Prescribed burns should be applied not only to avoid uncontrolled wildfires, but also to maintain open vegetation types and their biodiversity as fundamental pieces of savannas and grasslands, threatened by fire suppression or modified fire regimes. (Modified from Durigan et al. (2020))
Read MoreAs we careen toward the end of our second month of quarantine, there is only one thing on everyone’s mind… SHARKS.
A new study conducted by German research teams suggests projected rates of ocean acidity will degrade shark skin on a global scale in the future.
Read MoreSo you are a passionate conservation activist distracted in the time of global pandemic- perhaps you haven’t had the mental space to prioritize biodiversity protection in your ever growing laundry list of pressing societal issues. What if I told you that the preservation of biodiversity could have the potential to check off a few items on that list- including disease impact? Read on to hear how science has worked tirelessly to determine if diversity can actually “dilute” disease in a variety of organisms, ending with a new comprehensive study that looks at this effect in plants.
Read MoreBelieve it or not, quite a bit of research has gone into determining the answer to this question. Crustaceans have long been viewed as only having reflexes without any associated pain, but evidence is building that they experience more than just a reflex under “painful” circumstances. So what’s the consensus?
Read MoreGlobal warming is rapidly changing our planet which will impact the natural world as well as our daily life. Scientist are looking into the past to see if they can discover lessons on how to cope and survive extreme weather events. Recent archeological findings shed light on how the ancient people of Arabia dealt with changing climate over thousands of years.
Read MoreJust as the spread of disease can be hard to control, pollutants can transfer between ecosystems, exposing new populations to environmental risks. A collaborative team of environmental scientists are seeking to understand the nature and consequences of the spread of mining pollutants between water- and land-based ecosystems.
Read MoreAs spring arrives, animals of all shapes and sizes, native or invasive, come out from sheltering over winter. Unfortunately, this also includes pests that we might not be so excited to see again, including those that spread disease such as mosquitoes and ticks. Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the United States, and spread by native black-legged ticks. However, since 2017 there has been an invasive tick expanding into Lyme disease territory, but the question of whether these invasive ticks can spread Lyme disease remains unanswered.
Read MoreSea turtles are often seen as a “poster-child” animal for conservation efforts in coastal areas. Beaches are covered with signs, and local groups search every night for mothers’ nests so they can put up protective barriers and increase the hatching success. However, for other species of turtles, like the freshwater spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera), simple protection of the nests are not currently an effective way to increase hatching success. Instead, researchers have found incubating the eggs of spiny softshell turtles more than doubled the hatching success rate, which may help save this endangered population in Québec, Canada.
Read MoreIllegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing poses an imminent threat to biodiversity in our oceans. Notoriously difficult to track, fishing vessels are able to elude traditional tracking measures. Authors H. Weimerskirch et. al. introduce the concept of the “ocean sentinel”, where sea birds that are naturally attracted to fishing vessels are equipped with bio-loggers. Data from these loggers help locate where, when, and how frequently IUU is occuring.
Read MoreImagine yourself lounging on a beautiful beach in Hawaii. Picture an ice cold drink in your hand, the warm breeze on your face, and the ocean tides churning in front of you. Relaxing and picture-perfect, right? One question you may not have asked yourself is where and how does Hawaii get its energy? In the age of sustainability and the growing importance of renewable energy sources, an investigation of Hawaii’s energy dilemma proves an exciting read.
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