Humans have transported plants and animals all over the world, causing dramatic habitat changes. In Australia, the human introduction of cane toads has caused devastating population losses for many Australian predators. Cane toads are deadly prey because their skin produces a lethal toxin. Can Australian predators learn to avoid this new lethal prey and avoid extinction?
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Disturbances that occur around us help shape our world; from spilling a cup of coffee, to a natural disaster. During the past few decades we’ve experienced a lot more of the latter: from Katrina to tornados in the eastern US, severe natural disturbances are on the rise. One of those disturbances is wildfire. Over the last couple of decades wildfires have increased in intensity and scale. While this is alarming to our safety and infrastructure, wildfires play an important role and are necessary for various organisms. Of the many organisms that live in and rely on forest communities that are susceptible to wildfire disturbances, one of major interest is the northern spotted owl.
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Excess nutrients from pet waste and lawn fertilizer contribute to degraded water quality in cities. Due to the widely dispersed nature of these pollutants in residential areas, decisions made at the household level can go a long way towards solving—or exacerbating—water quality problems.
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We live in a complex world, which can be described as social-ecological system. Different knowledge and perspectives help to understand
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Scientists from the UK have recently reported finding extraordinarily high levels of toxic man-made chemicals in tiny crustaceans from the deepest parts of the ocean.
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Salt marshes are nature’s first line of defense for protecting coastlines against storms. So, what happens when hurricanes hit and leave behind layers of sand on a marsh? Walters and Kirwan investigate, defining when marshes have reached their limit.
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Declining seagrass in Chesapeake Bay could result in economic loss of $1.5-$2.5 billion
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A recent news headline proclaimed the “dead zone” – an aquatic area devoid of oxygen and therefore life – in
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What happens when a cow on a farm poops? You may not want to think about it, but all of that waste on animal farms has to go somewhere. Oftentimes it is stored in outdoor areas known as manure lagoons that can release gas emissions. Dougherty et al. investigates biochar covers as a method for reducing these gas emissions.
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Ecosystem all over the world are declining, but scientists and communities are applying numerous restoration techniques to be able to
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