Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Environmental Science

ClimateEcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Sienna Wessel

Where have all the flowers gone? Climate change is driving the loss of forbs and diversity in Californian grasslands

Science predicts that climate change will disrupt many natural processes and cycles and there is ever increasing media coverage regarding expectations for Earth’s future under these pressures. Yet there is little popular discussion about how plant communities will be impacted by these changes despite the fact that they represent the first level of the food web, support entire ecosystems of species, and contain one of the only organisms that can capture free energy to produce life. Understanding the ways that these communities are changing and will change in the future is crucially important to seeing the full picture of how climate change will re-shape life as we know it.

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Environmental Science
Sarah Shainker

Expanding the conservation “cool clique” to include freshwater megafauna

When you think of endangered species, what comes to mind? Even though the global list of endangered species includes plants, animals, and even algae, of all sizes, colors, and general aesthetic appeal, a few large animals typically serve as ambassadors for endangered species.

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EcosystemsEnvironmental Science
Jessica Espinosa

Spotting the Shy Guy – Why Collaboration With Local Indigenous People Can Be An Asset to Conservation Management

A recent Australian study highlights the importance of including local and indigenous people in conservation research. While examining mitigation of lizard population declines, scientists stumbled upon a surprising finding about how researchers’ cultural differences can affect fieldwork and experimental outcomes.

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Environmental Science
Bianca Ross

Wastewater Treatment in Briny Times

While many industrial processes that utilize salt are beneficial to our society, high concentrations of salt that make their way into our wastewater stream introduce many potential threats to wastewater treatment. In this study, researchers investigated a biological solution to dealing with high salt (and often high sulfate) concentrations in wastewater: purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB).

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Case StudiesEnvironmental Science
Ashley Riane Booth

Effective Environmental Policy Requires Inclusion

The politicians who designed NEPA understood that inclusion of stakeholders is crucial for policies to be effective, both in implementing change and garnering support for policy-based decisions.

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Environmental Science
Sarah Shainker

Population genetics to uncover life history and inform conservation of a federally threatened tiny plant

Genetic diversity is an important, but overlooked, aspect of the conservation of endangered and threatened species. How is the genetic diversity of a tiny, threatened plant influenced by its basic biology?

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ClimateEnvironmental Science
Whitney Kroschel

Mosquitoes in Winter (what the..?)

In many regions witnessing a mosquito in winter is common. Though many mosquitoes die off when temperatures get too cold outside, many of them don’t. It all depends on the species; and with warming climates, we can expect to see a lot more of them in the coming decades.

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Environmental Science
Riley Lovejoy

Which Nature is Your Nature?

Cultural understandings of nature vary widely, but global conservation efforts often fail to consider multiple perspectives regarding nature. Researchers have suggested a framework through which to better understand cultural conceptualizations of nature through language. By incorporating this framework into their correspondences, scientists may be better equipped to communicate their findings, and policy makers will have a platform from which to promote more inclusive legislation.

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