Ecosystems

Ecosystems

Beetle attack overturns forest carbon regime

Ravaged Canadian region switches from carbon sink to net carbon source.

Ecosystems

Refugee Policy Needs a Shot in the Arm

Sometimes spending a little money on vaccinations up front can save a bundle down the line.

Ecosystems

Predators return

Warming waters could push new predators into Antarctica's delicate ecosystems.

Ecosystems

Spread of nonnative fish mirrors human commerce

Invasions of foreign freshwater fish are more common in areas with relatively high economic activity, suggesting that humans are a part of the problem.

Ecosystems

Big Foot: Eco-footprints of rich dwarf poor nations’ debt

The first global accounting finds rich and middle-income nations stomping heavy footprints on poorer ones.

Ecosystems

Prairie Revival

Prairie restoration is attracting interest, but because so little long-term monitoring and comparative studies have been done, researchers are still wondering whether it's really possible to re-create a prairie.

Ecosystems

Tortoise Genes and Island Beings

Geneticists and conservation biologists are joining forces to untangle the evolutionary history of giant Galápagos tortoises and to safeguard the animals' future.

Ecosystems

Biota Behaving Badly

Members of an established ecosystem develop a sense of balance, usually permitting at least limited biodiversity and a stable structure. When interlopers arrive that aren’t responsive to the same environmental checks and balances, they can overrun the ecosystem, eliminating some members and quickly dominating others. Such bullying immigrants are known as invasive species—and they can […]

Ecosystems

Bee All

With continuing concerns about the decline of honeybees in North America—and especially the newly recognized Colony Collapse Disorder—here’s a site to learn more about the important role these and other bees play in plant health and agriculture. This academic site links to plenty of related places on the Web that also address threats to not […]

Ecosystems

Sea Change: People have affected what penguins eat

Adélie penguins in Antarctica significantly changed their eating habits about 200 years ago, after whaling and other human activities transformed the ocean ecosystem.

Ecosystems

Sawfish Central

Sawfish will soon be getting United Nations protection from exploitation. Right now, the only U.S. state where these ancient fish can generally be found—and then, only rarely—is Florida. Here’s a site to view the fish, a member of the shark family, and link to research aimed at rescuing populations of its seven beleaguered species worldwide. […]

Ecosystems

Slime Dwellers

The health of corals, and their adaptability in the face of adversity, may rest largely on the microbes they recruit into a slime that coats their surfaces.