Think twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem—one that you can help protect.
ecology
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Spectral Solar Radiative Transfer in Plant Canopies
Spectrally resolved radiative transfer is needed to compute reliable estimates of sunlight transmission and photolysis of molecules within plant canopies.
Posted inNews
Urban Lights Make Tree Leaves a Tougher Meal for Insects
Two common street trees in Beijing show different responses to artificial light at night, but both grow leaves that are tougher and less toothsome to insects.
Posted inNews
Corals Are Simplistic When Conditions Are Acidic
Increasing ocean acidity could spell trouble for fish that depend on corals’ many branches for protection.
Posted inNews
Hungry Stingrays Shift Serious Amounts of Sediment
While digging for food on estuary bottoms, rays push around literally tons of sediment, changing their habitat in profound ways.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mosquitoes Without Borders
Using regional systems based on ecology, not geopolitical boundaries, can give scientists a better picture of the potential spread of West Nile virus.
Posted inNews
Kansas Prairie Streams Are Getting Choked, Maybe for Good
A herculean effort to fight back woody plants in the Konza Prairie has largely failed. The outcome shows how difficult it can be to retore these ecosystems.
Posted inNews
Does Soil Sound Different After It’s Burned?
Yes, but not quite the way researchers expected it to.
Posted inNews
Extra Carbon Dioxide Helps Lower Layers of the Amazon Thrive—for Now
Plants living in the shadows grew faster when exposed to excess carbon dioxide. But this short-term effect could vanish in a high-emission-induced warmer future, making the forest a carbon source.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Unexplored Microbial Life in Subterranean Estuaries
A new study reveals that microbial life in subterranean estuaries is threatened by anthropogenic activities.