Tag Archives: biodiversity

Why vultures are so important — and dying off

Posted on July 13, 2017 by

University of Utah. May 5, 2016. Why vultures matter—and what we lose if they’re gone. Original paper: Evan R. Buechley et al, The avian scavenger crisis: Looming extinctions, trophic cascades, and loss of critical ecosystem functions, Biological Conservation (2016).Vultures in … Continue reading →

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The global threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity

Posted on July 5, 2017 by

Molnar, J. L., et al. 2008. Assessing the global threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity. Frontiers in ecology and the environment #6 Although invasive species are widely recognized as a major threat to marine biodiversity, there has been no … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, BioInvasion | Tagged , | 1 Comment

An invasive green monster that can double in 2 days and impossible to control threatens 20 states

Posted on June 23, 2017 by

    [ The 2011 House of Representatives hearing below is a discussion of how to control salvinia. We spend about $135 billion on invasive species a year – what will happen when the fossil energy to remove them is … Continue reading →

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Biggest threat to biodiversity is not climate change: it’s agriculture, fishing, and hunting

Posted on April 29, 2017 by

[ This article makes the point that other factors are far more to blame for biodiversity loss than climage change. And with “peak everything“, especially peak oil, but also peak coal, and peak natural gas — greenhouse gas emissions will … Continue reading →

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Humans driving species to extinction 1,000 times the natural rate

Posted on July 11, 2016 by

[ According to a paper published in Science the current rates of extinction are 1000 times the background rate. This estimate is higher than previous estimates is due to a more sophisticated analysis. Other extinction news: 2017-1-18 World’s primates facing … Continue reading →

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Vines are taking over forests

Posted on July 3, 2016 by

Laurance, W. October 5, 2013. Planet of the vines: Climbing plants are taking over. NewScientist. Giant vines are beginning to strangle Earth’s tropical forests, and it’s not just due to climate change. Gaze out over a tropical rainforest and the … Continue reading →

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Large animals driven extinct by human hunters still affect ecosystems today

Posted on July 1, 2016 by

Below is an excerpt/paraphrased of Michael Marshall’s 14 August 2013 NewScientist Ecosystems still feel the pain of ancient extinctions, the abstract of the original Nature Geoscience article, and future losses of large animals will affect tropical forests in the future. … Continue reading →

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E. O. Wilson to save humanity from extinction, get rid of religion

Posted on March 27, 2016 by

[ Below is an excerpt, out of order, from New Scientist’s 21 Jan 2015 interview with E.O. Wilson “Religious faith is dragging us down“. The extinctions we cause will kill us too, says the sociobiology pioneer – the best thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Extinction, Scientists Warnings to Humanity, World's Best Scientists | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Nearly a third of cacti threatened with extinction

Posted on March 3, 2016 by

Illegal trade contributes to placing cacti among world’s most threatened species – IUCN Red List 05 October 2015 | International news release Gland, Switzerland, 5 October 2015 (IUCN) – Thirty-one percent of cactus species are threatened with extinction, according to … Continue reading →

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Cost of Invasive Species in the United States

Posted on March 14, 2014 by

[ My note: It’s been 15 years since this paper was written, yet it is so thorough and well-written that it stands up well today and still cited by thousands of other papers as the best estimate of what invasive … Continue reading →

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