management – envirobites

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Tackling Tradeoffs: Tree Functional Groups and Ecosystem Services in Tree Planting

February 3, 2021September 16, 2022 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments Climate Change, Function, management, Trees, Urban street trees

Deciding which trees to replant in cities stressed by climate change and pests can be daunting, but considering the traits of trees and the “functional groups” they belong to can help. In Québec City, computer simulations showed that a “stratified” approach to replanting that aims to evenly represent species of different functional groups did not increase ecosystem services as much as a “conifer-focused” strategy, suggesting a tradeoff between representation of functional groups and ecosystem services provided. Even so, the stratified strategy increased ecosystem services more than “business as usual” and produced the canopy least vulnerable to pests and disease.

Environmental Science

Out with the new, in with the old: can removing Asian carp benefit native fish populations?

March 7, 2019September 12, 2022 Lauren Bonatakis 0 Comments Ecology, fisheries, invasive species, management

Asian carp have been plaguing the waters of the Mississippi River Basin for over 40 years. As an invasive species, Asian carp often out-compete native species and decimate food webs. Many control measures have been proposed and implemented to mitigate the presence of Asian carp, and some methods are working. Now, the question is, with the removal of Asian carp, can native fish populations rebound and thrive in their natural environment once again?

Environmental Science

Parasite Invasion: Native North American snakes are infected with parasites introduced by Burmese pythons

March 6, 2019September 12, 2022 Kara Cromwell 0 Comments Ecology, environmental science, invasive species, management, Parasites, wildlife health

Invasive Burmese pythons have many negative effects on native Florida wildlife, and researchers have now discovered the potential for more: pythons share their parasites with native snakes.