Lou's team successfully measured a spike in the amount of linalool the treated rice plants released, and to their surprise, the planthoppers in the lab also died soon after, even without the presence of any parasitic wasps. The treated rice plants developed a new self-defens...
Urban forests provide critical ecosystem services to humans, and, as in other systems, invertebrates are central to structuring and maintaining the functioning of urban forests. Identifying the role of invertebrates in urban forests can help elucidate their importance to practitioners and the public, ...
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bees pollinate80% of our flowering crops— which comprises a third of everything we eat. They’re responsible for the continued survival of many of our most precious native plants. Yet, despite being an absolutely vital component of our ecosyst...
While bees have become the focus of insect conservation in agricultural landscapes, social wasps still rank among the most disliked animals and their ecological role and the ecosystem services they provide through e.g. pollination and pest control is subsequently understudied. We conducted a survey ...
They do perform a service by hunting down other insects, but their aggressiveness and ability to damage your property make them highly undesirable. Related: How to Get Rid of Hornets On Your Own The WaspOften sleek and aggressive, wasps aren’t something to mess with. That said, they can ...
But you might find subtler examples of agriculture and landscaping that de-emphasize the natural ecosystem and establishes some other order in its place. Would that finely manicured front yard look so nice without constant gardening and irrigation? Do those acres of corn grow naturally or do they...
their resultant capacity to recover and proliferate (or not) in earthworm casts. Small organisms, particularly microflora and microfauna, with limited ability to move within the soil, may benefit from the (comparatively) long ranging movements of earthworms. Microflora and smaller fauna appear to be...
After fire in a chapparal ecosystem, little shade remains, and the sun bakes the ground. The chaparral is fire-adapted and will eventually grow back—if faster-growing invasive grasses do not take over.Anton Sorokin Another danger to native species in coming mont...
Widespread community engagement will allow decision makers to act accordingly such as considering the accessibility of pollinator-friendly allotments within the community. By quantifying cultural services and identifying their importance to the community, conservation can be placed in the context of benefit...