Home / Resources and Writings / Weblog / March 2010
Within One Cubic Foot
Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Plant Conservation
In this photo essay, renowned ecologist E.O. Wilson writes about the importance and magnificence of the smaller organisms on the planet. Photography by David Liittschwager highlights 5 different ecosystems, including a coral reef and deciduous forest, representing the many different creatures that inhabit 1 cubic foot of the earth.
Links:
- Within One Cubic Foot via National Geographic
And another thank you to Claire Thompson for again contributing a weblog entry.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM
Hands Off!
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries
Researchers from Oklahoma State University recently published a study that reveals touching the soft furry leaves of the African violet can actually cause damage to the plant. The scientists found that plants had more damage, fewer leaf numbers and smaller size when brushed with bare hands that had been applied with lotion than those brushed with gloved hands. Their results may encourage African violet enthusiasts to keep their hands off the attractive plants.
Links and resources:
- For African violets, "hands off" means healthier via Science Daily
- Brotton, J.C. and J.C. Cole. 2009. Brushing using a hand coated with body lotion or in a latex glove decreases African violet plant quality and size. Horticultural Technology 19: 613-616.
Thank you (once again) to Claire Thompson, UBC Work Study student, for writing this entry.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM
Rising Carbon Dioxide and Plant Communities
Category(-ies): Climate Change
Scientists from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service are finding that rising carbon dioxide levels can have a wide range of impacts on plant communities. Their findings suggest that some weedy invasives may benefit from higher CO2 levels. Forest species such as the longleaf pine may have increased drought tolerance and higher survival rates from rising CO2 levels. The scientists also found that greater CO2 levels cause chemical changes in pine needles that may translate to a lower nutritional content for smaller organisms. These findings suggest altered carbon and nutrient cycling in forests.
Links:
- Long-term effects of carbon dioxide on plants studied by ARS via the USDA
- Changing CO2 promises surprising changes in plant communities via the USDA
Thanks again to Claire Thompson for researching and writing this entry.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM
The "New" Carnivores
Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries
Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have recently discovered that some varieties of tomato and potato plants are carnivorous predators that capture and kill insects for nutrients. Their discovery has added 325 new species to all known carnivorous plants, and revealed that the number of carnivorous plants may have been underestimated by up to 50%. Unlike the venus flytrap, these carnivourous plants do not directly ingest their prey, but trap and kill insects with sticky hairs on their stems, and later absorb the nutrients through their roots once insects decay and fall to ground. This ability is thought to be an adaption to living in wild areas with poor soil.
Links:
- Tomatoes can "eat" insects via the Telegraph
- Beware the killer veg: How tomatoes are carnivorous and can trap insects for food via The Daily Mail
Thank you again to Claire Thompson for providing this write-up.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM
Botanical Meets Digital
Category(-ies): Botanical Art
This pictorial features the work of Macoto Murayama, whose colorful computer generated illustrations reveal the geometric, almost mechanical features of some common flowers.
Links:
- Botanical Drawings for the Digital Age via Wired Magazine
- More of Murayama's work via PSFK: Macoto Murayama's Flower Illustrations
This weblog entry is also courtesy of work-study student, Claire Thompson.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 12:00 PM
Lose Biodiversity, Increase Diseases?
Category(-ies): Plant Conservation , Plants, Food and Medicine
Thank you again to Claire Thompson, UBC BG work-study student, for contributing to Etaerio.
For the first time ever, scientists have linked a rise in infectious diseases with biodiversity loss and extinction. A team of seven researchers reviewed studies on newly discovered diseases, and have shown that emergence or reemergence of many diseases is linked to biodiversity loss. From one study in Amazonian Peru, it was found that the loss of structural diversity among trees resulting from deforestation caused higher densities of mosquitoes that transmit malaria. EPA Researcher Montira Pongsiri suggests that these findings may mark the beginning of a movement to bring epidemiology and ecology together.
Links and resources:
- Biodiversity loss can increase infectious diseases in humans via ScienceDaily
- Montira et al. 2009. Biodiversity loss affects global disease ecology. BioScience 59: 945-954
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:35 PM
