Category: Research summaries

Grasslands, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

The response of sub-adult savanna trees to six successive annual fires in the Guinean savannas of West Africa.

In a six year experimental field study, N’Dri and colleagues demonstrate how burning during the annual long dry season can be managed to maintain a target density of trees, with implications for use in the other humid savannas. Fires in humid savannas are set by humans for different management purposes. In the Guinean savannas of West Africa, successive annual fires are common, with stakeholders generally … Continue reading The response of sub-adult savanna trees to six successive annual fires in the Guinean savannas of West Africa.

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Invasive species, Research summaries

Hotspots of pest-induced US urban tree death: culprits, impacted tree species, and spatial hotspots

In their latest research Emma J. Hudgins, Frank H. Koch, Mark J. Ambrose, and Brian Leung, discuss the economic implications of pest-induced tree deaths in the US. Urban trees are key to the wellbeing of city dwellers but are at high risk of mortality from insect pests, due to having high rates of exposure to invasive species as enabled by trade, travel, and other human … Continue reading Hotspots of pest-induced US urban tree death: culprits, impacted tree species, and spatial hotspots

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Monitoring and methods, Practitioners, Research summaries

Counting the ghosts of the mountains: sampling snow leopard populations at large spatial scales

Effective management of large carnivores requires robust monitoring at all scales. In their latest research, Manvi Sharma and colleagues describe the first systematic effort at estimating snow leopard populations at a large regional scale. The high-altitude mountains of the Himalaya are important habitats for unique flora and fauna adapted to these regions. The most charming of these species that has taken home here is the … Continue reading Counting the ghosts of the mountains: sampling snow leopard populations at large spatial scales

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Agriculture, Pollinators, Research summaries

The Disproportionate Value of ‘Weeds’ to Pollinators and Biodiversity

In their latest research, Nicholas Balfour and Francis Ratnieks use multiple datasets to compare the biodiversity value of the plant species classified as ‘injurious weeds’ by the UK’s 1959 Weeds Act, with those species stipulated by DEFRA for pollinator targeted agri-environmental options. In the UK, five species of native wildflowers are classified as “injurious weeds” in the 1959 Weeds Act. Three of them are frequently … Continue reading The Disproportionate Value of ‘Weeds’ to Pollinators and Biodiversity

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Coastal and marine, Invasive species, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Cutting non-native trees helps, but may not be enough to restore coastal scrub invaded by pines

Invasive non-native trees can cause structural and functional changes in plant communities, but how do their impact change over time? Michele de Sá Dechoum and colleagues explore this in their latest research on a coastal ecosystems in southern Brazil. We learn, since growing up, that we should plant trees. There is no doubt that trees have very important environmental and social roles, especially in the … Continue reading Cutting non-native trees helps, but may not be enough to restore coastal scrub invaded by pines

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Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Not all hosts are equal: creating relevant questions for wildlife disease management

In their latest research, Will Rogers and colleagues use an age- and sex-structured simulation model to explore harvest-based management of CWD under three different transmission scenarios that all generate higher male prevalence. In many host-pathogen systems, males tend to be more diseased than females. This can be the result of many different factors such as the effects of testosterone on immune function and different social … Continue reading Not all hosts are equal: creating relevant questions for wildlife disease management

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Forests, Research summaries, Restoration, Translation

Acelerando la sucesión secundaria: uso de árboles tolerantes a la sombra para la restauración del bosque de niebla

Esta publicación de blog también está disponible en inglés aquí. Tarin Toledo-Aceves y sus colegas describen sus últimas investigaciones y la importancia de los árboles tolerantes a la sombra en los proyectos de restauración forestal Las iniciativas de reforestación y restauración comúnmente utilizan especies de árboles pioneras de rápido crecimiento. Sin embargo, un alto número de especies tolerantes a la sombra se encuentran amenazadas por … Continue reading Acelerando la sucesión secundaria: uso de árboles tolerantes a la sombra para la restauración del bosque de niebla

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Forests, Research summaries, Restoration

Accelerating secondary succession: using shade-tolerant trees for cloud forest restoration

This blog post is also available in Spanish here. Tarin Toledo-Aceves and colleagues describe their latest research and the importance of shade tolerant trees in forest restoration projects. Reforestation and restoration initiatives commonly use fast-growing pioneer tree species. However, a high number of shade-tolerant species are threatened by deforestation and overharvesting, and unlike pioneer species, they have no seed banks on the ground and are … Continue reading Accelerating secondary succession: using shade-tolerant trees for cloud forest restoration

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Invasive species, Plant and soil ecology, Practitioners, Research summaries

How do you solve a problem like Molinia?

The increasing dominance of the invasive purple moor grass (Molinia caerulea) on blanket bogs is a growing threat to diversity and carbon storage. In this post, practitioners from Moors for the Future Partnership give their account of the team’s latest research attempting to reverse these effects. Reducing the domination of Molinia caerulea on blanket bogs to a more Sphagnum-rich, characteristically boggy landscape has been a … Continue reading How do you solve a problem like Molinia?

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Agriculture, Pollinators, Research summaries

Beneficial arthropod abundance assessed by sweep-netting is negatively associated with landscape-wide insecticide use

In a new study, Bakker, Bianchi and van der Werf assess how the use of insecticides and semi-natural landscapes impact beneficial arthropods in the Netherlands. Beneficial arthropods, like predators, parasitoids and pollinators, provide important ecosystem services such as biological pest control and pollination, and are therefore vital for ecosystem health and global food production. However, concerns have risen on the widespread decline of arthropods — … Continue reading Beneficial arthropod abundance assessed by sweep-netting is negatively associated with landscape-wide insecticide use

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