ecosystems

Ecological restoration for reversing ecosystem fragmentation

harminka — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:05:34 -0500

Ecosystem fragmentation, along with many other global trends, is causing the natural world to undergo profound changes at all spatial scales from the micro-habitat to the continental.

Mass extinctions and evolution of dinosaurs

harminka — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:05:08 -0500

Dinosaurs survived two mass extinctions and 50 million years before taking over the world and dominating ecosystems, according to new research published this week.

Adaptive restoration may aid ecosystem development

harminka — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:28:58 -0500

A new study finds that environmental restoration research using large experimental tests has been limited. The study, published in Restoration Ecology, maintains that for restoration to progress as a science and a practice, more research should be done on whole ecosystems with large experiments.

Evaluating ecosystem services

harminka — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:43:14 -0500

Environmental conservation efforts have traditionally focused on protecting individual species or natural resources. Scientists are discovering, however, that preserving the benefits that whole ecosystems provide to people is more economically and environmentally valuable.

Future snowmelt in West twice as early as expected

harminka — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:14:45 -0500

According to a new study, global warming could lead to larger changes in snowmelt in the western United States than was previously thought, possibly increasing wildfire risk and creating new water management challenges for agriculture, ecosystems and urban populations.

How porous, organism-rich layers form in Antarctic sea ice

harminka — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:53:58 -0500

Sea ice in Antarctica that persists through the summer is a highly important polar habitat for unique polar species, such as algae, krill, seals, and penguins. Scientists worry that as climate warms, declining sea ice trends might devastate Antarctic ecosystems.

Going beyond furry and scaly megafauna

harminka — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:17:59 -0500

Globally, natural ecosystems are being lost to agricultural land at an unprecedented rate. This land-use often results in significant reductions in abundance and diversity of the flora and fauna as well as alterations in their composition.

Protected area slowly rebounding

harminka — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:31:24 -0500

Multi-agency effort a collaborative success in integrated ecosystem assessment

New report available on ecosystems and climate change

harminka — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:50:49 -0500

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that can help reduce the potential impact of climate change on estuaries, forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and other sensitive ecosystems.

Coastal management cooperation, enforcement key to avoid pending crisis for millions

harminka — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:09:44 -0500

Current coastal management practices are ineffective and their continuation endangers ecosystems that support the economies on which over half the world’s population depend, United Nations University experts warn in a new report offering a major prescription for sweeping change.

Scientists examine ecosystem connectivity using long-term studies

harminka — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:26:51 -0500

Ecosystems are constantly exchanging materials through the movement of air in the atmosphere, the flow of water in rivers and the migration of animals across the landscape. People, however, have also established themselves as another major driver of connectivity among ecosystems.

Forest canopies help determine natural fertilization rates

harminka — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:54:16 -0500

In this week’s issue of Science, a team of researchers from the United States and Sweden report on a newly identified factor that controls the natural input of new nitrogen into boreal forest ecosystems. Nitrogen is the primary nutrient that dictates productivity (and thus carbon consumption) in boreal forests.