Biosentients - Science Biology… etc

Too much of a good thing (nutrients or water) actually decreases the diversity of species in an ecosystem while it increases the productivity of a few species, as per a grassland experiment conducted by University of Minnesota researchers. The reduction in species diversity occurs because increasing the amounts of limiting resources, such as nitrogen and water, makes an ecosystem more homogeneous and consequently reduces the number of opportunities for competing species to coexist. Put another way, it reduces the number of niches, allowing a few species to dominate……..

The ponderosa pine is the most widely distributed species of its genus in North America. It is generally found in a sub-humid area deficient in summer rainfall. The tree reproduces through seeds produced in cones, which require 2 years to mature. The Black Hills forest is dominated by the ponderosa pine tree. Where conditions permit, other trees such as the birch, white spruce, quaking aspen, and elm also grow……..

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego and the University of Bonn in Gera number of have produced a global map of estimated plant species richness. Covering several hundred thousand species, the researchers say their global map is the most extensive map of the distribution of biodiversity on Earth to date……..

Thank you to Andreas of Bogotá aka Quimbaya@Flickr for sharing today’s images of an Australian species cultivated in Colombia (original image 1 | original image 2). As noted by Andreas in the comments to his photographs on Flickr, the palms in the background are Ceroxylon quindiuense (if you’re curious – they’re not part of this series on Australian plants). Thanks again, ………

A new understanding of how plants manage their internal calcium levels could lead to modifying plants to avoid damage from acid rain. The pollutant disrupts calcium balance in plants by leaching significant amounts of the mineral from leaves as well as the agricultural and forest soils the plants live in……..

Plant and animal diseases can play a major and poorly appreciated role in allowing the invasion of exotic species, which in turn often threatens biodiversity, ecological function and the world economy, scientists say in a new report. In particular, a plant pathogen appears to have opened the gate for the successful invasion of non-native grasses into much of California, one of the world’s largest documented cases of invading species and one that dramatically changed the history and ecology of a vast grassland ecosystem……..

In a typical year, the highlight of yesterday’s discussions among staff members would have been news of the first magnolia blossom of the year. That always happy-event was overshadowed by a different topic: the theft of a crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis. From what I’ve been able to determine, it was the last remaining individual of this species in the garden. It is even more discouraging to note that this theft will likely have killed the plant, as it was only a few weeks from flowering (one of the worst times to attempt a transplant; in general, fritillarias do not like to be ………