Bits of Ecology

World food demand could double by 2050 – if so agricultural intensification could save 2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year

A new projection by the University of Minnesota and the University of California Santa Barbara shows global food demand could rise by 100-110 percent between 2005 and 2050, which would pose a grave threat to remaining tropical rainforests and would … Continue reading →

BioScapes: the beauty of nature

Sometimes a picture says it all, but occasionally a picture just fascinates you even though you’re not quite sure what you’re looking at. The pictures from the Olympus BioScapes Competition fall into the latter category and we just couldn’t withhold … Continue reading →

Amphibians in more trouble than previously thought

Climate change, land-use change and the fungal disease chytridiomycosis. Those are the main causes why more than 30 per cent of all amphibian species have appeared on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). … Continue reading →

Carbon nanotubes have unexpected negative impact on environment

Carbon nanotubes are stronger than steel, harder than diamond, light as plastic and conduct electricity better than copper. It is no wonder they can be found in an increasing range of products, ranging from tennis rackets to solar cells and … Continue reading →

Biofuel production from forests increases CO2 emissions

Biofuels are gaining more and more ground as a replacement for fossil fuels. Especially because they are carbon-neutral or even reduce atmospheric CO2, but also because of the need for energy security and oil price spikes. In their search for … Continue reading →

Coral is losing its chemical war with seaweeds

As if anthropogenic pollution and overfishing isn’t damaging enough for coral reefs worldwide, now certain seaweeds seem determined to see the end of reefs as well. These macroalgae produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of reef-building coral or even kill … Continue reading →

Metastudy shows current climate change makes flora and fauna shrink

The paleoclimatic record shows it has happened before – and now two well-read researchers illustrate it is already happening again: species across life’s kingdoms are decreasing in size, due to warming, droughts and acidification. It’s a sign ecology is feeling … Continue reading →

Study shows binary switches between forest, savanna, desert: macro-scale climate-biodiversity tipping points

Researchers of Wageningen University find in South America, Africa and Australia under climatic change forest, savanna and treeless systems don’t gradually phase across, but rather tip over.