environmental science research for everyone
if you’re a tree trying to avoid being eaten by insects, it matters who you’ve got next to you: is it your own species, or another one? Often you’re better off with another species as a neighbor, but a new study shows that climate change can turn this upside down.
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The catastrophic death and destruction brought by volcanic eruptions can help scientists better understand human evolution. A recently published study by Yost et al. conducted a multi-proxy effort to investigate the impact that the Toba super eruption had in eastern Africa ~74 thousand years ago.
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Source: Barta, M. (2018). In planta bioassay on the effects of endophytic Beauveria strains against larvae of horse-chestnut leaf
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Mangroves have extended their range as a result of climate change and have established in areas that were previously salt marshes. Both mangrove stands and salt marshes act as buffers against coastal storms. Studies have suggested that mangroves and salt marshes have the ability to cope with global sea level rise by increasing local elevation through trapping soil and expanding their root structure. A recent study in the Mississippi River Delta reports that black mangroves and salt marsh plants have similar abilities to build sediment in coastal areas, but the rate of elevation increase is still lower than sea level rise. Therefore, both salt marsh and mangrove-dominated habitats of the Mississippi River Delta are at risk from sea level rise.
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The air in the US has been getting cleaner, but some people are still suffering health impacts from pollution. Researchers analyzed records of death in the US to see if there is a level of air pollution that is no longer harmful.
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Even though natural ecosystems can provide us with many services, a very limited effort has been made to actually integrate
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Algae mats scrub urban streams of excess nutrients, but the process is limited to the warmer months of the year, and it creates inhospitable habitats for fish and macroinvertebrates and also results in a stream that is unpleasant to look at and often smells.
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Coastal areas are prone to pollution from fecal bacteria, which are known to be associated with viruses and disease. When it rains, roads and sidewalks wash pet and wildlife waste into storm drains, which end up in our waterways. This can endanger human health, and cause economic losses to shellfishing businesses and tourism. A study conducted before and after installation of stormwater filtration infrastructure showed tremendous success in reducing fecal bacteria loads in Wrightsville Beach, NC, and stands as an example for other coastal areas looking to address their fecal pollution issues.
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The release of excess nitrogen into nature, for example through fossil fuel combustion, still gets relatively little attention in the public debate about biodiversity threats, especially compared to climate change and habitat destruction. But human-driven nitrogen increases in natural ecosystems demand our attention, as they can worsen the negative effects of climate change in biodiversity hotspots, and threaten some already endangered species.
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Summer, winter, and multi-year drought events initiate outbreaks of the damaging spruce beetle. Droughts suppress the ability of trees to produce chemicals to defend themselves against the fatal bugs.
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