Ecosystem Ecology

"The way we eat, and the way we dispose of food, play a huge role in humanity's growing methane problem"

The world's trawlers are stirring carbon dioxide into the water—and into the atmosphere.

More and more companies are relying on regenerative agriculture—based on old farming practices—to help maintain and restore soil health.

Rapid hydroelectric dam expansion in the Amazon poses a serious threat to Earth's largest and most biodiverse river basin. There are 158 dams in the Amazon River basin, with another 351 proposed; these projects are typically assessed individually, with little coordinated planning. A new study provides a computational approach for evaluating basin-level tradeoffs between hydropower and ecosystem services, with the…

In Illinois alone, more than 90 percent of wetlands have been lost.

Environmental sciences major and music minor wins this year's University Medal

Plastic is a petroleum product that is extremely slow to decompose. According to the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, a plastic bag takes 10 to 20 years, a plastic straw 200 years and a plastic bottle 450 years to decompose. During decomposition, these objects are ground into ever-smaller particles over time. These are known as microplastics (particles smaller than 5mm) or nanoplastics (particles…

What's happening in the Great Lakes during those long, frigid months when they're often covered partially or completely with ice? A casual observer—and even experts—might be inclined to say, "Not much."

South Florida's drinking water has become increasingly threatened by shrinking wetlands, algal blooms, and now, saltwater intrusion.

UConn Department of Natural Resources and the Environment researcher Wei Ren sees the interconnections between the systems in nature and how each component impacts the others. In Connecticut, rich in forests and farmland, Ren sees the potential that could position the state at the forefront of a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach using an emerging sustainable practice called biochar.

The road salt that makes your drive to work easier on snowy days may be damaging the water quality in local rivers and streams long after winter is over.

First-of-its-kind research shows how "ecoacoustics" can help scientists monitor the health of soils — using underground critter concerts.

Ideal locations for solar development often overlap with croplands or grasslands used for livestock grazing.

Researchers have found huge swathes of infrastructure across the 970,000 square mile area will be at risk by 2050.

To spur decarbonization, public investments must go beyond government support of research and development and expand into the manufacturing and deployment of new technology. To do this, governments must move beyond the myths surrounding public investment in clean energy that discourage use of public funds, a newly published Yale School of the Environment-led commentary in Nature Energy explains.

Rapid hydroelectric dam expansion in the Amazon poses a serious threat to Earth's largest and most biodiverse river basin. There are 158 dams in the Amazon River basin, with another 351 proposed; these projects are typically assessed individually, with little coordinated planning. A new study, published today in Science, provides the first computational approach for evaluating basin-level tradeoffs between…

As trees choked by saltwater die along low-lying coasts, marshes may move in.

At least two-thirds of methane emissions come from human activity, which is both a problem and an opportunity.

This week, delegates continue negotiations for a global plastics treaty. They have a lot to do.

Global declines in insects have sparked wide interest among scientists, politicians, and the general public. Loss of insect diversity and abundance is expected to provoke cascading effects on food webs and to jeopardize ecosystem services. Our understanding of the extent and underlying causes of this decline is based on the abundance of single species or taxonomic groups only, rather than changes in insect biomass…