ecology Archives - Science Connected Magazine

Declining bee populations: A healthy honeybee visiting a backyard apple tree

Ten Fun Facts about Honeybees and Honey

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 Science Connectedbees, ecology, environment, honey, honeybees, pollinators, sustainability

Which countries produce the most honey? How much honey does a bee make? Ten fun facts about honeybees and honey.

queen bee, queen bees, bee colony, bee colonies, bee health

Animals Botany Environment

Relaxed Queen Bees Have More Offspring

September 30, 2020September 23, 2020 Science Connectedagriculture, beekeeping, bees, biology, ecology, nature

Queen bees produce different proteins when they are stressed, and this new discovery could change how we monitor hive conditions.

Biodiversity Book Reviews SciStarter Blog

Book Review: Never Home Alone

May 13, 2020April 2, 2021 Science Connectedbiodiversity loss, ecology, insects, microbes

Never Home Alone is a 256 page deep dive into the mind of a chatty biologist. Every chapter focuses on a distinct use-case for biodiversity preservation.

Ecology Opinion Science Policy

Decolonizing Ecology for Socially Just Science

August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 Science Connectedacademia, collaboration, decolonizing science, ecology, equity, gatekeeping, globalization

Opinion By Suzanne Xianran Ou (@suzanneou) and Adriana L. Romero-Olivares (@fungi_lover) Science attempts to describe nature at all scales, including globally. But scientists and the institutional structures and gatekeepers, such as governments, universities, and science journal editors, who determine what is considered “good science” in our modern world, represent countries with great economic power, collectively known as the Global North. To move forward with a broad perspective and as a globally connected scientific community, we must be inclusive of all scientists around the world, including those from countries with less…

Ecology Geology

Exploring the Science of Mountain Biodiversity

July 4, 2019June 24, 2019 Science Connectedbiodiversity, biota, ecology, ecosystems, environmental heterogeneity, mountains, species richness, topography

By Jacqueline Mattos (@mattosjacq) Mountain systems are hotspots of biodiversity, which means that they host many different species of many taxonomic groups in condensed spatial scales. Much has been studied about mountains and their diversity, but the biological and geological processes that maintain their great number of species remain elusive. In a recent review in Nature Geoscience, Alexandre Antonelli and colleagues have accounted for many different aspects of mountains and their diversity, trying to fill in the many gaps in this field of study by quantifying the relative importance of…

Craft beer aisles in a grocery store. Each aisle is labeled with the name of a different country.

Environment Science Policy

Globalization and Its Environmental Impact

April 4, 2019February 25, 2021 Science Connectedclimate, ecology, environment, globalization, weather

Globalization has many negative impacts on the environment. Corporations that benefit from globalization most must work toward sustainability.

Environment Science Policy

Commodity-Driven Deforestation Threatens Forests

September 26, 2018October 23, 2018 Science Connectedcommodities, deforestation, ecology, ecosystems

By Megan Nichols (@nicholsrmegan) The global economy is at the mercy of its consumers, whose needs often have a negative impact on the environment. A recently published study explores the impact of commodity-driven deforestation on forests around the world. What is the difference between deforestation and temporary forest loss? What sort of impact is this commodity-driven deforestation having on global ecosystems? Zero-deforestation agreements The commodity-driven economy is contributing to the decimation of forests across the globe. Projections by the NASA Earth Observatory estimate that if it continues at its current…

Environment

When Aquatic Invasive Species Take Over

August 23, 2018April 6, 2021 Science Connectedaquatic, biology, ecology, environmental science, invasive species

What is an aquatic invasive species? It is non-native species that has been introduced into an area, and it is a big problem. By Natasha Parkinson @schrodicatsci The weather is hot, and everyone is trying to cool off any way they can. Everyone with a boat is out on the water, tubing, waterskiing, fishing, or cruising around. Anyone that has been around boats knows about boat safety: wear a life jacket, and don’t operate watercraft under the influence. But one aspect that is less discussed is preventing the spread of…

Fire Management in California's Chaparal: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District conducted a controlled burn of central marine chaparral at Fort Ord, Calif., Oct. 15, to expose unexploded ordnance at the formerly utilized defense site. The burn, carefully coordinated with local agencies, lasted less than two hours and was timed so that prevailing winds would help blow the smoke away from population centers. The controlled burns are part of a comprehensive ordnance removal program at Fort Ord, which closed in 1994 under recommendation from the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. (U.S. Army photo/Released)

Animals Biology Environment

Fire Management in California’s Chaparral Harms Birds

April 2, 2018March 31, 2021 Science Connectedbiodiversity, biology, birds, california, chaparral, ecology, fire, plant sciences

A fire management practice known as mastication, or mechanically crushing vegetation to prevent forest fires, threatens bird communities.