Ecology on EARTH Magazine

European mammals will struggle under climate change

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 13:40:10 -0400

Roughly half of European mammals, including wolverines, could struggle to find new habitat amid changing climates. Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Jonathan Othén.

As temperatures on Earth rise, many animals have already begun migrating to more amenable climates, shifting their ranges. But not all animals will be able to relocate, according to a new study in the journal Diversity and Distributions.

Down to Earth With: Jessica Whiteside

Wed, 23 May 2018 14:59:19 -0400

Jessica Whiteside (middle) is an assistant geology professor at Brown University. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Whiteside

From Morocco to Connecticut, Jessica Whiteside has explored almost every Mesozoic rock outcrop there is. And she’s only three years out of graduate school. With a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., and two master’s degrees and a doctorate from Columbia University in New York, N.Y., under her belt, Whitehouse is now in Providence, R.I., working as an assistant professor of geological sciences at Brown University.

Surveying forests from afar

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 14:06:44 -0400

Researchers used airborne imaging and spectroscopic techniques to study the diversity of forests in Switzerland's Laegern Mountains. Credit: UZH.

Traditional surveys of forest health and diversity take hours of hiking and sampling by scientists who can only cover relatively small areas. Satellites, meanwhile, can survey large swaths of land, collecting information about forests in a fraction of the time that a ground survey might take. But the resolution and types of satellite data available don’t always allow for detailed studies. Now, a team of ecologists is staking out the middle ground by developing airborne laser scanning techniques to create high-resolution maps of tree species diversity to monitor changes in forest ecosystems.

Geomedia: Books: "Half-Earth" is only half-compelling

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:14:31 -0500

"Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life," Edward O. Wilson, Liveright, 2017 (paperback), ISBN-13: 978-1631492525

Edward O. Wilson, professor emeritus and honorary curator in entomology at Harvard, is a scientist of acclaim and renown, a naturalist and experimentalist who has made astounding discoveries about the natural world. These discoveries range from small details about ant communication to much larger ideas related to sociobiology, the co-evolution of genes and culture, island biogeography and biophilia, for example. His work is widely known, in large part, because he’s a talented and prolific writer, and he has twice won the Pulitzer Prize.

Ice (Re)Cap: March 2018

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 13:27:15 -0500

A new map shows the geothermal heat flux beneath Antarctica in detail. Credit: Martos et al., Geophysical Research Letters, November 2017.

From Antarctica to the Arctic; from polar caps, permafrost and glaciers to ocean-rafted sea ice; and from burly bears to cold-loving microbes, fascinating science is found in every nook and crevasse of Earth’s cryosphere, and new findings are announced often. Here are a few of the latest updates.

Nineteenth-century cows muddied Southern California continental shelf

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 11:44:14 -0400

When offshore ecosystems deteriorate, scientists often look at changing ocean conditions, urban runoff or fishing as potential explanations. Cows usually don’t come to mind. But new research investigating the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles suggests that 19th-century cattle, despite their terrestrial lifestyle, left a lasting impact on the underwater habitat there.

The current extinction of life will leave a scant fossil record

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 13:18:15 -0400

In this artist's illustration, a modern coyote examines the skull of a dead Pleistocene ancestor from the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits. Credit: Doyle V. Trankina (artist).

Life on Earth has endured five major mass extinctions, known as the “Big Five.” We know about these past events thanks to fossils: During mass extinctions, many species evident in the rock record disappeared from Earth relatively quickly. Today, human alteration of the environment is driving what scientists call the sixth great extinction, but according to new research, the current extinction differs from the Big Five in a key way: Much of the life facing extermination today will likely not be preserved as fossils. This means that, to future paleontologists looking at the rock record from today, the sixth extinction might not appear to have been such a major event.

Earthworms build big mounds to escape floodwaters

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 13:51:12 -0400

Large mounds, called surales, dot the landscape in the Orinoco Llanos region of South America. Credit: Delphine Renard.

When researchers looking for archaeological remains in satellite imagery came across unidentified mounds — some as tall as humans — in the seasonally flooded wetlands of northern South America, they found a landscape shaped not by ancient civilizations but, rather, by modern earthworms.

Comment: Remarkable geology sets new Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument apart

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 10:24:20 -0400

The southern end of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument includes Berryessa Peak. Credit: Andrew Fulks/Tuleyome, tuleyome.org.

In the Coast Ranges west of Sacramento, Calif., within easy driving distance of San Francisco, lies a wilderness of steep-sided canyons, mountainous terrain and fields of wildflowers. Bald eagles soar overhead, rock layers stand on end, and numerous unique plant species abound. Renowned for its biodiversity, this area is finally garnering deserved appreciation for its world-class geologic features too.

Benchmarks: September 26, 1991: Crew sealed inside Biosphere 2

Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:03:51 -0400

The Biosphere 2 facility was operated as a closed-ecosystem experiment from 1991 to 1993. Various universities have since used it as a research facility, including the University of Arizona, which now maintains it and offers public tours. Credit: ©Omar Bárcena, CC BY-NC 2.0.

It takes about an hour to drive from Tucson, Ariz., to the Biosphere 2 research facility, perched atop a plateau in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Through its glittering glass walls, you can still see the shadowy silhouette of the Brazilian rainforest that grows inside. Indeed, the facility once enclosed numerous small-scale experimental ecosystems — from a swath of swaying savanna to a 700,000-gallon ocean complete with its own coral reef. And, beginning on Sept. 26, 1991, Biosphere 2 enclosed a crew of four men and four women who would call the bubble home for two years.

Beached iceberg alters Antarctic marine communities

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 17:27:14 -0400

While the extent of sea ice in the Arctic has fallen substantially over the last several decades, the total area covered by sea ice around Antarctica has grown, with increases in some regions outweighing declines in others. This means that some parts of the Southern Ocean that were once ice-free and exposed to sunlight are being covered over, darkening the waters below and causing shifts in local ecosystems.

Bark beetles not to blame for big fires?

Thu, 16 Jul 2015 13:19:11 -0400

Bark beetles flourish in warm, dry conditions and have killed millions of hectares of pine forests in the western U.S. Credit: Don Becker, USGS.

Since the mid-1990s, outbreaks of voracious bark beetles have devastated more than 71,000 square kilometers of forests in the Rocky Mountain West. Contrary to popular belief, however, the huge swaths of standing dead trees left behind don’t necessarily pose an increased fire hazard, according to a new study. The finding calls into question the efficacy of recently enacted policies entailing the thinning of beetle-killed forests.

Banana-preserving bacterium shows promise against bat-killing fungus

Tue, 16 Jun 2015 10:40:59 -0400

A tri-colored bat in a cave in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park afflicted with White Nose Syndrome. Credit: National Park Service

Since White Nose Syndrome began decimating bat colonies in New England in 2006, most of the news coming out of bat caves in the U.S. hasn’t been good. To date, as many as 6 million bats in 26 states have died as a result of infection. But a new trial pitting a particular soil bacterium against White Nose is providing a glimmer of hope in the fight to slow its devastating march across the country.

California's big trees dying of thirst

Thu, 28 May 2015 13:24:12 -0400

Since the early 20th century, the abundance of big trees has declined in forests across California, including in the Sierra Nevada. Credit: Jodie Wilson, CC BY 2.0

From the days of John Muir’s treks through the sylvan valleys and granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada, California’s majestic forests have attracted nature lovers from around the world. Since Muir’s death in 1914, though, dramatic changes have taken hold. Across the state’s forests, small trees are more common while large trees have declined in number, and oaks seem to be taking over where pines once ruled. A new study cites drought due to warming as a major driving force behind these changes.

Can dam releases restore river ecosystems?

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 09:09:58 -0500

r flow experiments conducted on the Colorado River between 1996 and 2012 tested whether artificial floods released from the Glen Canyon Dam could restore downstream ecosystems. Credit: Anne Phillips, USGS.

Worldwide, dams store about 6,200 cubic kilometers of water — roughly three times the combined volume of water flowing in all of the world’s rivers at any given time. Currently, there are more than 47,000 large dams (taller than 15 meters) and at least another 800,000 smaller dams; an additional 1,600 dams are under construction. They impound an estimated 60 percent of the world’s rivers. While dams provide societal benefits, such as hydropower, water storage, flood control and economic growth, they also have many unintended consequences, such as altering the flux of water and sediment from the continents to the oceans; changing daily, seasonal and annual streamflow patterns; and fragmenting habitats and posing significant threats to freshwater biodiversity.

Down to Earth With: Ecologist Chris Field

Mon, 08 Dec 2014 11:59:07 -0500

Chris Field, founding director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, has won the Max Planck Research Award and the Roger Revelle Medal. Credit: Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News.

Last summer, the American Geophysical Union honored Chris Field, founding director of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, with its annual Roger Revelle Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate or related aspects of the Earth system.”

Longer season for Rocky Mountain wildflowers

Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:56:22 -0400

The Rocky Mountains. Credit: Public domain.

A nearly 40-year study of Rocky Mountain wildflower phenology has found that almost two-thirds of species have changed their blooming patterns in response to climate change. Flowers are blooming earlier each spring and lasting longer each fall, but not all species are reacting similarly.

2013 Front Range Flooding: An Ecological Perspective

Thu, 02 Jan 2014 10:44:30 -0500

Predatory stonefly populations may be affected by algal losses in mountain streams. James McCutchan Jr.

Boulder's open spaces host a number of bald eagles and herons that prefer large, old cottonwood trees for nesting. Many of these trees were knocked down by the floods. Managers are hoping the Front Range drainages will experience a regeneration of these native trees following the September floods. Rolf Reiser

The 2013 Colorado floods may have been a record-setting event in human terms, but scientists and resource managers emphasize that what happened along the Front Range was a natural occurrence. “This was a natural event, and the system and all the species in it are equipped to cope with such events,” says Deborah Brosnan, an environmental and policy scientist at the University of California at Davis who works on the ecological and environmental effects of natural hazards, and who assessed the ecological effects of these floods. “From nature’s perspective, this was not noteworthy,” she says.

N.E.O.N.: Studying critical ecological issues on a continental scale

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:08:30 -0400

The High Park Fire burned 350 square kilometers in Colorado last summer. Credit Laura Bojanowski

Project BudBurst is a key part of NEON's outreach component: Students and citizens across the U.S. will monitor the timing of biological events in plants and animals — including flowering, hibernation, reproduction and migration — and how they are influenced by variations in seasons, climate and habitat. Courtesy of Carlye Calvin, University Center for Atmospheric Research, Project BudBurst

A mountain stream in the Desert Southwest will be studied through NEON. NEON

One of the eco-climatic domains to be studied include fields in the Northern Plains. NEON

On the morning of June 9, 2012, a column of thick smoke was seen rising from Roosevelt National Forest 24 kilometers west of Fort Collins, Colo. Spurred by tinder-dry conditions, hot temperatures and gusting winds, the initial 8,000-square-meter High Park Fire quickly exploded out of control, ultimately becoming the second-largest wildfire in Colorado history. The blaze killed one person, burned more than 350 square kilometers, and destroyed 259 homes before firefighters contained it three weeks later.

No pre-Columbian deforestation of the western Amazon

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:47:37 -0400

Crystal McMichael (right) and undergraduate student Monica Zimmerman collect soil cores from the western Amazon. The cores indicate that pre-Columbian western Amazonian populations did not disturb the rainforests. Courtesy of Crystal McMichael

The team collected soil cores from deep in the forest as well as along rivers, such as here atop a river bluff overlooking the Madre de Dios River in the Peruvian Amazon. Courtesy of Benjamin McMichael

Deep in the western Amazon rainforest, Crystal McMichael tries not to swat at the sweat bees crawling on the back of her neck as she samples the soil beneath her.