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Matchmaking for Elms: Restoring America’s Iconic Tree Through Genetics
Christian Marks runs a dating service. For elm trees.
For Some Elephants, an Uncertain — But Not Stressful — Future
Do savannah elephants get stressed when living near people? The answer is in their poop.
Bison Bellows and Bones: Student-Scientists on the Prairie
Bison fighting and urinating on themselves? It's just another day at the office for student researchers on TNC's Ordway Prairie.
Boucher’s Birding Blog: Apps for the Smart Birder — Which One Should You Use?
Need an app that helps you identify birds in the field? Don’t bother searching for “birds” in any app store. Unless that thrush happens to be angry, those dozens of Angry Bird apps that pop up won’t be of any use to you.
Quick Study: A California-Style Approach to Sustainable Fisheries
<i>Quick Study is just what it says — a rapid-fire look at a new conservation science study that might turn some heads.</i> <b>The Question(s): </b>For decades, ocean bottom trawling has been the predominate method for catching groundfish (like flounder, halibut and sole) along the U.S. West Coast. But dragging weighted nets across the seafloor is destructive to bottom habitats and can result in large amounts of bycatch (netting of other species, including some that are ecologically valuable). Could a market-based approach to buy out trawl permits, combined with a collaborative effort to identify and protect ecologically sensitive areas, help protect species and a fishing industry?
The Traveling Naturalist: Solid Gold in the Rockies
<i>Introducing The Traveling Naturalist, a new series featuring natural wonders and biological curiosities for the science-inclined wanderer.</i> The Rocky Mountains in the spring are a <b>botanist’s delight</b>, with many hills, mountain meadows and buttes awash in color. Wildflowers – many of them with interesting natural and human histories – can be easily found on your public lands. Some exist in bright but tiny cluster on alpine peaks while others cover meadows in a palette of seemingly solid color. <b>My favorite</b>: the flower that paints many foothills bright gold throughout the West, <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/balsamorhiza_sagittata.shtml"><b>arrowleaf balsamroot</b></a> (<i>Balsamorhiza sagittata). </i>
Wild Pollinators Are Critical in Keeping our Picnic Baskets Full
Bees may seem like uninvited guests at your picnic – but before you shoo them away from the fruit salad, think twice, as they play a critical role in making your picnic possible. Some of the most healthful, picnic favorites – including blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, avocados and almonds – would not make it to the table without the essential work by bees and other insects. Most crops depend on pollinating insects to produce seeds or fruits. In fact, about <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/274/1608/303.long"><b>three-quarters</b></a><b> of global food crops</b><b> </b><b>require insect pollination </b>to thrive; <b>one-third of our calories and the </b><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0021363"><b>majority of critical micronutrients</b></a>, such as vitamins A, C and E, come from animal-pollinated food crops.
A Lock Holds the Key to Restoring Migratory Fish
<b><i>Author’s Note</i></b><i>: This blog originally ran a year ago, following time afield with shad researchers on Florida’s Apalachicola River. Recently, the researchers released new information with some exciting new results on Alabama shad restoration. This blog provides the background information on the project. Check back tomorrow for a look at the results of this project, which is making a big difference in migratory fish conservation.</i> Take PVC pipe. Attach to a home water pump. Add water. It’s a simple recipe, but one that might be enough to help move millions of the migratory fish species known as Alabama shad over dams, so they can spawn in rivers throughout the southeastern United States. For millions of dollars less than conventional methods. With potentially big gains for sport fisheries in those rivers. “It’s low cost, low risk and low tech,” says Steve Herrington, director of freshwater conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “You can buy any of the basic equipment at Home Depot. And we have the science to back it up.”
The Monarch Butterfly Decline, and What You Can Do About It
A recent report shows monarch butterflies have declined 59 percent in the past year. The reasons may surprise you. And you can help.
The Yucca and its Moth
It sounds too good to be true; two species helping each other survive for millions of years—each getting as much as they give.
Everyday Nature: Cartoonish Coot Chicks
<b>Most baby birds, cute though they may be, are not exactly colorful</b>. This makes good evolutionary sense: Baby birds, unable to fly, make easy meals for predators. They thus must blend into their surroundings. A drake mallard or canvasback is a colorful, striking water bird, but baby ducks are nondescript. They disappear into the marshy reeds, making it harder for a hungry raccoon or mink to find them. <b>Not so the <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_coot/lifehistory">American coot</a></b>. Adult coots are fairly drab birds. But their babies? <b>They look like they were designed by a deranged tattoo artist.</b> The front half of the coot’s body is covered in orange-tipped plumes, giving them a jarring appearance. We’re not used to seeing baby birds covered bright feathers. <b>While this orange fades rather quickly</b>—in about six days—it still leaves them conspicuous when they are at the most vulnerable stage of their lives. This coloration makes them more susceptible to predation. <b>What advantage would such feathers possibly confer?</b>
Big Fish: Roadside Pike
Where could the pike possibly be? It turns out: In a roadside ditch.
