Tag Ecology
60 years after pioneering survey, Wisconsin prairies are changing rapidly
Researchers have found that human influence has accelerated the rate of species change in these prairies and likely in other natural places.
UW-Madison researcher chosen to lead Ecological Society of America
Monica Turner has made a career of studying ecosystem resilience in the face of ecological challenges, from severe forest fires and bark beetle outbreaks in Greater Yellowstone and the northern Rockies to climate and land use change in Wisconsin.
Embrace the chaos: Predictable ecosystems may be more fragile
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says managing our environment for predictable outcomes is risky. In fact, more often than not, it backfires.
Ecologist/hunter talks deer, plants, hunters and balance
UW-Madison Professor of Botany Donald Waller is a pioneer in exploring the impact of deer in natural habitats. For more than 20 years, Waller - who counts himself among the state's deer hunters - has led research on the economic, health and environmental impacts of deer, including:
Balancing birds and biofuels: Grasslands support more species than cornfields
In Wisconsin, bioenergy is for the birds. Really. In a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, University of Wisconsin–Madison and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) scientists examined whether corn and perennial grassland fields in southern Wisconsin could provide both biomass for bioenergy production and bountiful bird habitat. The research team found that where there are grasslands, there are birds. Grass-and-wildflower-dominated fields supported more than three times as many bird species as cornfields, including 10 imperiled species found only in the grasslands.
Next wave of research: Ecology, super-sized
The University of Wisconsin–Madison, home of pioneering ecologists who studied lakes, forests, wetlands and prairies, is playing a key role in the next wave of ecological research: large teams of scientists confronting the dilemma of a changing climate on a shrinking planet.
Madison Reads Leopold set for Saturday at UW Arboretum
The UW Arboretum's ninth annual Madison Reads Leopold event anchors the celebration of Aldo Leopold Weekend in the Madison area with a mix of citizen and celebrity readers giving voice to Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac."
Seed dispersal gets a test in carved-out ‘habitat corridors’
Field ecologists go to great lengths to get data: radio collars and automatic video cameras are only two of their creative techniques for documenting the natural world. So when a group of ecologists set out to see how wind moves seeds through isolated patches of habitat carved into a longleaf pine plantation in South Carolina, they twisted colored yarn to create mock seeds that would drift with the wind much like native seeds.
Study puts freshwater biodiversity on the map
When it comes to economic growth and environmental impacts, it can seem like Newton's third law of motion is the rule - for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - and that in most cases, the economy prospers and the environment suffers.
Scientists find early warning indicators of major ecological change
Day after day, the buoy bobbed at the surface of Peter Lake. Every five minutes, or 288 times a day, instruments in the water silently recorded samples without creating so much as a ripple. But, beneath the surface, the lake - just across Wisconsin's northern boundary in Michigan's Upper Peninsula - was in turmoil. The buoy was busy documenting massive change.
Ecologists map the benefits of our ecosystems
Two ecologists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison report this week (July 1) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a novel approach to analyzing the production and location of 10 different ecosystem services across a landscape, opening the door to being able to identify factors governing their synergies and tradeoffs.
Water, water everywhere focus of new sustainability project
An interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is turning a comprehensive lens on Madison's water in all its forms - in the lakes, streets, faucets, ground and atmosphere - thanks to the National Science Foundation.
Plant family tree may help identify species vulnerable to invaders, climate change
Change has been the norm for Wisconsin's forests over the last 50 years, and the next 50 are unlikely to pass quietly.