For the Jurassic World, Pollen Shows What Plants Grew When Dinosaurs Roamed
Reference: Slater, S.M., C.H. Wellman, M. Romano, and V. Vajda. 2018. Dinosaur-plant interactions within a Middle Jurassic ecosystem – palynology
Read more
Month: August 2018
Taking a closer look at plant-sediment interactions in the rhizosphere
The rhizosphere refers to the narrow region of soil or sediment surrounding the plant roots that directly interact with the roots, both chemically and biologically. Although this region is a hotspot for carbon and nutrient cycling, we know very little about this zone. This post describes a new study that collects information from within the rhizosphere using novel optode imagery.
Read more
Ornamental Plants Don’t Dye
Wastewater from textile factories contains chemicals, such as synthetic dyes, that can threaten both the environment and human health. Discharging wastewater to constructed wetlands is a common method for wastewater treatment. Recently, researchers investigated the viability of cultivating constructed wetlands with ornamental plants for the treatment of textile effluent in the hopes of discovering an aesthetically pleasing option for treatment.
Read more
How do volcanoes affect ozone?
Stratospheric ozone is critical for human life. After being depleted for years as a result of human activities, ozone finally beginning to make a recovery thanks to the effects of the Montreal Protocol. A recent study by Wilka et al. evaluates how volcanic eruptions may be affecting the rate of ozone recovery.
Read more
Near-death experiences: sublethal effects of pesticides on pollinating insects
Negative impacts of pesticides on pollinators can take different forms: direct kills on contact (called lethal effects) or indirect effects, through the pollinators’ abilities to reproduce (called sublethal effects). These sublethal effects are generally not spotted by regulatory bodies through traditional ecotoxicological tests, but have severe impacts on pollinator health.
Read more
Plastic Trash in the Oceans is Killing Coral
More plastic trash in the world’s oceans are serving as breeding grounds for bacteria that are killing coral. Since coral is an important part of the ocean food chain, anything that kills coral also indirectly leads to increased deaths of all marine life. Increased deaths of marine life over time leads to the death of all life on earth.
Read more
How air pollutants hurt wheat
Air pollutants like ozone can cause damage to plants. Wheat currently provides 20% of dietary protein and caloric intake for the world’s growing population. A recent analysis led by Gina Mills and scientists from across the globe reports that increased levels of ozone will decrease global production of wheat by 85 million tons. Furthermore, the negative effects of ozone may counteract the positive effects of irrigation in wheat fields.
Read more
Can solar farms help agricultural farms?
Electricity and food are two things each of us consumes every day. It is possible that by making smart choices, we can help grow more food while also generating electricity. Pollinating insects are an important part of agriculture in the US, and we can make electricity choices to increase the number of those insects near our farms.
Read more
Unmanned air vehicles (UAV) could be the future of air pollution measurements
Scientists are trying to develop a better understanding of how air pollution is impacting Earth’s atmosphere and public health; unmanned air vehicles, like drones, may be the answer.
Read more
Mangroves Marching North: How do black mangroves and saltmarshes interact?
Pickens, C. N., Sloey, T. M. and Hester, M. (2018) Influence of salt marsh canopy on black mangrove(Avicennia germinans) survival
Read more