A newly arrived fern makes a splash in freshwater ecosystems
Primary Source: Wahl, C., Kaller, M., and Diaz, R. 2021. Invasion of floating fern alters freshwater macroinvertebrate community structure with
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A Day in the Life of a Parasite: Using Parasites to Describe Fish Movement
When you think of parasites, your first thoughts probably aren’t “helpful” or “useful.” However, parasites aren’t just something we try to get rid of; they can be studied and used in all kinds of applications, including conservation. Check out this article to learn more about how scientists are using parasites to track species movements around the world.
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Using Plants to Protect the Past
A new study found that plants that are culturally significant to Native American tribes are abundant near archeological sites in Bears Ears National Monument suggesting that historical human behavior is still shaping our ecosystems today. Now, we need to use our resources to protect this cultural and ecological legacy and educate others about the history of these ancestral lands.
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The Urban Heat Island Challenge – How to quantify this pressing concern for cities facing a changing climate
Sangiorgio, V., Fiorito, F., & Santamouris, M. (2020). Development of a holistic urban heat island evaluation methodology. Scientific Reports, 10(1),
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Metal Accumulation in Sharks of the Caribbean
Pollution threatens marine life worldwide. Some of this pollution includes metals that build up in the tissues of marine life, including sharks. People around the world consume shark meat as a part of their diets. Caribbean reef sharks are commonly consumed by people throughout the Caribbean and South America, but a study on metal levels in their tissues had never been done. A team of researchers undertook this study to assess the danger to people and to better identify sources of pollution so that marine pollution can be better managed.
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New Discovery of Microbes Gobbling Up Greenhouse Gases in Extreme Environments
A new group of microbes can eat up methane, a common component of greenhouse gas. Named for Dr. Thomas Brock, this new phylum sheds new light on the role microbes play in the global carbon cycle. This study demonstrates the astounding biodiversity of microbes in extreme environments and how tiny creatures shape our world.
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Sperm Whales Learned to Avoid Nineteenth-Century Whalers
Nineteenth-century whalers questioned why sperm whales were getting drastically more challenging to capture. At the time, whalers of the North Pacific Ocean kept detailed logbooks about sperm whale sightings and harpoon strikes. These logbooks could help provide answers to the problem whalers faced in the 1800s and to the sperm whale populations struggling to recover today. Sperm whales that have encountered whalers might communicate to other sperm whales how to avoid the dangerous whalers. This information transfer between whales could help them adapt to rapidly changing environments.
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Diatoms and ducks make a dispersal dream team
Dispersal, or the movement of organisms from one place to another, is a key process in establishing and maintaining biodiversity across space and time. But how do unicellular, sessile organisms manage to move?
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Public Health & Urban Trees – What you need to know
Read all about the public health benefits of trees in cities. Team of researchers complete scoping literature review to help urban planners learn about the importance of urban trees.
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The churning seas are slowing down: The Atlantic Ocean circulation at its weakest in millennia
In the Atlantic Ocean there is a giant “river” that affects many aspects of life for us terrestrial dwellers, from the regional climates we enjoy to the sea level at our shore. This “river” is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), one of the planet’s major ocean circulation systems. The ocean has been churning for millenia through this circulation system, but now there are signs of change.
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