This excellent starting point is an update on Attenborough’s Living Planet book and TV series. The key developments in this book are the adaptations made by species in order to survive in the harshest of conditions. More importantly for this topic, however, is the interdependence and interconnectedness of the ‘web’ that the title suggests. One review states, ‘By the end of this book it is difficult to say which is the more astonishing - the ingenuity with which individual species contrive a living, or the complexity of their interdependence on each other and on the habitations provided by our planet.’ The book contains a 64-page colour photo section. A wide range of biomes is covered, from seagrass to deserts, rainforests to polar regions. Teachers and students can select which sections they explore, based on their area of study. 

This highly praised, engaging book explores the breadth and complexity of the connectiveness of fungi with the living (and non-living world). As the writer states, ‘ninety per cent of all plants depend on fungi for minerals’. Entangled Life shows how life-forms interpenetrate and change each other continuously through complex networks of decomposition and nutrient cycling. These topics can be a challenge for students, as the processes need to be adapted for different ecosystems. The book offers an excellent opportunity for teachers and higher-ability students of Living World topics to make sense of the interdependence needed for ecosystems to thrive.

This book gets straight to the heart of interdependence in the natural world. Written by a forester and drawing on contemporary scientific evidence, it explores the intricate, and often invisible to humans, connections within nature. Wohlleben seeks pattern recognition and order in the perceived ‘chaos’ of nature. Examples include the ability of wolves to alter the course of a river, and earthworms controlling wild boar populations. Later chapters focus on the impacts of climate change and wildfires on the connections he explores. The book is based on German temperate forests, so many UK students may find it easy to relate to. The accessibility of the content makes this book good background reading for students of Living World topics.

This book was first published in 2007, and recently republished. It provides a different take on the topic than the other resources provide, in exploring what would happen if humans disappeared. The book picks things up from the day after, as nature takes over and begins ‘cleaning house’. ‘Weeds, then shrubs, then forests retake suburban lawns. Asphalt cracks into a crazy paving of erupting vegetation. Subways fill with water and cave in, transforming city streets to marshland, and oil refineries burn.’ The main point is the role that humans play in the interdependence of ecosystems, and that happens when those connections are removed. The writer links this into the current human impacts, with pollution, destruction of habitats and species extinction. An interesting take on the topic for students to understand the delicate balance of life on earth, and the impacts that humans have.