Researchers compared caribou tracking data with satellite observations to learn whether snowpack conditions trigger the animals’ arduous annual migration.
ecology
Posted inNews
Planetary Perturbations May Strengthen Gaia
Large-scale disruptions to life may ultimately increase ecological complexity over geologic timescales, though the risk of extinction always looms.
Posted inNews
Next NASA Field Campaign Could Fund Projects in Drylands or Tropics
Scientific feedback can improve proposals and signal support for large-scale, intensive climate research.
Posted inNews
The Dirt on Biocrusts: Why Scientists Are Working to Save Earth’s Living Skin
Think twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem—one that you can help protect.
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.