Monday, July 27, 2026

Ecosystems

EcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Andrea Valcarcel

Seaweeds Against Climate Change: How Algae Provide Us with Ecosystem Services

If you’ve ever been near the ocean, chances are you’ve had an involuntary encounter with seaweed. It’s slimy. It’s smelly. It’s just overall not pleasant—but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Here we’ll review some of the ecosystem services they provide so we can start looking past the inconvenience they represent and start appreciating them as the valuable organisms they are.

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AstrobiologyEcosystemsEnvironmental ScienceRemote Environments
Brianne Palmer

What can Hawaiian Lava Tubes Teach Us about Life on Mars?

What do Hawaii and Mars have in common? They both might have suitable habitats for microbes that can survive the extreme conditions in space. Read on to learn about how scientists are using lava tubes from Hawaiian volcanoes to learn about how life might survive on Mars.

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EcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Brandi Pessman

When Pests Infest – A new tool for identifying at-risk forests

Forests globally are facing threats from insect and pathogen outbreaks. In this battle, drought and unsustainable logging have weakened forests, making them more vulnerable to attacks by insects and pathogens. Luckily, scientists joined the fight and have developed a tool to help identify forests that are at risk. Still, the world’s forests are not out of the woods yet.

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ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Julia Bebout

“Remembering” Past Climates May Help Trees Survive in a Changing World

Tree growth rate can depend on both past and present environmental conditions. With increasingly frequent and intense droughts, the importance of this environmental “memory” for growth may be changing in two-needle piñon trees.

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Animal behaviorCase StudiesEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Lauren Otolski

How Many Ways Can You Count Wolves?

Although radio-collaring is often used to monitor wolf populations, scientists are turning their attention towards methods that do not require live-capture of animals. What are some of these options, and how do they stack up against radio-collaring?

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