By Elizabeth Kolbert
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
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Discussion Questions
What is meant by the term Anthropocene? What do you think of this term?
Is it scientifically accurate? Is it useful sociopolitically?
The author asserts that this term has entered common usage. Can you find evidence of this on the […] Read More »
By William Stolzenburg
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
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Discussion Questions
The author states: “…to the conservation biologist, it is an embarrassing contradiction between science and practice.” What, exactly, is the contradiction he refers to?
If the scientific perspective on predator control has stayed essentially the same for over four decades, […] Read More »
By Cynthia Mills
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
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Discussion Questions
The author contrasts the views for and against cloning as being associated with technophile and technophobe philosophies, but then goes on to say that “Even restoration ecologists admit we can no longer reasonably hope to separate human impact from nature.” […] Read More »
By Mark Jerome Walters
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
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Discussion Questions
What are critical pieces of information biologists must collect in the field prior to initiating a recovery program?
If a recovery program involves captive breeding and reintroduction, under what conditions should biologists remove viable adults from the wild? Why […] Read More »
By Elizabeth Kolbert
A few years ago, in an essay in Nature, Nobel Prize-winning Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen coined a term. (1) Instead of the Holocene, he wrote, we should think of ourselves as living in the Anthropocene, an age defined by one species—man—that had become so dominant it was capable of altering the […] Read More »
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
We received many letters on “The Depopulation Bomb” by Philip Longman in the July-September 2006 issue. Some of you questioned why we would even run such a story in a conservation magazine. We were skeptical, too, and hotly debated the topic in our editorial office. In the end, […] Read More »
Excerpt
The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on EarthBy E.O. Wilson
W.W. Norton & Company, 2006
Once in a great while a work comes along that speaks for itself. The Creation is E.O. Wilson’s cri de coeur, and for this issue we’ve decided to share with you an excerpt from the first chapter. […] Read More »
Photo: R. Berkelmans
By Robin Meadows
Berkelmans, R. and M.J.H. van Oppen. 2006. The role of zooxanthellae in the thermal tolerance of corals: A ‘nugget of hope’ for coral reefs in an era of climate change. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biology 273(1599): 2305-2312.
Good news at last for coral reefs: although warmer waters […] Read More »
Photo: iStockphoto.com/Roger Whiteway
By Robin Meadows
Von Holle, B. et al. 2006. Facilitations between the introduced nitrogen-fixing tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, and nonnative plant species in the glacial outwash upland ecosystem of Cape Cod, MA. Biodiversity and Conservation 15:2197-2215.
Invasion-resistant ecosystems can be breached by introducing a single nonnative plant that makes it easier for […] Read More »
Photo: Joseph Merz
By Robin Meadows
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
Merz, J.E. and P.B. Moyle. 2006. Salmon, wildlife, and wine: Marine-derived nutrients in human-dominated ecosystems of central California. Ecological Applications 16:999-1009.
Salmon may be the perfect fertilizer for Pacific Coast vineyards, according to new research showing that wine grapes along a California […] Read More »
By Robin Meadows
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
Lynam, C.P. et al. 2006. Jellyfish overtake fish in a heavily fished ecosystem. Current Biology 16:R492-R493.
Jellyfish as wide as dinner plates now dominate Namibian waters where fish once teemed, according to a recent report in Current Biology.
“This is a profound ecosystem change, with possible […] Read More »
Photo: John McColgan
By Robin Meadows
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
Westerling, A.L. et al. 2006. Warming and earlier spring increase western U.S. forest wildfire activity. Science 313:940-943.
New research suggests that we have missed the underlying reason why many wildfires in the western U.S. have gotten more intense. Climate change often plays […] Read More »
Photo: David J. Moorhead/Forestryimages.org
By Robin Meadows
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
Mohan, J.E. et al. 2006. Biomass and toxicity responses of poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) to elevated atmospheric CO2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103:9086-9089.
Climate change could bring out the worst in poison ivy. New research demonstrates that adding […] Read More »
Photo: Ken Knezick
By Robin Meadows
October-December 2006 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
Kamel, S.J. and N. Mrosovsky. 2006. De-forestation: Risk of sex ratio distortion in hawksbill sea turtles. Ecological Applications 16:923-931.
The current strategy for conserving sea turtles—protecting them and their eggs—may be inadequate for hawksbills, which are classified as critically endangered. New research […] Read More »
No one is suggesting that Viagra could halt trade in endangered species, or even take the place of conservation efforts to save rhinos and tigers. But here’s something to consider. Viagra may be making inroads into the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market where little else has. A survey of 256 men in a Hong […] Read More »
