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31 news posts in Ecology

Dr Jennifer Grenz. Image: UBC

Environment

26 Sep 2023

Why ecological restoration without Indigenous leadership won’t last

by Dr Jennifer Grenz, University of British Columbia Dr Jennifer Grenz. Image: UBC Dr Jennifer Grenz is the principal investigator at The Indigenous Ecology Lab at the University of British Columbia. There, researchers apply an Indigenous, relational worldview to ecological restoration. Grenz has nearly two decades of experience providing consulting services and on-the-ground management of invasive species for all levels of government as well as working with Indigenous communities on creating food security plans and land healing initiatives consistent with community values and needs. Her current research focuses on applying an Indigenous worldview to invasive plant species on landscapes in British Columbia, challenging us to think differently about our role in ecosystems management as we face a rapidly changing climate. Together with Dr Chelsey Armstrong of the Historical Ecological Research Lab at Simon Fraser University, Grenz is co-author of a recently published Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems article. In it, they introduce the concept of ‘pop-up restoration’, meaning fragmented, disconnected, privileged restoration that perpetuates colonial notions of naturalness. In this latest Frontiers guest editorial, she wrote about their latest work. Imagine you’re sitting in your living room on a quiet evening with your family reading a book, when suddenly, complete […]

Featured news

15 Aug 2022

Humans have totally altered small mammal communities in just a few centuries

By Suzanna Burgelman, science writer Image: Paul Abrahams/Shutterstock.com Researchers have found that small mammal communities today are fundamentally different from even a few centuries ago, during North America’s pre-colonial past. They identified small mammal remains from the Anthropocene and archaeological Holocene along a geographical area with varying degrees of human impact and examined diversity across these sites and time periods. Optimistically, the researchers also found that even small, protected spaces can conserve native small mammal communities, highlighting their important role in urban conservation projects. Characterized by rapid climate change, pollution, and landscape alteration, the Anthropocene is an unofficial unit of geological time and is defined as the most recent period in Earth’s history (from the 1950s to present) when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s ecosystems and climate. This impact is increasingly modifying natural ecosystems and threatening biodiversity, for example by quickly expanding urbanization. Researchers at Stanford University have now discovered that modern small mammal communities from the Anthropocene are less diverse and are differently structured then even a few centuries ago, during the Holocene (around 500 years ago), showing the extent of the impacts of human activities on our ecosystems. The results were published […]

Environment

06 Oct 2021

Surprising discovery in Arctic songbird may reveal how it survives challenging migrations

By K.E.D Coan, science writer Snow buntings in winter. Image: Mircea Costina/Shutterstock.com There is still much to learn about how Arctic migratory birds adjust their physiology during different phases of their life. For example, between winter and summer habitats, or during migration. A recent study published to Frontiers shows the first evidence that snow buntings keep their winter traits through migration. These findings may help researchers understand why snow bunting populations are declining, as well as expanding what is known about how buntings, and other species, endure Arctic weather. Snow buntings are equipped for winter even while migrating to their breeding grounds, shows a recent study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. There have been major declines in biodiversity around the world and the snow bunting population has dropped 60% over the last 45 years. The specific cause of this drop is unknown, and this study is among the first to look at the physiological changes that occur during the different life stages of this species (ie between winter and migration). This work provides clues into the future survival of snow buntings, as well as new insights into how species generally endure the harsh cold of the Arctic. ► Read original […]

Featured news

20 May 2021

How dancing honey bees could help us save pollinators

By Suzanna Burgelman/Dr Margaret Couvillon, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Dr Margaret Couvillon. Image: Margaret Couvillon Pollinators are under threat worldwide. Researchers such as Dr Margaret Couvillon study bees to find solutions that will benefit the survival of pollinators. Specifically, Couvillon studies the honey bee waggle dance, to discover where and how bees find food. Her research can help design bee conservation and management strategies. Bees, insects, birds, butterflies, bats. These species have one crucial thing in common: they are pollinators, and our survival depends on them. Around the world, they contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, and importantly, to food security. World Bee Day raises awareness about pollinators and the many threats they face. As an open access publisher, Frontiers has several research topics focused on pollinator research. Check out this post on our news site for a curated list. The theme for World Bee Day 2021 is ‘Bee engaged’ – build back better for bees. Today (20 May) is all about highlighting the need for worldwide cooperation to restore and support pollinators and the crucial role they play in biodiversity conservation. Dr Margaret Couvillon, assistant professor of pollinator biology and ecology at Virginia Tech, specializes in honey […]

To tackle the sharp decline in lion numbers, conservation research should consider wild prey, livestock and the environment, not just human-lion interaction -- and go beyond the fields of biology, wildlife conservation and environmental science to include ecology, economics, sociology and the humanities: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Featured news

22 Jun 2018

Lion conservation research can be bolstered by input from a wide-range of professionals

Lion conservation research should go beyond human-lion conflict to include ecology, economics, sociology and the humanities: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

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