A research team at the University of Göttingen, Germany’s Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) in Rhede, and the Thünen Institute in Braunschweig has investigated the importance of limestone quarries for wild bee conservation. Diverse landscapes with good connectivity between quarries and calcareous grasslands proved to be particularly valuable. Calcareous grasslands – meaning grasslands on chalk or limestone soils – are exceptionally rich in plant and animal species, making them valuable ecosystems. Quarries with a lot of shrub encroachment, on the other hand, had a lower species diversity. Endangered bee species were more common in large quarries. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

 

Americans love their corn — whether it’s canned, fresh off the cob or in their favorite breakfast cereal.

But what if this staple grain could be more than just a starch? What if it could become a critical source of protein and fiber while helping prevent cancer, obesity, diabetes and inflammation?

It can, University of Missouri researchers say. And the secret is in the color.

Coconut palms are king throughout the tropics, serving as the foundation for human lives and cultures across the Pacific Ocean for centuries. However, 200 years of planting by colonial interests transformed the palm from the revered “Tree of Life” to a cash crop monoculture grown on Pacific atolls for a singular purpose — production of coconut oil (copra) for export around the world.

The relatively new industry has been challenged by wind-blown cross-pollination between neighboring hemp fields.

The influence of changing rainfall on invasive grasses, the substitution of one group of predators for another in salt marshes and more from ESA's journals.

A team from the University of Illinois has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may provide greater food security for families dependent on potatoes, as these are often the same areas where the changing climate has already affected multiple crop seasons. Their work was recently published in Global Change Biology