General Info

‘Canned Ecology’ is a mobile, self-contained and interactive rock pool, pond and soil ecology road show. The goal of Canned Ecology is to showcase a range of fascinating creatures from marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and the efforts of NERC scientists to understand their role in the environment. The roadshow focuses on how the ecological communities that are made up of these animals and plants respond to environmental change. We use a food web framework describing who eats whom to communicate this to children in a vibrant and accessible way, and demonstrate the importance of the many small but voracious predators that are found in the natural world around us. Canned Ecology is a mobile interactive space, a trailer with inserted touch tanks for aquatic and terrestrial organisms, essentially a ready meal of easily digested ecology. Canned Ecology highlights the nuts and bolts of ecosystems, drawing attention to what they have in common rather than their differences. The roadshow addresses a range of issues and consists of: • Touch tanks provide an opportunity to see the animals and plants up close and personal, highlighting their adaptations to life in different environments. • Rugged tablets that are used to explore predator and prey interactions in a fun game style setting. • Bug viewers to see the micro world around us up close and personal. Canned Ecology draws on the science of four NERC funded projects that have focussed on the food webs of ecosystems on land, in rivers and at sea. The platform is delivered through the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast and provides an opportunity for our staff and students to engage with communities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.