Biology

Climate change impacts male and female arctic ground squirrels differently

As we wrap up one of the warmest May’s where I live on record it’s hard not to think about climate change and its impacts. The challenge is a lot of the natural changes are really difficult to notice without data recorded over a long time period. Getting funding for these types of projects can … Continue reading →

Life on the garbage patch

The way currents work in the oceans they have collected plastic waste that has ended up in the ocean into large plastic islands that circulate in particular areas. The great pacific garbage patch, located between California and Hawaii, is the largest collection of ocean plastic in the world at 1.6 million cubic kilometers. While it … Continue reading →

A positive story for wildlife and farmers

There are so many stories about the conflict between wildlife and farmers. Each one is trying to make their living and their approaches aren’t always compatible. Burrowing animals create holes that animals like horses and cows can fall in and get injured. Predators can prey on animals on the farm. Herbivores can decimate crops. On … Continue reading →

It takes more than adding some fish

Ah, the charismatic megafauna, a curse and a solution. I don’t remember when I first learned this term. I can guarantee it was in an ecology course. Charismatic megafauna are animals, almost always mammals that conservationists think people will care about like bears or caribou. Instead of focusing conservation on improving the entire ecosystem, we … Continue reading →

Taking care of industrial food waste

In the US, approximately 30-40% of all food is wasted according to the USDA. Generally, on this topic the discussion focuses on how to reduce this number with strategies for every stage of the chain from farm and manufacturing to the consumer. But Saba and colleagues (2023) have taken a different approach. Focusing specifically on … Continue reading →

Submissive or not?

Do you know how to make your diet more sustainable?

I’ve looked into research on food sustainability and to say it’s complex is an understatement. Local good but meat bad; what if it’s local meat? Fruits and veggies good; what if they’re grown with lots of fertilizer and pesticides? What about farming practices and transportation distances and water use? I have a good background to … Continue reading →

How sustainable are sustainable foods?

I remember a few years ago when a friend shared that they were going to try a vegetarian option for something until they discovered that it wasn’t healthier than the meat option. This kind of assumption is relatively common in my experience: the plant based option is assumed to be healthier and more sustainable. But … Continue reading →

Higher Protection Means Higher Benefits

The oceans are, without question, under pressure. Overfishing, habitat degradation, pollution, and acidification are all taking their toll. There are however a growing number of marine protected areas. But that requires that these areas are actually effective. This is the question that Jacquemont et al (2022) asked. Specifically they were looking at the impacts of … Continue reading →

Rewilding and Food Sustainability

Rewilding is a conservation approach that focuses on restoring natural processes. It involves less human management compared to many approaches to managing landscapes including both natural and agricultural areas. Keystone species, those that impact many other species, are fundamental to the success of rewilding, as is the return of wild versions of both plants and … Continue reading →