When you think about it, it’s a bit strange to view food through a lens of “meat” and “not meat” – especially when plants consume animals, and vice versa.
Invasive species cause some $120 billion in damages across North America yearly – and that’s just direct costs. A study of one species in one Wisconsin lake indicates the real toll is much higher.
Where once scientists used to be solitary creatures, today science is a highly collaborative affair, and the latest research in ecology is no exception.
We’re going to have to adapt to climate change, but some of the options on the table could do more harm than good if they destroy the ecosystems that protect us.
The world’s ‘drylands’ – already home to 38% of the world’s people – are set to dry out even more. And that could harm the soil microbes that keep soils healthy and help crops to grow.
Most wildlife plays a key role in any ecosystem. So when one becomes extinct, it can impact their habitat. And we’re now finding we may have lost more species in Australia than first thought.
In many parts of the world, Christmas and mistletoe are inextricably intertwined. But in the natural world, mistletoe has long fascinated naturalists and scientists.
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University