invertebrates – envirobites

Monday, September 9, 2024

Beyond Expelling Organs at Predators: What Else Are Sea Cucumbers Hiding?

July 3, 2022July 3, 2022 Maria Marlin 0 Comments deep-sea, invertebrates, marine life

Featured image caption: Sea cucumbers are echinoderms that live on the ocean floor worldwide. Some species are also edible and

Ecosystems Environmental Science

Friend or foe? Invasive earthworms can benefit agriculture but harm forests

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 Kara Cromwell 0 Comments agriculture, carbon, Conservation, Ecology, environmental science, forest ecology, forests, invasive species, invertebrates, nutrient cycles

Earthworms are welcome guests in the garden, but it’s a different story in the forest. By consuming and removing leaf litter too fast they set in motion complex cascades of ecological changes, with long-term negative effects on soil fertility and biodiversity.

Climate Environmental Science

Native milkweed supports healthy monarch communities

August 28, 2019August 21, 2019 Ashley Riane Booth 0 Comments behaviour ecology, butterflies, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecology, insects, invasive species, invertebrates, milkweed, monarch butterflies

“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.”

Ecosystems Environmental Science Toxicology

Avoiding A Problem: Spineless Critters Signalling Trouble For Plants?

May 9, 2019September 19, 2022 Anita Masse 0 Comments avoidance behaviour, boreal, ecotoxicology, forests, invertebrates, plant toxicity, soil toxicology

Spineless creatures are fleeing, alerting scientists to an unseen problem. The avoidance behavior of soil worms and insects could provide a fast and easy method for scientists to screen chemicals for plant toxicity.