By Northern Arizona University 8/20/2019 When Jaime Yazzie began planning her research for her forestry thesis, her adviser asked her what species of trees she wanted to save. They would use a computer simulation to measure the effects of a warming, drying environment, and she needed to select which trees to preserve. “I was a little shocked,” Yazzie said. “In my…
By Pennsylvania State University 8/14/2019 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A fisherman’s curiosity led to identification of the correlation between microbial communities in recreational freshwater locales and seasonal environmental changes, according to a team of researchers from Penn State. Zachary Weagly, a 2018 graduate of Penn State Berks and an avid fisherman, noticed that the quality of the water where he fished changed with…
By Pennsylvania State University 8/12/2019 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Everywhere you go there are stormwater detention basins built near large construction projects intended to control the flow of rainwater and runoff. Now, those basins might help in controlling nitrogen runoff into rivers and lakes, according to Lauren E. McPhillips, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State. Speaking today (Aug….
By Virginia Commonwealth University 8/12/2019 Forests in the eastern United States that are structurally complex — meaning the arrangement of vegetation is highly varied — sequester more carbon, according to a new study led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University. The study demonstrates for the first time that a forest’s structural complexity is a better predictor of carbon sequestration potential than tree species…
By UC Riverside 8/8/2019 They outlived mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. But without dramatic action to reduce climate change, new research shows Joshua trees won’t survive much past this century. UC Riverside scientists wanted to verify earlier studies predicting global warming’s deadly effect on the namesake trees that millions flock to see every year in Joshua Tree National Park. They also…
Osvaldo Sala became President of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) August 16 during the Society’s annual meeting in Louisville, KY. Sala is the first Hispanic person to serve in this role in the organization’s over-100-year history.
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will donate over $13,800 to Louisville Grows to offset the environmental costs of the society’s 104th Annual Meeting.
The first National Biodiversity Championship will be conducted this year in Louisville, Kentucky, August 11 – August 14, concurrent with the 2019 Annual Meeting for the Ecological Society of America.
ESA will present its 12th annual Regional Policy Award to Representative John Yarmuth, who represents Kentucky’s third congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, during the Society’s Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.
When wildfires burn up forests, they don’t just damage the trees. They destroy a key part of the global carbon cycle. Restoring those trees as quickly as possible could tip the scale in favor of mitigating severe climate change.
By Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International 7/31/2019 CABI has led an international team of scientists who strongly suggest that the global trade of forest tree seeds is not as safe as previously believed, with insect pests and fungal pathogens posing a great risk to trees and forest ecosystems worldwide. Non-native insect pests and fungal pathogens present one of the…
By Ohio State University 7/25/2019 A consortium of coral experts today published new guidelines that could help corals in the Caribbean adapt to warmer, more acidic waters caused by climate change. The guidelines are the first of their kind to offer a definitive plan for collecting, raising and replanting corals in an attempt to maximize their chances for survival. The…
By Yale University 7/30/2019 Savannas cover about 40% of the area of the tropics, yet little is known about the effects of drought on their ecosystems. A new Yale-led study published in the journal Ecology shows that a severe drought between 2014 and 2016 in Kruger National Park in South Africa killed off a large number of trees, a finding that somewhat…
By Pennsylvania State University 7/22/2019 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Plants may induce “leaky gut syndrome” — permeability of the gut lining — in insects as part of a multipronged strategy for protecting themselves from being eaten, according to researchers at Penn State. By improving our understanding of plant defenses, the findings could contribute to the development of new pest control…
Combining solar panel (photovoltaic) infrastructure and agriculture can create a mutually beneficial relationship. This practice of co-locating the two by planting crops under the shade of solar panels is called agrivoltaics.
By UC Berkeley 7/2/2019 Spotted owl populations are in decline all along the West Coast, and as climate change increases the risk of large and destructive wildfires in the region, these iconic animals face the real threat of losing even more of their forest habitat. Rather than attempting to preserve the owl’s remaining habitat exactly as is, wildfire management —…
By Pennsylvania State University 7/18/2019 New guidelines drafted by a consortium of concerned experts could enable corals to adapt to changing environments and help restore declining coral populations in the Caribbean. The guidelines provide a definitive plan for collecting, raising, and replanting corals that maximizes their potential for adaptation. A new paper outlining the guidelines, authored by the restoration genetics…
Pathogens attack invasive trees and native trees differently, even when the tree species are closely related, in the same genus.
By University of Liverpool 7/19/2019 A study by the University of Liverpool and Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) has found that parasites reduced female seabirds’ reproductive success by 30%, whilst seeming to have little effect on male seabirds. A seven year study of European shags on the Isle of May off the East coast of Scotland sought to explore the impact…
Lionfish in Florida are an underwater force to be reckoned with. The biggest threat they pose is not their venomous spines – it is the alarming speed and ferocity with which they invade new waters.