Image credit: Image of Soybean from Wikimedia commons public domain posted by H. Zell.  Climate change increases global carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. As a result, C3 (a carbon fixation pathway) plant growth rate, growth, and total yield are modified. Drag et al. (2020) planted multiple pots of a C3 plant known as soybean (Glycine max) … Continue reading The effect of rising CO2 on the biomass of C3 plants →

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Mangrove ecosystems are communities that are not often seen unless you live in the tropical areas of the world. These ecosystems consist of various trees known as mangroves, which can be either shrubs or trees that line the shoreline (The Ocean Portal Team, 2018). These organisms have roots that are submerged into … Continue reading Mangrove Ecosystems →

Photo Credit: Smithsonian Profiles Ilka “Candy” Feller is a mangrove ecologist that currently works at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Feller, Ilka). Her studies focus on the interactions between living organisms in mangroves and how those interactions affect the nutrient cycling of that ecosystem. From her studies, Feller produced multiple works regarding the interactions of … Continue reading Candy Feller and Her Studies on Mangrove Ecosystems →

Photo Credit: ResearchGate There seems to be a negative connotation when the word “disturbance” is mentioned. However, some disturbances can be beneficial to an ecosystem, so long as they are minor. In an article written by Dornelas (2010), it mentions that environments that suffer through either intense or minor disturbances experience notable differences in their … Continue reading Herbivory Disturbances – Helpful or Not? →

Image credit: Cover of the book Greenhouse Planet by Lewis H. Ziska sourced from Columbia University Press The book I would recommend to my non-biologist friends and family is Greenhouse Planet by Lewis H. Ziska. Greenhouse Planet is a short book about the many consequences of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) on plants and how it … Continue reading Greenhouse Planet by Lewis H. Ziska →

The large lake book explains that natural lakes of all sizes have water level changes (WLFs), and impoundments exhibit WLFs that are more prominent on both a seasonal and an annual time frame. WLFs impact the system and metabolism of the complete lake system in remote and superficial lakes. Typically, just the littoral area of … Continue reading Fluctuations in water levels’ consequences on the construction and operation of the littoral zone →

Photo Credit: Wikipedia (Elaphidion mimeticum) Insects have the reputation of being annoying pests that bother all living things, but is that really the case? As with most situations, too much of one thing can become problematic, which is the case for the wood-boring insects. In the coastal region of Belize lies the mangrove islands that … Continue reading Wood-Boring Insects: The Good and The Ugly →

Along the Andean regions of Chile and Argentina, resides a tree species named Araucaria Araucana. The spiral arrangement of rigid, pointed leaves creates such a distinctive structure that it has been given a special name: the Monkey Puzzle tree. This title speaks for itself, as these trees are difficult for monkeys to climb on them. … Continue reading The Monkey Puzzle Tree →

Hydrogeology seems like a confusing word isn't ? Wait a sec, If we break it down it can be simplified, it can be termed as Hydro-Water and Geology-study of earth. In terms of scientific definition Hydrogeology is defined as the study of groundwater. It basically helps us to to examine and study how water get … Continue reading Hydrogeology 101 →

Photo Credit: Google Images Finding beginner-friendly books about science-related topics can be a little challenging. That was definitely the case when locating a book I could recommend to others, but alas, I have found it! This book is titled, How Plants Work: The Science Behind the Amazing Things Plants Do, and is written by Linda … Continue reading “How Plants Work: The Science Behind the Amazing Things Plants Do” – An Easy and Eye-catching Read on the Basics of Plant Biology →