I haven’t taught science for years, but my recollection is that an ecosystem would be an example of a CAS. I think that how organisms relate and interact with each other would qualify as well.
I agree that the interaction of organisms and their environment would be a prime example of a CAD.
The effect of invasive species on an environment.
I would say the layers of the atmosphere to discuss the transfer of energy.
In science I can see Complex Adaptive Systems within a species and its environment. Natural selection principles such as adaptations and mutations, along with environmental conditions would address complex adaptive systems throughout history.
The human body system is another example of Complex Adaptive Systems
I just did a project on biomes of the world. I think the way each biome contains ecosystems of both living and nonliving things interacting would be considered a complex adaptive system. Even how the biomes have been created through out the world and how they can be so different, but yet exist close enough to one another. However, don’t affect that overall system.
I teach Life Science. Food webs and the correlating population dynamics is an example of a CAS.
bacteria and illnesses - they can be random, have simple functions, are leaderless
The air and water molecules in a weather system is and example of a Complex Adaptive System.
In Earth Science, A complex system can be found with weather patterns and climate with the type of organisms that live in that area. We can also consider the Earth- Moon-Sun System that create a beautiful dance in space that provides seasons, tides and moon phases.
I agree and each layer plays an important role at keeping life on Earth.
In intially thinking about this, I couldn’t think of anything. Teaching earth and space science I didn’t think I could come up with anything. However, the more I think about it I think water and air molecules would fit this when dealing with the atmosphere and weather.
In teaching STEM, a complex adaptive system would be robotics.
Robotics relies on a series of programmed actions that allow the device to complete movements which solve a problem.
The flock of birds,
The school of fish,
and my students in the classroom
(however, "I always felt I was the leader- maybe now
more of a facilitator).
I can’t really reflect on the topic, as I do not teach science.
Back before I became a teacher, I was doing neuroscience research. While at UCLA I was studying spiraling calcium waves in glial cells from rat brains.
Here is a video of what this phenomenon looks like and a scientist showing a computer model of cells interacting with each other.
You can see a spiral really well in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnTgoWejlqk
The function and structure of DNA