Newsroom

Since 2000, the rapid spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) in North America has killed hundreds of millions of birds and more than 1,000 humans. House wrens, bluejays, crows, robins, bluebirds, and titmice have been the most vulnerable.

To date, research has failed to show why species vary in their response to west nile. It is known, however, that mosquitoes feed preferentially on some bird species. These birds then become vectors for amplifying the presence of the virus.

For humans, living next to vegetation within a city increases the risk of infection. In particular, the carrier mosquito, Culex pipiens, is known to shift its feeding to humans when robins disperse from urban areas in late summer.

Ecological restoration is generally thought to be more successful using local genotype seed collected near the restoration site. But is this true?

Local seed is generally thought to produce better restoration results because its better adapted to original conditions. But in highly degraded environments, is local seed also more likely to be less adapted to current conditions? For example, is the local genotype merely an ecotype adapted only to its present location? Has it been genetically weaken by in-breeding within too small a population?

The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) has passed the 700 mark of endangered plants 'safeguarded in seed banks and living collections'. But what is that worth? The CPC says that, 'off-site storage and cultivation of genetically appropriate plant material is a critical step in supporting restoration in the wild.' I have my doubts.

Protecting rare plants by placing them in gardens is at best an academic exercise and at worst conservation under false pretenses. More likely, these activities match well the historical, stamp-collecting instincts of the participating institutions.

What is absolutely required to ensure the longevity of rare and endangered plants (and no one disputes this) is the protection and restoration of the ecosystems within which they have evolved. So....let's get on with it.

Restoring biodiversity is critical to a healthy future for the Earth. But how best to ensure this has been an ongoing debate within human society. Many call for more government programs. Alternatively, Stanford biologists Paul Ehrlich and Robert Pringle say the only path forward requires direct action by many small groups and individuals. They recommend actions such as reclaiming degraded land, reintroducing species to areas where they once lived, and educating people about how Nature works. Hint: Join us. That's what we do here.

American Indians have used it for centuries to create rich soil and grow better crops. Now its the newest 'discovery' of American academics. Its Biochar, the carbon rich end-product of the slow burning (pyrolysis) of organic matter, which can vastly improve soil for plants. When mixed with soil, biochar greatly increases water capacity, promotes the growth of soil life, and lasts for thousands of years.

Civilization has been shown by a new study to have had a major influence on the incidence of natural area fires. The last two millenia have seen wild swings in fire frequency due to changing human activities. Since about 1970, and the wide-spread loss of human control, the pattern has been "burn baby burn."

Biocontrol agents, such as foreign insects, can theoretically be used to control invasive, foreign plants. But scientists in Montana have found that through complex community interactions the presence of an introduced fly meant to control spotted knapweed actually accomplishes the opposite. The story goes like this:

Imported Eurasian fly infects spotted knapweed which produces galls.
Galls feed local deer mice which allows mouse population to grow.
The more numerous mice eat a larger portion of the native plant seeds.
Native plant seedlings become rarer which allows the weed to spread, and...

Research has now shown that the availability of nutrients is an important factor that limits the number of plant species that can live in one place. For example, grasslands that are polluted with nitrogen and phosphorous (usually from agriculture) have fewer species.

This nutrient-diversity relationship depends on the complexity of interactions between competing species and is directly related to the number of limiting factors (such as soil moisture, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and water) present in the system.

The threat of invasive species grows. One path for travelling seeds is on the bottom of unsuspecting tourists' shoes. A young Australian researcher is doing what he can to tackle the problem. Other seed vectors include animal hooves, vehicle tires, and human trash.

The U.S. Forest Service is transferring hundreds of millions of dollars out of their working accounts to pay for the California fires. So is it the 'Forest Service' or the Fire Service? Fire suppression will cost the U.S. taxpayer close to 2 billion dollars this year. What a waste. On the other hand, if the Fire Service [sic] has $700 million less for building roads, maybe that's a good thing.

In their ongoing battle with monarch caterpillars...

 ...research shows that the milkweeds (Asclepias) have turned away from a bold defense (sticky, latex sap) toward fast, energy efficient tissue repair.

Here's an article from the Wisconsin State Journal discussing the history of prairie restoration and the accomplishments of The Prairie Enthusiasts.

"Our perspective is that this is a movement that continues to gather momentum,'' said Buddy Huffaker, director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. "What we're doing is not only building restored landscapes but reconnecting people to the landscape. We see an insatiable demand from landowners for wanting to do the right thing.''

The first study to compare the performance of different types of green roofs has been completed by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin. The study shows that green roofs work best using many species of grasses and forbs (rather than a few succulents) and that not all types of implementations are equally effective.

Scientists argue that the small, isolated herds of Bison bison now dotting the west could be reintroduced to vast swaths of their former range, including sites in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

They could come from Yellowstone.

In 2004, the Miccosukee Indians and the Friends of the Everglades sued the US EPA claiming the agency violated the Clean Water Act by allowing Florida to procrastinate in cleaning up the water flowing into the everglades. Now the judge says, "Plaintiffs are correct."

A recent study shows that soils with native grasses have higher levels of a key soil component  than soils planted to alien grasses. The amount of glomalin in the soil increases as the degree of interdependence between plants and the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increases. These fungi produce glomalin and live inside plant roots and the surrounding soil. That interdependence is greatest in warm-season native grasses such as switchgrass, blue grama, big bluestem and indiangrass.