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Categories: Ecology: Trees, Environmental: Water
Published Electronic 'soil' enhances crop growth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Barley seedlings grow on average 50% more when their root system is stimulated electrically through a new cultivation substrate. Researchers have now developed an electrically conductive 'soil' for soil-less cultivation, known as hydroponics.
Published How national policies affect forests in border regions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How do national policies impact deforestation? Researchers have looked into this question at the global scale and have found that, contrary to common assumptions, national strategies have a significant -- and visible -- influence on efforts to protect forest heritage.
Published Tree plantations can get better with age -- but original habitats are best
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Older tree plantations can be more attractive to animals who are looking for a new home than younger plantations, according to a new study. In the tropics, older plantations also welcome a greater variety of different plants and animals -- though sadly, Christmas tree plantations do not become more biodiverse over time.
Published New larks revealed in Africa
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have studied the relationships between five closely related species of larks that occur in Africa south of the Sahara. Two of these have not been observed for decades, so the researchers analyzed DNA from museum specimens, some of which were over 100 years old.
Published Reduced air pollution during pandemic points to way to preserve Himalayan glaciers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the coronavirus pandemic could protect the glaciers in the Himalayas and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team analyzing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Published World's smallest 'fanged' frogs found in Indonesia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a species of frog new to science. The Indonesian amphibian is the size of a quarter, unlike its two-pound cousins, and has tiny fangs. Nearly uniquely among amphibians, they lay their eggs on the leaves of trees, and the males guard and tend to the nests.
Published The evolutionary timeline of diminished boric acid and urea transportation in aquaporin 10
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Aquaporin (Aqp) 10 water channels in humans allow the free passage of water, glycerol, urea, and boric acid across cells. However, Aqp10.2b in pufferfishes allows only the passage of water and glycerol and not urea and boric acid. Researchers sought to understand the evolutionary timeline that resulted in the variable substrate selection mechanisms among Aqp10s. Their results indicate that Aqp10.2 in ray-finned fishes may have reduced or lost urea and boric acid permeabilities through evolution.
Published Scientists provide recipe to halve pollution from food production
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A major report has put forward solutions to halve nitrogen pollution from agriculture and the food system in Europe, including reducing meat and dairy consumption, fertilizer use and food waste. Inefficiencies in farms, retail and wastewater practices mean that the nitrogen use efficiency of the food system in Europe is only 18%, leaving most of the remainder leaking into air, water and soils. The new report, Appetite for Change, has been produced by a group of researchers coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the European Commission, Copenhagen Business School and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) of The Netherlands.
Published Genetic diversity of wild north American grapes mapped
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wild North American grapes are now less of a mystery after researchers decoded and catalogued the genetic diversity of nine species of this valuable wine crop.
Published Genetic sequencing uncovers unexpected source of pathogens in floodwaters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that local rivers and streams were the source of the Salmonella enterica contamination along coastal North Carolina after Hurricane Florence in 2018 -- not the previously suspected high number of pig farms in the region.
Published Exoplanets' climate -- it takes nothing to switch from habitable to hell
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Earth is a wonderful blue and green dot covered with oceans and life, while Venus is a yellowish sterile sphere that is not only inhospitable but also sterile. However, the difference between the two bears to only a few degrees in temperature. A team of astronomers has achieved a world's first by managing to simulate the entirety of the runaway greenhouse process which can transform the climate of a planet from idyllic and perfect for life, to a place more than harsh and hostile. The scientists have also demonstrated that from initial stages of the process, the atmospheric structure and cloud coverage undergo significant changes, leading to an almost-unstoppable and very complicated to reverse runaway greenhouse effect. On Earth, a global average temperature rise of just a few tens of degrees, subsequent to a slight rise of the Sun's luminosity, would be sufficient to initiate this phenomenon and to make our planet inhabitable.
Published Global inventory of sound production brings us one step closer to understanding aquatic ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Our understanding of which aquatic species produce sounds just took a big step forward. Scientists have created an inventory of species confirmed or expected to produce sound underwater.
Published 15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and changing marine ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. This year, the 15th horizon scan included 31 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers who developed a list of 96 issues, which they eventually narrowed down to the fifteen most novel and impactful. Their findings include topics related to sustainable energy, declining invertebrate populations, and changing marine ecosystems.
Published Understanding atmospheric flash droughts in the Caribbean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The word 'drought' typically conjures images of parched soil, dust-swept prairies, depleted reservoirs, and dry creek beds, all the result of weeks or seasons of persistently dry atmospheric conditions. In the sun-soaked islands in the Caribbean, however, drought conditions can occur much more rapidly, with warning signs appearing too late for mediation strategies to limit agriculture losses or prevent stresses on infrastructure systems that provide clean water to communities.
Published How an overlooked study over a century ago helped fuel the Colorado River crisis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source At the start of World War I, a scientist named Eugene Clyde La Rue hiked the American West to estimate how much water flows down the Colorado River. His findings were ignored, but leaders today don't have to make the same mistake.
Published Drones capture new clues about how water shapes mountain ranges over time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Drones flying along miles of rivers in the steep, mountainous terrain of central Taiwan and mapping the rock properties have revealed new clues about how water helps shape mountains over geological time.
Published Seals stay warm and hydrated in the Arctic with larger, more convoluted nasal passages
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Arctic seals have evolved many adaptations to cope with their frosty environment -- one that you might not immediately think of is the bones in their nasal cavity. Arctic seals have more convoluted nasal passages than seal species that live in milder environments, and researchers report that these structures help the seals more efficiently retain heat and moisture as they breathe in and out.
Published Was the earthquake induced or natural? New study tests frameworks to answer the question
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using questionnaires created to determine whether a particular earthquake is natural or induced by human activity, a panel of experts concluded that the November 2022 magnitude 5.2 Peace River earthquake sequence in Alberta, Canada was likely to be induced.
Published Trees in wetter regions more sensitive to drought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source This holiday season brings surprising news about your Christmas tree. Scientists just discovered that globally, trees growing in wetter regions are more sensitive to drought. That means if your tree hails from a more humid clime, it's likely been spoiled for generations.
Published Wildfires also impact aquatic ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shown that the effects of wildfires are not limited to terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems are also undergoing rapid changes. The study found that fire debris transforms lakes and other aquatic ecosystems, with implications for fisheries and water quality.