from the environment and giving more is the way forward. Our display shows you the things you can do in every sphere to help conserve nature.
