We’re crossing these bridges (and streams)
Crossing a stream on a drive may feel like a treat, but would bugs residing in the stream feel the
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insects
To bugs in streams, fine sediment is not so fine
Clearing land for agriculture often leads to decreased flow velocities and in increase in fine sediment additions in nearby streams. While many stream bugs rely on small fine sediments, too much of it can detrimentally affect them. Changes to flow velocities and inputs of fine sediment in affected streams are not always equal in magnitude, so an experiment was run to see the responses of aquatic macroinvertebrates to various combinations of flow and sediment conditions. The scientists found fine sediments negatively impacted almost all stream bugs and that low flows exacerbated the problem.
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Bugs from the deep: hyporheic stoneflies contribute much to their Ozark streams
Buried beneath the streambed is another environment home to a population of bugs more important to their local streams than ever before thought!
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Junk food fit for the bugs
Some “food” doesn’t have much nutritional value… and this is certainly true of plastic! Some bug larvae seem to be eating plastic, but they don’t live very long as a result. In a recent study, researchers experimented with different diet supplements to improve larvae’s ability to live off of plastic.
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The thieving, bribing lives of plants
There’s more to these leaves than their soft and fuzzy side–the fine hairs trap drifting pollen grains, which the plant can use to bait arthropods to stop by for a snack of pollen and stick around to munch on pests that harm the plant.
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Native milkweed supports healthy monarch communities
“Monarch butterflies do really well on the exotic milkweed species that’s being widely sold and planted under current environmental conditions. But under warmer conditions, the exotic plant becomes too toxic and monarchs become less healthy.”
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Dropping 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.
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Mentally “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.
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The global buzz: A call to restore insect biodiversity
Insects are in decline worldwide. Without a rethinking of current agricultural practices and a bucking of trends in urbanization, biodiversity of insects is threatened globally. Insects are the structural and functional base – the linchpin – of all ecosystems. We are part of those ecosystems. Unlike the vastness of climate change and its many aspects, the solutions to the problem of insect declines are readily available. With proper perspective, appreciation, and respect for the roles insects play in ecosystem integrity, human health, and economic markets, we can reverse course.
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Who are we going to call when rainforests are suffering from droughts? Termites!
Tropical rainforests are already showing signs that climate change is leading to higher tree mortality. However, Dr. Louise A. Ashton and collaborators investigated if termites could help turn the game on climate change and help tropical biodiversity and survival. This fascinating study shows that high termite abundance can lead to greater soil moisture and nutrient levels during drought conditions, which ultimately favors plant establishment. This suggests termites can potentially be major allies of tropical forests against climate change.
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