Although some plant species are doing very well around the world (sometimes to the point of becoming invasive), other species are losing ground. In some cases there are focused recovery plans, but oftentimes the issue of habitat loss trumps our best efforts to sustain these populations. So how can we contribute to both habitat availability […]
Archive for the ‘Plant Communities’ Category
Getting our hands dirty
How does an endangered plant garden grow?
In my last post, I talked about some of the challenges facing endangered plant species as crucial elements of the ecosystems they inhabit, such as regular fires or insect pollinators, were lost. This may very well be the tip of the iceberg when you consider that imbalances within ecosystems can also result from too much […]
No plant is an island
When I started looking at the literature on endangered plants, it seemed that many of the issues being faced by these species could be summed up by four main problems: Invasive species outcompeting and/or altering the habitat Loss of habitat through development (and this has particularly hit species with already small ranges- Leavenworthia torulosa, for […]
Seeing green?
I was brain-storming ideas for blog topics and I thought it had been a while since talking about terrestrial plant conservation issues- given the importance of these primary producers in sustaining so many of the environments we depend upon, we should probably be paying attention to their conservation. But every plant issue I could think […]
Going with the flow
As I mentioned in my last post, invasive aquatic plants are a big concern- although we are still learning about how they impact invaded ecosystems (and it’s not necessarily bad), we do know that plants such as water hyacinth, Spartina spp., and milfoil can clog waterways, change habitat, and alter faunal communities. And, as we […]
A messy topic
Offering trees some shelter
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking at the possible impacts of climate change on temperate forests around the world, impacts that could disrupt forest dynamics and alter the landscapes around us. Rising global temperatures can rearrange precipitation patterns, warm soils, and cause expanded disease and pest outbreaks. And there are concerns that tree […]
A moveable forest?
As I mentioned in my last post, predicting the form of future forests is complicated due to the wide variety of factors involved, but there are some common concerns that researchers share about the challenges trees will face with global climate change. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns will alter the suitability of forest locations […]
Changing patterns, changing forests
I’ve spent the last week enmeshed in the intricacies of climate change research and trying to understand how temperate forests will be impacted- and there were quite a few more variables than I had been anticipating. I guess I had assumed that warmer temperatures would mean shorter winters, earlier springs, and probably more bark beetles, […]
Seeing the forest and the trees
Despite the short days, I really enjoy November in New Hampshire, partly because it feels like things are slowing down a bit and partly because, with the leaves gone, I can see the trees themselves now. In the summer I appreciate the green shade provided by trees, I love the colors of fall, and I […]