Guest post originally published by NCEAS. The synthesis working groups described in this post were funded in 2016 and 2017. The LTER Network Office recently released a new call for synthesis proposals with a deadline of October 23. Eligibility is not limited to members of the LTER Network, although the synthesis must draw on LTER data. Find complete information and…
Awards recognize students for exceptional research and outstanding presentations given at the 2018 Annual Meeting The Ecological Society of America recognizes Sara P. Bombaci, Jacqueline J. Peña, and Joshua Scholl for awards for outstanding student research. The Murray F. Buell and E. Lucy Braun awards are given for exceptional oral and poster presentations at the 103rd Annual Meeting of…
Unlike many migratory species, Galapagos giant tortoises do not use current environmental conditions to time their seasonal migration Galapagos giant tortoises, sometimes called Gardeners of the Galapagos, are creatures of habit. In the cool dry season, the highlands of the volcano slopes are engulfed in cloud which allows the vegetation to grow despite the lack of rain. On the lower…
Researchers observe a defense mechanism for caterpillars can attract unwanted attention In a 26-minute standoff, a snake-mimicking caterpillar was unable to feed during attacks from a nest-defending hummingbird. (Video provided by James Marden) When a caterpillar disguises itself as a snake to ward off potential predators, it should probably expect to be treated like one. This is exactly what happened in…
NEW ORLEANS, LA. — The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will donate over $17,500 to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) to offset the environmental costs of the Society’s 103rd Annual Meeting, held this year in New Orleans, LA. More than 3,500 attendees convene from across the globe this week to impart, discuss, and share the latest in essential ecological…
103rd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America: Extreme events, ecosystem resilience and human well-being 5–10 August 2018 Monica G. Turner served as President of ESA for the 2015-2016 term. She is an internationally recognized landscape ecologist, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and received ESA’s Robert H. MacArthur Award in 2008. Her field studies and simulation…
ESA Policy News In This Issue: 103 Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America convenes in New Orleans, LA The Opening Plenary talk by Robert Twilley, “Ecosystem design approaches in a highly engineered landscape of the Mississippi River Delta” will be live-streamed – watch it here on Sunday, August 5 at 5 PM central time. All Politics Are…
By Ellen Stuart-Haëntjens, Ph.D. candidate, Virginia Commonwealth University Federally funded scientific research stimulates the economy, improves human health, bolsters national security and builds an educated workforce. In the United States the bulk of this funding comes through agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Health (NIH); however, since the 1980s, the percentage of US gross…
ESAFrontiers study reviews the global importance of vertebrate pollinators for plant reproduction Bees are not the only animals that carry pollen from flower to flower. Species with backbones, among them bats, birds, mice, and even lizards, also serve as pollinators. Although less familiar as flower visitors than insect pollinators, vertebrate pollinators are more likely to have co-evolved tight relationships of…
A study published in Ecological Monographs follows 9,685 wandering albatrosses throughout their long lives, seeking the intrinsic differences that make some individuals outstanding performers
A special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment looks for new solutions to old problems by pooling the knowledge of scientists, ranchers, feds, community groups, and tribes Tension between the needs of cattle and fish is a source decades of controversy in northeast Oregon’s Blue Mountains. Endangered bull trout, steelhead trout, Chinook salmon, and sockeye salmon require…
Poetic post-apocalyptic visions of nature reclaiming city neighborhoods obscure public policy breach in disaster recovery, ecologists say Popular portrayals of “nature reclaiming civilization” in flood-damaged New Orleans, Louisianna, neighborhoods romanticize an urban ecology shaped by policy-driven socioecological disparities in redevelopment investment, ecologists argue in a new paper in the Ecological Society of America’s open access journal Ecosphere. “Observers can be…