Fewer wetlands, more nutrients: water quality in the face of marsh erosion
As marsh edge erosion takes away land from Louisiana’s coastal wetland system, is there enough denitrification power left to control water quality?
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Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products Alter Lake Food Webs
The pharmaceutical and personal care products we use daily enter aquatic environments. Phytoplankton, or microscopic algae, are important pieces of the aquatic food chain. Phytoplankton exposed to pharmaceutical and personal care products in two Norwegian lakes responded quickly and dramatically – altering their community structure. The effects of these compounds on phytoplankton suggest these compounds have the potential to alter the food webs of entire aquatic ecosystems.
Read MoreRed, White, and Blue-Green Algae: Harmful Algal Blooms Block Summer Plans, and Could Become More Common Without Action
Recent harmful algal blooms in the Northeast US have thwarted holiday plans for many lake-goers, and climate change might make such blooms more common. If we could have tighter control on the nutrients flowing into the lake, we may have a chance at preventing blooms in the future.
Read MoreThe Fabric Cycle: Generating Microplastics from our Laundry
Tons of microplastics are entering the oceans each year in the form of microfibers from laundering textiles. Recent research shows fabric type and washing settings can influence the amount of microfibers released into the environment from your home laundry. Read more to find out how you can reduce your footprint.
Read MoreChocolate beans and Brazilian birds
Global popularity of chocolate has led to intensive cacao bean cultivation, creating far-reaching environmental and social consequences. Agroforestry is a sustainable cultivation method that can reduce environmental impact. It is known to sustain native plants and animals more effectively than monocultures; but how do agroforestry areas compare to pristine forests?
Read MoreDead trees and utility poles partially offset the impacts of deforestation on birds
Mature trees serve as important habitats for a variety of species including insects and birds. Birds use trees for many purposes including nesting, perching, and foraging. Conservationists are exploring strategies to maintain bird populations in areas where mature trees are being lost due to agricultural expansion, wood production, and increased urbanization. In a recent study, scientists in Australia measured how utility poles and erected dead trees impacted the number and abundance of bird species in urbanized regions. The results suggest that artificial structures can offset some, but not all, of the bird loss due to deforestation.
Read MoreBackyard Biodiversity: Urban Schoolyards Can Play an Important Role in Conservation
Biodiversity matters. Not just in the Amazon, but in your backyard, too. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) took the world by storm; the biodiversity crisis is here, and plants and animals across the globe are facing extinction, ultimately transforming ecosystems as we know it. Since the report, there has been a public outcry about what we can do to slow the impending biodiversity crisis, covered everywhere from scientific journals to media outlets worldwide.
While there are many pathways to address the crisis, a paper from a team of African researchers published in Urban Forestry and Urban Greening points to the importance of addressing a big problem on a small scale, suggesting urban schoolyards can positively impact local biodiversity for both native and exotic species.
Read MoreDropping Like Flies: Two Fungi Might Have What it Takes to Stop Spotted Lanternfly.
Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a threat to apple and grape crops in the northeast– research in biocontrol may help to stop the spread of this invasive insect.
Read MoreMentally “exhausted” honey bees—petroleum exhaust makes bees learn slower and forget faster
Scent pollution from exhaust fumes could disrupt the relationship between honey bees and the flowers they feed from and pollinate. The smell of flowers invites pollinators to come and feast on their nectar. But exhaust masks those smells, making it harder for bees to learn and remember the floral scents that cue them in to flowers.
Read MoreHow newts transformed our understanding of space travel
How did the Iberian ribbed newt become the world’s favorite amphibious astronaut? In this story from the 1990s, a team of three scientists from Russia and Germany set out to better understand how space affects the process of regenerating tissue in humans and other animals. With their ability to regenerate virtually every part of their body, Iberian ribbed newts were the perfect model organism.
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