Livestock grazing areas sequester less carbon than those under wild herbivores.
biogeosciences
Native Plants Are Hiding Up High, but Invaders Are Catching Up
Far from pristine outposts of nature, mountains across the world are being rapidly colonized by non-native plants that spread uphill along roads.
Making Sense of the Great Barrier Reef’s Mysterious Green Donuts
Researchers set sail to the Great Barrier Reef to study how ring-shaped algae deposits formed and evolved, what feeds them, and the diversity of creatures that call them home.
How Wine’s Origin Was Shaped by the Last Glacial Maximum
The harsh climate of the ice age influenced grapevine cultivation at the dawn of agriculture.
Ants Aren’t Adapting to Warmer Temperatures
Foraging in hotter-than-desired temperatures could negatively affect ants’ biology and the forest ecosystems that they support.
UV Radiation Contributed to Earth’s Biggest Mass Extinction
To find the first direct evidence of heightened UV radiation during the end-Permian mass extinction, researchers turned to chemical evidence preserved in pollen grains.
Small Shrubs May Have Played a Large Role in Decarbonizing the Ancient Atmosphere
Vascular plants may have contributed to shaping Earth’s atmosphere long before trees evolved.
To Estimate Plant Water Use, Consider the Xylem
New research shows that chemical isotopes from plant xylem can improve representations of the forest water cycle.
Deep-Sea Pressure Crushes Carbon Cycling
The extreme pressure in the deep sea stifles microbes’ appetite for organic carbon. This finding could have important implications for carbon budgets and geoengineering.