Acipenser transmontanus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=d55013d210f7439f8ca981b3b73576f2&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59l2j69i60j69i57j69i60l2j69i59.492j0j4&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> North America</a> and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is a species of sturgeon in the family Acipenseridae of the order Acipenseriformes. They are an anadromous fish species ranging in the Eastern Pacific; from the Gulf of Alaska to Monterey, California. However, some are landlocked in the Columbia River Drainage, Montana, and Lake Shasta in California, with reported sightings in northern Baja California, Mexico.Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) &gt; Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and paddlefishes) &gt; Acipenseridae (Sturgeons) &gt; Acipenserinae Etymology: : Latin, = sturgeon, 1853 (Ref. 45335); transmontanus: The specific name is derived from the Latin acipenser (sturgeon), trans (beyond), and montanus (mountain) (Ref. 27436).More on author: Richardson.

Acipenser transmontanus

Acipenser transmontanus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation...

Speyeria zerene myrtleae  NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Speyeria zerene myrtleae

Speyeria zerene myrtleae  NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer...

Sphaerodactylus micropithecus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Sphaerodactylus micropithecus

Sphaerodactylus micropithecus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Spheniscus demersus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Spheniscus demersus ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Spheniscus demersus

Spheniscus demersus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Spheniscus humboldti NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Spheniscus humboldti

Spheniscus humboldti NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Spheniscus mendiculus

NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source...

Sphenodon guntheri

Sphenodon punctatus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Sphenodon punctatus

Sphenodon punctatus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Sphyrna lewini NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Sphyrna lewini ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa.  North America was reached by its first human populations during the last glacial period, via crossing the Bering land bridge approximately 40,000 to 17,000 years ago.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Sphyrna lewini

Sphyrna lewini NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Sterna antillarum NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Sterna antillarum ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Sterna antillarum

Sterna antillarum NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Sterna antillarum browni NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Sterna antillarum browni ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Sterna antillarum browni

Sterna antillarum browni NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer...

Sterna dougallii dougallii

Sternotherus depressus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Sternotherus depressus ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Sternotherus depressus

Sternotherus depressus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Streptocephalus woottoni NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Streptocephalus woottoni ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe. In 2013

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Streptocephalus woottoni

Streptocephalus woottoni NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Streptopelia picturata rostrata NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Streptopelia picturata rostrata ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Streptopelia picturata rostrata

Streptopelia picturata rostrata NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer...

Strigops habroptilus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Strigops habroptilus ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.  North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Strigops habroptilus

Strigops habroptilus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Strix occidentalis caurina NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Strix occidentalis caurina ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Strix occidentalis caurina

Strix occidentalis caurina NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer...

Strix occidentalis lucida NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/intense-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Strix occidentalis lucida ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=3f147b0c9b5e4f6f8161f3ce2f2a7df3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.862j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Strix occidentalis lucida

Strix occidentalis lucida NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer...

Soybean,Grain,In,A,Hands,Of,Successful,Farmer,,In,A

Many countries already add lanthanides, a group of rare earth metals, to fertilizers to support crop growth. Yet despite their widespread agricultural use, researchers still didn’t fully understand how plants absorb these elements or how they influence essential processes like photosynthesis.



But recent research offers new insight into how these elements operate inside plants - and how they might be used more efficiently.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rare-earth-metals-in-farming">Rare earth metals in farming</h2>



Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (<a href="https://www.mit.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIT</a>) have found that a single nanoscale dose of lanthanides applied to seeds can help some of the world’s most widely grown crops resist damage from ultraviolet (UV) light.



Their work shows that these rare earth metals can interact with <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/photosynthetic-cells-14025371/">chlorophyll</a> - the pigment that powers photosynthesis - by replacing the magnesium at its center. This replacement strengthens the pigment and improves the plant’s response to UV stress.



“This is a first step to better understand how these elements work in plants, and to provide an example of how they could be better delivered to plants, compared to simply applying them in the soil,” said Associate Professor Benedetto Marelli, who conducted the study with postdoc Giorgio Rizzo. 



“This is the first example of a thorough study showing the effects of lanthanides on chlorophyll, and their beneficial effects to protect plants from UV stress.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-metals-do-more-than-grow-food">Metals do more than grow food</h2>



Lanthanides aren’t just for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farmers-adopt-regenerative-agriculture-better-soil-health/">agriculture</a>. They’re also used in a variety of industrial and medical applications, from contrast agents in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16729149/">MRI scans</a> to components in solar cells, lasers, and LED lights.



The rare earth metals now play a much larger role in crop production. In <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12109484/">China</a> especially, farmers apply lanthanide-enriched <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fertilizer-reduces-plant-damage-caused-by-droughts/">fertilizers</a> to nearly 4 million hectares of farmland each year.



“Lanthanides have been considered for a long time to be biologically irrelevant, but that’s changed in agriculture, especially in China,” confirmed Rizzo. 



“But we largely don’t know how lanthanides work to benefit plants - nor do we understand their uptake mechanisms from plant tissues.”



Some recent studies suggest that these elements can promote growth, root development, hormone synthesis, and stress tolerance. However, too much lanthanide can be harmful.



The trick is finding the right balance - and that means understanding how they move through plant tissues and interact with the cells.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-re-greening-crops-with-lanthanides">Re-greening crops with lanthanides</h2>



To explore this, the MIT team used a seed coating and treatment method they had previously developed. This allowed them to study the interaction between chlorophyll and lanthanides both inside and outside the plant.



Chlorophyll is vital to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-cleverly-adapt-their-photosynthesis-to-changes-in-light/">photosynthesis</a>. But when the pigment loses the magnesium ion at its core, it can no longer absorb light efficiently.



The researchers discovered that certain lanthanides can take the place of magnesium. This substitution helps chlorophyll regain some of its functional ability - a process called “re-greening.”



“We found that lanthanides can boost several parameters of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-sensor-remotely-tracks-plant-health-in-real-time/">plant health</a>,” Marelli said. “They mostly accumulate in the roots, but a small amount also makes its way to the leaves, and some of the new chlorophyll molecules made in leaves have lanthanides incorporated in their structure.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-metal-offers-sun-defense-for-crops">Metal offers sun defense for crops</h2>



The team also discovered something surprising: lanthanides increased the plants’ ability to withstand UV stress - something no one had anticipated.



“Chlorophylls are very sensitive pigments,” Rizzo explained. “They can convert light to energy in plants, but when they are isolated from the cell structure, they rapidly hydrolyze and degrade."



"However, in the form with lanthanides at their center, they are pretty stable, even after extracting them from plant cells.”



Using advanced spectroscopic tools, the researchers tested their findings on several staple crops - including chickpea, barley, corn, and soybeans. The benefits held across all of them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lanthanides-could-protect-food-security">Lanthanides could protect food security</h2>



With extreme heat and more frequent climate events threatening global food systems, solutions like this could become increasingly important.



“As we move into an environment where extreme heat and extreme climate events are more common, and particularly where we can have prolonged periods of sun in the field, we want to provide new ways to protect our plants,” Marelli said. 



“There are existing agrochemicals that can be applied to leaves for protecting plants from stressors such as UV, but they can be toxic, increase microplastics, and require multiple applications. This could be a complementary way to protect plants from UV stress,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cheap-lanthanides-shows-big-potential">Cheap lanthanides shows big potential</h2>



Among the lanthanides studied, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/lanthanum" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lanthanum</a> - a relatively large and low-cost element - stood out for its effectiveness in strengthening chlorophyll.



Mining operations typically view lanthanum as a low-value byproduct of extracting rare earth elements. But this new use could turn that status around.



“This study shows what we could do with these lower-value metals,” Marelli said. “We know lanthanides are extremely useful in electronics, magnets, and energy."



"In the U.S., there’s a big push to recycle them. That’s why for the plant studies, we focused on lanthanum, being the most abundant, cheapest lanthanide ion.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-stop-greenhouses-and-beyond">Next stop: greenhouses and beyond</h2>



The team isn’t stopping with plants. They also plan to look into how lanthanides interact with other biological molecules, including proteins in the human body.



On the agricultural side, their next step is to test their findings in greenhouses and experimental farm settings, scaling up their work and exploring how different crops respond to metal-based<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/uv-radiation-played-a-role-in-earths-largest-mass-extinction/"> UV</a> protection.



“Lanthanides are already widely used in agriculture,” Rizzo said. “We hope this study provides evidence that allows more conscious use of them and also a new way to apply them through seed treatments.”



The full study was published in the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c07071" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of the American Chemical Society</a>.



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This cheap metal could be the key to growing stronger and healthier crops

Many countries already add lanthanides, a group of rare earth...

Greenland’s ice-covered landscape looks like an immovable block on satellite maps. Yet the story locked beneath its center suggests a very different past, one that places future coastal cities in a tight spot. 



During the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/pleistocene">Pleistocene</a> - the geologic chapter that began about 2.7 million years ago and ran through innumerable swings between cold and mild - the island’s ice waxed and waned in tune with global climate.



New evidence hints that those swings were more dramatic than scientists once believed.



In&nbsp;1993, drillers hauled a two‑mile‑deep ice core up from the island’s highest point and stowed the entire column in a Colorado freezer. 



The surprise awaited in the bottom three inches of sediment: perfectly preserved traces of a tundra ecosystem. 



That sliver of soil, shielded for ages by roughly 1.9 miles (3 km) of ice, now refocuses the conversation about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-much-did-sea-levels-rise-after-the-last-ice-age-alarming-new-clues-revealed/">future sea level</a> and the stability of polar ice in a warming world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tundra-hidden-beneath-greenland-s-ice">Tundra hidden beneath Greenland's ice</h2>



Once the drill broke through that 1.9‑mile roof of ice, the researchers retrieved those three inches of till. 



“These fossils are beautiful,” says Paul&nbsp;Bierman, a scientist at the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a> who co‑led the new study with UVM graduate student Halley&nbsp;Mastro and nine other researchers.



“But, yes, we go from bad to worse,” Bierman added, referring to what this finding implies about the impact of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/indisputable-evidence-of-human-caused-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human‑caused climate change</a> on melting of the Greenland ice sheet.



The till holds poppy, spike‑moss, woody willow tissue, fungal sclerotia, insect parts, and a band of soil capped by about&nbsp;16&nbsp;inches of erratic boulders. 



This is clear evidence that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drones-reveal-hidden-details-about-greenlands-melting-ice/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">central Greenland</a> once lay ice‑free under a cold, dry sky where late‑lying snow lingered through early summer.



Because the material sits undisturbed, the team is confident it was not swept in from elsewhere as ice advanced.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-a-deep-greenland-ice-core">Inside a deep Greenland ice core</h2>



“Once we made the discovery at Camp&nbsp;Century, we thought, ‘Hey, what's at the bottom of&nbsp;GISP2?’” Bierman recalled.



High‑energy isotope ratios show that the summit last saw open air within the past 1.1 million years, while argon trapped in overlying clear ice indicates at least 250,000 years of continuous cover since then. 



<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47351-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Basal ice</a> at another drilling site about 19 miles away is roughly 1 million years old.



A separate core from Camp&nbsp;Century <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-under-the-ice-secret-base-camp-found-in-greenland/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">near the coast</a> yielded plant remains no older than&nbsp;416,000&nbsp;years, underscoring the ice sheet’s flickering presence across the Pleistocene. 



These findings draw on material that had been stored at the National Science Foundation <a href="https://icecores.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ice Core Facility</a> in Lakewood, Colorado, for three decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-divulge-a-warmer-greenland">Fossils divulge a warmer Greenland</h2>



Under the microscope, what had looked like no more than specks floating on the surface of the melted core sample was, in fact, a window into a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-transformation-ice-melt-plant-growth-vegetation-cascading-effects/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tundra landscape</a>. 



“It was amazing,” Mastro exclaimed. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/greenland-ice-core_soil-sample_fossils_recently-melted-ice_credit-UVermont_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/greenland-ice-core_soil-sample_fossils_recently-melted-ice_credit-UVermont_1s.webp" alt="Willow bud scale, arctic poppy seed, fungal bodies, and rock spikemoss megaspores found in the GISP2 soil sample viewed under a microscope at the University of Vermont. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Halley Mastro/University of Vermont" class="wp-image-1977508"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Willow bud scale, arctic poppy seed, fungal bodies, and rock spikemoss megaspores found in the GISP2 soil sample viewed under a microscope at the University of Vermont. Click image to enlarge. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Halley Mastro/University of Vermont</figcaption></figure>



Mastro and colleagues picked out spores of spike‑moss, the bud scale of a young willow, and the compound eye of an insect - life‑forms adapted to chilly air and long summer daylight.



“And then we found Arctic poppy - just one seed of it. That is a tiny flower that's really good at adapting to the cold. It lets us know that Greenland's ice melted and there was soil, because poppies don't grow on top of miles of ice,”&nbsp;Mastro continued.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-level-risks-for-global-coasts">Sea‑level risks for global coasts</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-corals-reveal-that-sea-level-rise-occurs-in-rapid-bursts/">Sea level today</a> is rising more than an inch each decade. “And it's getting faster and faster,” said Bierman. The extra water comes from a warming ocean that expands as well as from melting glaciers worldwide.



Near‑complete melting of Greenland’s ice over the next centuries to a few millennia would lead to some&nbsp;23&nbsp;feet of sea‑level rise. 



“Look at Boston, New&nbsp;York, Miami, Mumbai, or any other coastal city around the world, and add&nbsp;20‑plus feet of sea level. It goes underwater. Don't buy a beach house," Bierman advised.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-much-did-sea-levels-rise-after-the-last-ice-age-alarming-new-clues-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sea level</a> is likely to be several feet higher by the end of this century, when today’s children are grandparents.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenland-s-fragile-ice-fortress">Greenland's fragile ice fortress</h2>



Richard Alley, a leading climate scientist at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State University</a>, reviewed the new research.



“This new study confirms, and expands upon earlier evidence, that significant sea‑level rise occurred at a time when the causes of warming were not especially extreme, providing a warning of the damage we might cause if we continue to warm the climate," Alley noted.



“We now have direct evidence that not only was the ice gone, but that plants and insects were living there,” Bierman concluded. “And that's unassailable. You don't have to rely on calculations or models.” 



The fossil soil at Greenland’s summit, locked beneath nearly two miles of ice, speaks plainly: polar ice sheets can retreat far and fast when the climate tips, and the coastlines of the future will trace that story in real time. 



Whether that warning is heeded remains a decision for policy makers and citizens alike.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2407465121#supplementary-materials" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Fossil discovery in Greenland ice stuns and worries scientists: "Don't buy a beach house"

Greenland’s ice-covered landscape looks like an immovable block on satellite...

Rainforests thrive on delicate relationships. Plants, animals, and insects like ants constantly interact, creating a web of survival and competition. Amid this chaos, unexpected harmony sometimes blooms.



In the tropical rainforests of Fiji, scientists uncovered a fascinating story of peacekeeping. It is not a tale of advanced creatures or complex brains. Instead, it centers around a plant with an unusual design. 



This plant has developed a surprisingly simple strategy to solve conflict among aggressive ants.



This discovery from <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Durham University</a> reshapes our understanding of cooperation in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-future-climate-conditions-will-transform-plant-growth/">nature</a>. It shows how something as basic as plant architecture can manage aggression and encourage mutual support. 



The study reveals that, sometimes, structure itself can shape behavior and nurture harmony among rivals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ants-and-plants-team-up">Ants and plants team up</h2>



The plant at the center of this story belongs to the genus Squamellaria. It is part of the Rubiaceae family, also known as the coffee family. These plants grow on the branches and trunks of rainforest trees.



The plants form large, bulbous structures called domatia. These domatia are not just growths - they serve as homes for ants. In return for shelter, ants provide the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/">plant</a> with essential nutrients from their waste.



However, the ants that live in these plants are not naturally friendly neighbors. Many of them are highly aggressive and often engage in violent fights with other species. 



This raises an important question: how can so many aggressive species coexist peacefully inside a single plant?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-walls-keep-rivals-apart">Walls keep rivals apart</h2>



The answer lies in the design of Squamellaria’s domatia. Professor Guillaume Chomicki of Durham University led an international team to investigate the mystery. 



Using high-resolution 3D CT scans, the researchers explored the inner structure of the plant’s domatia. What they found was remarkable. The plant creates domatia with multiple chambers, each completely sealed off from the others inside.



Every chamber has its own entrance, but inside, walls separate them from their neighbors. This design prevents physical contact between ant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">species</a>. It is as if the plant built a miniature apartment complex, with each species living in its own secure unit.



This clever separation prevents fights and keeps the peace within the plant. It is not a chemical trick or behavioral adaptation by the ants. The plant’s architecture itself enforces harmony.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-plant-many-ants">One plant, many ants</h2>



To test the effectiveness of this system, the researchers conducted extensive fieldwork. They observed Squamellaria plants on three Fijian islands for over a decade.



The team's observations revealed that a single Squamellaria <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-could-soon-talk-to-farmers-and-listen-too/">plant</a> could house as many as five different ant species simultaneously. Despite their natural tendency to fight, the ants coexisted peacefully.



The researchers also performed nutrient labeling experiments using nitrogen isotopes. These experiments confirmed that all of the ant species provided valuable nutrients to the plant. 



Each ant colony contributed to the plant’s well-being, making the relationship mutually beneficial for all involved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-peace-breaks-down">When peace breaks down</h2>



To truly understand the importance of separation, the researchers conducted a bold experiment. They surgically removed the internal walls between the chambers of the domatia.



The results were immediate and violent. Ant species that had previously lived peacefully erupted into fierce battles. These fights led to many ant deaths on both sides.



In contrast, plants with intact chambers saw no such conflict. Even outside the plant, ants shared food sources without issue. This highlights the importance of physical separation inside the plant.



“It is incredible how such an odd group of organisms, restricted to a couple of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-warning-sea-level-rise-in-pacific-island-nations-is-irreversible/">Fijian islands</a>, can provide general insights into the stability of cooperation between species,” noted Professor Chomicki.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-plant-that-solves-conflicts">A plant that solves conflicts</h2>



The team also created mathematical models to further explore the plant’s strategy. The models confirmed that compartmentalization helps maintain long-term partnerships. 



The system prevents fights during the early stages of colony establishment. This allows each chamber to develop into a stable, nutrient-contributing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/just-a-few-ants-can-change-an-entire-colonys-social-structure/">colony</a>.



Even in situations where only a small fraction of arriving ants were aggressive, the models showed that compartmentalized domatia performed better than single-chambered ones.



This shows that separating rivals is not just a short-term solution. It has lasting benefits for both the plant and its ant residents. The architecture ensures that mutualism remains stable over time, providing security and resources for all involved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-harmony-in-nature">Hidden harmony in nature</h2>



This discovery helps solve a long-standing mystery in ecology. Scientists have wondered how unrelated and sometimes hostile species manage to maintain cooperation.



The findings suggest that physical separation could be a widely used strategy in nature. Many organisms may rely on similar methods to prevent conflict and maintain beneficial relationships.



The study of Squamellaria shows that architecture alone can shape ecosystems. It highlights the hidden power of structural design in keeping peace among species that would otherwise be at odds.



In the rainforests of Fiji, a simple plant demonstrates that sometimes, the best way to manage conflict is to keep your neighbors at a safe distance.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu8429" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Some plants have a strategy to prevent violent ant fights

Rainforests thrive on delicate relationships. Plants, animals, and insects like...

Mycorrhizal,Symbiosis,Between,Mushroom,And,Green,Plant.,Digital,Illustration.

Plants do not wave warning flags when a hungry caterpillar shows up. Yet for years scientists wondered if roots guide underground networks that let one plant alert its neighbors before the first bite lands.



A modeling study released in January, 2025 suggests the picture is far less neighborly. Lead author <a href="https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/thomas-w-scott" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr Thomas Scott</a> of the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oxford</a> argues that most plants would lose more than they gain by sounding a genuine alarm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-plants-play-tricks">Why plants play tricks</h2>



Natural selection rewards thrift, so every calorie sunk into defense is a calorie that cannot go into growth or seeds. Because neighbors compete for the same sunlight and minerals, helping them makes little evolutionary sense.



The models draw on the idea of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/kin-selection" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kin selection</a>, the notion that genes “care” about relatives who share those genes. When the same genetic relatives also fight for the same patch of soil, the benefit of warning kin evaporates.



Simulations showed that honest signals kept disappearing from the virtual population. False alarms, however, sometimes stuck around long enough to handicap competitors by pushing them into needless chemical warfare.



“Our results indicate that it is more likely that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-defy-gravity-when-water-is-scarce/">plants</a> will behave deceptively toward their neighbours, rather than altruistically, even when no herbivore is present,” said Dr Scott, adding that a plant might fake an attack draining rivals of resources in the process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fungus-helps-plants-communicate">Fungus helps plants communicate</h2>



Much of the debate centers on the mycorrhizal fungi that lace through the soil, forming what ecologists nickname the “<a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/wood-wide-web-underground-network-microbes-connects-trees-mapped-first-time" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wood wide web</a>.” 



These threads trade phosphorus and nitrogen for plant‑made sugars and can physically link roots from different species.



Laboratory work with Solanum lycopersicum showed that when one tomato in a shared fungal network met a caterpillar, connected tomatoes cranked up four defense enzymes within hours. The reaction happened even though the “listener” plants never touched the insect.



Defensive cues may move as <a href="https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-are-volatile-organic-compounds-vocs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">volatile organic compounds</a> drifting through the hyphae or leaking from wounded roots. 



Scott’s team argues that such cues are hard to suppress completely, creating an involuntary “tell” rather than an intentional SOS.



Model runs where the victim plant tried to hide the cue found that full suppression was rarely worth the metabolic fee. That fits the tomato result, where receivers benefitted even though senders paid the cost of damage.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fungus-as-mediators-between-plants">Fungus as mediators between plants</h2>



If <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-plants-build-their-cell-walls-is-seen-by-scientists-for-the-first-time-ever/">plants</a> are unlikely whistle‑blowers, someone else must be moving the news. The models showed that the fungi themselves could profit by monitoring each host and relaying danger to all partners.



A healthy green plant pumps more sugar into the network than a chewed‑up one. By nudging the rest of the network into pre‑emptive defense, the fungus protects its own carbon income.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/plants_information-transfer_fungal-networks_illustration_credit-PNAS_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/plants_information-transfer_fungal-networks_illustration_credit-PNAS_1s.webp" alt="Hypotheses for information transfer in plant–fungal networks. Two plants are connected via a mycorrhizal network. One plant is under attack (e.g., by aphids), and this information may be transferred via the mycorrhizal network to the other plant, allowing it to up-regulate its defense mechanisms. There are three hypotheses regarding how this information is transferred: (blue) signaling by the attacked plant; (cyan) cues, which are potentially vulnerable to suppression by the attacked plant; and (orange) monitoring and signaling by the mycorrhizal network. Credit: PNAS" class="wp-image-1977443"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hypotheses for information transfer in plant–fungal networks. Two plants are connected via a mycorrhizal network. One plant is under attack (e.g., by aphids), and this information may be transferred via the mycorrhizal network to the other plant, allowing it to up-regulate its defense mechanisms. There are three hypotheses regarding how this information is transferred: (blue) signaling by the attacked plant; (cyan) cues, which are potentially vulnerable to suppression by the attacked plant; and (orange) monitoring and signaling by the mycorrhizal network. Click image to enlarge. Credit: PNAS</figcaption></figure>



“Maybe it is the fungal networks themselves that are sending the warning signals,” Dr Scott suggested. Co-author <a href="https://www.spun.earth/team-members/dr-toby-kiers#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Toby Kiers</a> added that a neighbor may simply be “eavesdropping,” not altruistically sharing information.



Unlike deceptive plants, a cheating fungus would only hurt its paycheck. That steers evolutionary pressure toward honest fungal monitoring, at least until someone proves otherwise in field trials.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-farms-and-forests">What this means for farms and forests</h2>



Agronomists dream of crops that switch on defenses before pests build an army. If fungi, not plants, drive advance warning, inoculating fields with the right spores might someday cut pesticide use.



The new study also tempers popular stories claiming that old trees “care” for their sapling offspring. Mutual benefit can still happen, but the math says it must be weighed against relentless competition for limited light.



Some breeders already select <a href="https://treefruit.wsu.edu/varieties-breeding/rootstocks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rootstocks</a> that recruit efficient fungal partners. Future programs may screen those partners for their talent at early pest detection instead of simple nutrient delivery.



Forest managers experimenting with assisted migration should remember that uprooted seedlings leave their native fungal counselors behind. Re‑establishing key networks could be as vital as matching temperature or rainfall.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-plant-behavior-in-evolution">Rethinking plant behavior in evolution</h2>



These findings challenge the common tendency to describe plants using human social terms like friendship, cooperation, or mutual aid. 



Such language can oversimplify complex ecological relationships shaped by evolutionary tradeoffs rather than intentional kindness.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/plants_communication_fungal-network_underground_illustration_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/plants_communication_fungal-network_underground_illustration_1s.webp" alt="Fungal networks help plants communicate and sometimes play &quot;referee&quot; to settle disputes" class="wp-image-1977466"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fungal networks help plants communicate and sometimes play "referee" to settle disputes. Click image to enlarge.</figcaption></figure>



Plants don't choose to help or harm. They respond to selective pressures based on survival and reproduction. 



What might look like generosity from a distance could be a side effect of unavoidable signaling, or an outcome that benefits fungi more than the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/">plants</a> themselves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-questions-for-researchers">Next questions for researchers</h2>



The models assume costs and benefits averaged over many generations. Field ecologists now need to tag real roots, real caterpillars, and real fungi to test whether the numbers hold up outside a computer.



One way is to pair isotope tracing with microelectrodes in split‑root systems, watching exactly who sends which molecule where. 



Another is to compare fungal genomes for genes that sense host stress chemicals, a clue that selection favors monitoring hardware.



If dishonest plant signals do occur, greenhouse arenas seeded with mixed genotypes should reveal which seed families bluff the most. 



Researchers may also seek fungal “referees” that penalize plants that persistently cry wolf. The soil is telling a subtler story than simple plant friendship.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2420701122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Scientists change their minds about 'friendship' and cooperation between plants

Plants do not wave warning flags when a hungry caterpillar...

Diseño sin título - 1

Botanists confirmed recently that a towering tree discovered in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains is an entirely new species, Tessmannia princeps.



The research team is led by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrea-Bianchi-10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Andrea Bianchi</a>, a horticulturist and researcher at <a href="https://www.muse.it/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muse Science Museum</a> in Trento, whose group worked with Tanzanian experts to document the species and its remote habitat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovering-tessmannia-princeps">Discovering Tessmannia princeps</h2>



Bianchi and local plant specialists were mapping plants in the Boma la Mzinga and Uluti Village Land Forest Reserves in 2019 when they nearly walked into a gray‑barked giant they could not name.



“This was already quite a shiver‑down‑your‑back moment because if they didn’t know [the species], it could have been something interesting,” Bianchi recalls. 



Follow‑up surveys in the <a href="https://arts.psu.edu/assets/uploads/documents/studyabroad-a_web_strategy_for_umnp-_2010_student_project.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Udzungwa Mountain</a> region revealed only about one hundred mature individuals scattered across two steep valleys, each <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-trees-decide-between-growing-and-breathing/">tree</a> crowned well above the surrounding canopy.



The specific name princeps, Latin for “most eminent,” nods to crowns that poke above neighboring foliage and to thick, consecutively buttressed trunks that command the landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-old-and-how-tall">How old and how tall</h2>



The largest measured <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-are-losing-the-battle-against-climate-change/">trees</a> rise roughly 130 feet and carry trunks close to nine feet across, with extra girding from three‑foot‑deep buttresses. 



Cross‑sections from a naturally fallen trunk revealed 12-15 growth rings in a single centimeter, a pace so slow it suggests an age of 2,000-3,000 years for the biggest survivors.



Bianchi describes counting those rings as “patient work that feels like peering back through the lifetimes of civilizations,” a statement he shared while discussing the discovery with colleagues. 



Such longevity places Tessmannia princeps alongside bristlecone pines and giant sequoias on the shortlist of the planet’s most durable trees, although the new species lives in humid rainforest rather than the drier mountain slopes that old bristlecones prefer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tessmannia-princeps-anatomy">Tessmannia princeps anatomy</h2>



Scientists classify the tree as a canopy emergent species, meaning its crown stands above the general forest roof, harvesting full sunlight while shaping micro‑climates below. 



Immense buttress roots fan from the base, some arching more than 49 feet high and channeling mechanical stress into the shallow rainforest soil.



Glossy leaves carry dozens of leaflet pairs, and the creamy white petals tipped with yellow glands emit a fragrance that local guides notice long before the trunk comes into view. 



Despite its stature, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-have-unique-fungi-partnerships-that-help-them-survive/">tree</a> is unarmed, no thorns or spines, relying instead on sheer size and chemical defenses yet to be cataloged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-they-stayed-hidden">Why they stayed hidden</h2>



The Udzungwa mountain mass sits within the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6658/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eastern Arc Mountains</a>, an ancient chain famed for pockets of endemism created by rugged topography and long‑lasting climate stability. 



Many villages in the chain lie at valley floors, while the discovered grove perches between 4,200 and 5,000 feet in elevation, far from cultivated plots and traditional footpaths.



Frequent cloud cover, steep ridges, and legally protected status after 2016 limited timber scouts and poachers, allowing the slow‑growing population to mature undisturbed. 



Until the 2019 trek, even seasoned local botanists believed all large legumes in the region had been recorded, a reminder of how easily towering organisms can evade science in dense rainforest. 



Discovering Tessmannia princeps there was a surprise to everyone, even the locals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-tessmannia-princeps-alive">Keeping Tessmannia princeps alive</h2>



The newly described species meets International Union for Conservation of Nature (<a href="https://iucn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IUCN</a>) criteria for “Vulnerable” status, owing to its tiny range and fewer than 1,000 estimated individuals. 



Logging is banned inside the reserves, yet nearby farms, bush‑meat hunting trails, and potential road upgrades pose indirect threats through soil compaction and fire risk.



<a href="https://research-nexus.net/author/1002222169/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arafat Mtui</a> of the <a href="http://www.udzungwacentre.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Center</a> notes that each fresh discovery “prioritizes urgent study on ecology, distribution, and threats,” underscoring the tree’s role as a flagship for corridor restoration. 



Community‑based programs that compensate landowners for forest protection now cite T. princeps as evidence that conserving narrow habitat strips can safeguard irreplaceable biodiversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-ancient-trees-teach-us">What ancient trees teach us</h2>



Longevity in wet tropics is rare because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-shows-psilocybin-from-magic-mushrooms-delays-aging-and-significantly-extends-lifespan/">fungi</a>, insects, and storms accelerate decay, so the endurance of these trunks sparks new questions about wood chemistry and dendrochronology in humid settings.



Comparisons with the 4,800‑year‑old bristlecone pine <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pinlon/all.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pinus longaeva</a> highlight convergent survival strategies: dense wood, slow metabolism, and strategic growth spurts that coincide with favorable decades. 



By storing prodigious amounts of carbon for millennia, each Tessmannia princeps stabilizes soils, seeds understory diversity, and chronicles regional climate swings in its tightly packed rings.



Researchers now plan radiocarbon dating on live cores to refine age estimates and test whether rainfall patterns leave identifiable chemical signatures, data that could sharpen regional climate models.



The study is published in <a href="https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.694.2.1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Phytotaxa</a>. Photo credit: Bianchi, Tomasi, et al/Phytotaxa.



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Scientists discover giant 3,000-year-old trees never before seen by humans

Botanists confirmed recently that a towering tree discovered in Tanzania’s...

We hear a lot about how climate change affects food production, especially in terms of crop yields. But a growing body of research points to a quieter, less visible threat: the nutritional quality of our food is changing - and not for the better.



New findings from researchers at <a href="https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/">Liverpool John Moores University</a> suggest that rising levels of CO2 and hotter temperatures are altering the chemistry of common crops. The result? Plants may look healthy and grow fast, but they’re packing fewer essential nutrients.



That has major implications for public health, especially in countries already battling food insecurity and chronic diseases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-vegetables-for-tomorrow">Testing vegetables for tomorrow</h2>



“Our work looks beyond quantity to the quality of what we eat,” said Jiata Ugwah Ekele, a PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University.



Ekele’s research focuses on how environmental stressors - from increased carbon dioxide to rising temperatures - change the nutritional makeup of food crops. 



Her team grows popular leafy vegetables like kale, rocket, and spinach inside climate-controlled chambers at the university. Researchers adjust the CO2 levels and temperatures to reflect the UK’s future climate projections.



“These environmental changes can affect everything from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-to-life-on-earth-photosynthesis-begins-on-the-quantum-level-with-a-single-photon/">photosynthesis</a> and growth rates to the synthesis and storage of nutrients in crops,” said Ekele.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-plant-activity">Tracking plant activity</h2>



The research takes a closer look at what’s happening inside the plants. Scientists track photosynthetic activity as the plants grow, using chlorophyll fluorescence and quantum yield measurements



At harvest, the team measures yield and biomass, then runs chemical tests to see what nutrients are present. 



Using high-performance liquid chromatography and X-ray fluorescence, they analyze sugars, proteins, flavonoids, vitamins, and antioxidants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bigger-crops-fewer-nutrients">Bigger crops, fewer nutrients</h2>



The early data shows that crops do grow bigger under <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/">higher CO2 levels</a>. But that doesn’t mean they’re healthier.



“After some time, the crops showed a reduction in key minerals like calcium and certain antioxidant compounds,” Ekele said.



And when heat is added to the mix, things get worse. According to Ekele, the interaction between CO2 and heat stress has complex effects - the crops do not grow as big or fast and the decline in nutritional quality intensifies.



One surprising twist in the results was that not all vegetables responded the same way. Some showed sharp declines in nutrients, while others were more resilient.



“This diversity in response highlights that we can’t generalize across crops. This complexity has been both fascinating and challenging and reminds us why it's important to study multiple stressors together,” Ekele said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crops-may-fuel-disease">Crops may fuel disease</h2>



A key concern is what happens when crops lose essential nutrients. Elevated CO2 can increase the sugar content in fruits and vegetables - but it often lowers levels of protein, vitamins, and minerals.



“This altered balance could contribute to diets that are higher in calories but poorer in nutritional value,” Ekele said. 



“Increased sugar content in crops, especially fruits and vegetables, could lead to greater risks of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-is-obesity-difficult-to-reverse-it-starts-in-the-brain/">obesity</a> and type 2 diabetes - particularly in populations already struggling with non-communicable diseases.”



When people eat food that lacks protein, iron, calcium, or other essential nutrients, it can weaken their immune system and worsen existing health conditions. This hits hardest in low- and middle-income countries where food choices are limited.



“It’s not just about how much food we grow, but also what’s inside that food and how it supports long-term human well-being,” said Ekele.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-systems-face-global-stress">Food systems face global stress</h2>



Even though the study simulates future UK climate conditions, the findings echo far beyond British borders.



“Food systems in the Global North are already being challenged by shifting weather patterns, unpredictable growing seasons, and more frequent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-has-made-heatwaves-more-deadly/">heatwaves</a>,” noted Ekele.



“In tropical and subtropical regions, these areas also contend with overlapping stressors such as drought, pests, and soil degradation – and are home to millions who depend directly on agriculture for food and income.”



Ekele hopes this work inspires more research and cross-disciplinary collaboration. She said that food is more than just calories - it’s a foundation for human development and climate adaptation.



Connecting plant science to broader issues of human well-being is essential, especially as the climate changes and nations work toward building a food system that supports not just productivity, but also health, equity, and resilience.



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Climate change is making our food less nutritious

We hear a lot about how climate change affects food...

Trees are among nature’s most effective tools for capturing carbon dioxide. They absorb this heat-trapping gas as they grow, making forests key allies in the fight against climate change.



But what happens when winters get warmer and snow becomes scarce? That’s the question <a href="https://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a> scientists set out to answer in a long-term forest experiment. 



The researchers used underground cables to simulate warmer soil and removed snow to mimic shifting winters. The results suggest that future forest growth - and the carbon storage it brings - might not be as strong as we hope.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lack-of-snow-slows-forest-growth">Lack of snow slows forest growth</h2>



In a recent study, BU researchers showed that warmer summers do boost <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/we-still-have-much-to-learn-about-tree-growth/">tree growth</a>. But there's a catch: when snowpack is reduced in winter, that growth slows significantly. Forests may grow faster in heat, but they struggle without a protective blanket of snow.



“We know from past work that there are several negative effects of lessening snowpack, and we know that temperatures are warming and the snowpack is shrinking,” said study co-author Professor Pamela Templer. 



“We wanted to look at the interactions between climate change across the year, and we wanted to be as realistic as possible about the future climate our forests will experience.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-snow-loss-harms-tree-roots">Snow loss harms tree roots</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/snow-droughts-could-quadruple-by-2100-harming-water-supplies/">Snow</a> insulates the forest floor. With less snow, the soil freezes more often, damaging roots and disrupting the delicate balance trees rely on.



Instead of a steady cold, the ground experiences freeze-thaw cycles that can be stressful for the plants.



At the same time, warmer summers speed up decomposition in the soil, which can help trees grow faster at least on the surface.



“When we think about climate change, it’s not just warmer temperatures in the summer or warmer temperatures overall," said Emerson Conrad-Rooney, a PhD student in Templer’s lab and lead author of the paper.



"We need to account for these changes throughout the year that can differ from season to season.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-snow-removal-shrinks-forest-gains">Snow removal shrinks forest gains</h2>



The BU team set up six <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-provide-different-health-benefits-based-on-their-structure/">forest</a> plots, each about the size of a small classroom. Four of them had underground cables that warmed the soil by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit). Two of those were also cleared of snow in the winter. The last two were left alone for comparison.



Year after year, the team returned to measure tree growth using dendrometer bands - spring-loaded metal rings wrapped around trunks that track expansion. These readings allowed them to estimate how much carbon each tree was storing.



Trees in the plots where the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agricultural-soil-is-now-the-worlds-biggest-plastic-dumping-ground/">soil</a> was artificially warmed and snow was left untouched grew 63 percent more than the trees in the unaltered plots. 



But when snow was removed - triggering repeated freeze-thaw cycles - the growth benefit dropped. Those trees only grew 31 percent more than the controls over the same period. 



In other words, the lack of snow cut the positive effects of warmer temperatures on tree growth by about half.



“Many Earth system models, which predict how much carbon forests can store, aren’t incorporating the complexities of winter climate change that we’re highlighting here,” said Conrad-Rooney. “This means that models might be overestimating the carbon capacity of these temperate forests.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-happening-beneath-the-ground">What’s happening beneath the ground?</h2>



Now, the team is turning its attention underground. Templer suspects that repeated freezing and thawing takes a toll on tree roots, which are adapted to the stable cold of snowy winters. 



In 2023, Conrad-Rooney buried mesh cylinders called root ingrowth cores to track how roots are growing in each plot. The results are expected by the end of this year.



“We’re going to keep this work going as long as we can,” said Templer. “We’re so fortunate to have this long-term study because we learn so much the longer we keep going." 



"Right now, we see a warming-induced response from the trees, but maybe that’s temporary - maybe the trees will acclimate and their growth will slow down. We don’t know. That’s really the value of having long-term data.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-climate-puzzle-with-many-pieces">A climate puzzle with many pieces</h2>



This study is one part of a much larger puzzle. Researchers are also looking at how trees behave in cities, along forest edges, and under threats like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-people-die-from-air-pollution-each-year-yet-theres-still-a-lack-of-monitoring/">air pollution</a>, insect loss, and diseases. 



But pulling all these pieces together into one clear forecast for forests remains a huge challenge.



“There are so many global changes happening at the same time,” said Templer. “It’s impossible to get at everything all at once, so we each do what we can."



"The reason we could do this work at all is because others before us monitored the climate. Getting to contribute to long-term science with this study is just amazing.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2412873122">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Forests will struggle without winter snow

Trees are among nature’s most effective tools for capturing carbon...

A single teaspoon of healthy soil can hold as many as a billion bacteria, yards of fungal threads, and a menagerie of microscopic grazers. These organisms form the root microbiome, which helps keep plants fed, watered and defended against drought and disease.



New <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ismej/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ismejo/wraf137/8182121?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> now argues that plants are not just passive tenants in this world but active managers that build hand‑picked below‑ground crews, a process the authors call functional team selection (FTS).



The <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ismej/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ismejo/wraf137/8182121?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> is led by Regents’ Professor <a href="https://directory.nau.edu/faculty?name=nancy%20johnson&amp;person=nj4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nancy Collins Johnson</a> of Northern Arizona University, working with <a href="https://www.ust.cl/personas/curriculum/cesar-marin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">César Marín</a> of Universidad Santo Tomás in Chile.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-plants-create-microbiomes">How plants create microbiomes</h2>



A <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/science/microbiome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiome</a> is the collective genomes and activities of bacteria, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-trees-talk-through-fungal-networks/">fungi</a>, viruses, and other tiny life forms that live in and around a host. 



In plants the action centers on the rhizosphere, the thin <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/NRCS_Healthy%20Soils%20at%20Home_12_22_FINAL%20sent%20to%20printers.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shell of soil</a> that sticks to roots and hums with chemical chatter.



Microbes in this region swap nutrients, growth hormones, and signals with their hosts, often trading nitrogen or phosphorus for sugars. 



Under drought conditions, some bacteria exude sticky <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1253735/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biofilms</a> that help roots hang on to water, improving crop yields in experimental fields.



Yet the community is no free‑for‑all; opportunistic pathogens lurk, and beneficial species can be crowded out by chance or by a sudden fertilizer surge. 



Understanding how plants steer the mix in the root microbiome is therefore critical for sustainable farming.



Scientists <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro2644" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sequence</a> the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/16s-ribosomal-rna" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">16S rRNA gene</a> from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/rhizosphere" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rhizosphere</a> samples and routinely detect more than 5,000 operational taxonomic units on a single maize plant. 



That microbial diversity rivals the entire bacterial roster of many animal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-gut-microbiome-is-shaped-by-what-we-eat/">gut microbiomes</a>, underscoring how much genetic potential lies just outside a root tip.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-microbiomes-shaped-by-stress">Plant microbiomes shaped by stress</h2>



Johnson’s earlier field <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1942106" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> showed that adding chemical fertilizer for eight years shifted <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/arbuscular-mycorrhiza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi</a> toward strains that taxed big bluestem grass more than they helped it. 



The finding hinted that low‑nutrient stress is not just tolerated but needed to keep the symbiosis honest.



Other <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.622926/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> echo the pattern: under conditions of water scarcity, maize roots release flavonoids that attract drought‑tolerant microbes, whereas well‑watered plants skip the recruitment drive. 



Selective pressure, in other words, acts like an admissions test for the root community.



This ecological sorting sets the stage for evolution, because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-laid-the-foundation-for-early-life-on-earth/">microbes</a> that pass the test multiply and share genes for the traits the plant needs. Over time the soil becomes a living memory of past hardships.



Plants secrete up to 40 percent of the carbon they fix as root exudates, a spill that serves as both payment and message to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fagro.2021.753474/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbes</a>. 



Compounds such as malic acid call in growth‑promoting <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7699/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bacillus</a>, while terpenes can ward off unwanted invaders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-functional-team-selection-fts-idea">Functional team selection (FTS) idea</h2>



Johnson and Marín propose that four ingredients - selection force, host constitution, microbial diversity, and time - determine whether a functional team selection <a href="https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/6944/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(FTS) pathway</a> opens. 



When the mix is right, a plant and its hand‑picked allies act as one adaptive system rather than as separate parts.



“Functional teams are unlikely to evolve in benign environments with no stress and ample resources because they lack the selection pressure that is required to curate the composition of the microbiome,” Johnson said. 



Her remark underlines why crop inoculants bought off the shelf often disappoint farmers who apply them to fertile, irrigated soils.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-microbiomes-and-fts">Plants, microbiomes, and FTS</h2>



The framework leans on the recently articulated <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2310223120" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Law of Increasing Functional Information</a>, which holds that complex systems tend to explore ever more effective configurations when variation meets selection. 



Roots and microbes, stars and minerals all follow comparable rules, differing only in the building blocks they shuffle.



<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2310223120" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hazen and colleagues</a> illustrated the law with examples that range from heavy‑element synthesis in stars to enzyme evolution on Earth, arguing that a drive toward functional novelty bridges physics and biology. 



By situating FTS within that broader law, Johnson’s team claims no special exemption for life; they simply place roots and their microbiomes on the same playing field as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/galaxies-are-much-bigger-than-we-originally-believed-gas-clouds/">galaxies</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-agriculture">Lessons for agriculture</h2>



Worldwide sales of <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.606815/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbial biofertilizers</a> are booming, yet meta‑analyses show that many products fail to colonize <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/galaxies-are-much-bigger-than-we-originally-believed-gas-clouds/">roots</a> or boost yields once they leave the greenhouse. 



FTS suggests that success will improve when products are matched to the stresses and nutrient limits of specific root microbiomes rather than offered as universal cures.



Breeders could also select crop varieties that reward resident mutualists instead of favoring short‑term fertilizer responses. 



That shift would align genetic improvement with the slow buildup of local microbial teams instead of tearing them down each season.



Adopting FTS thinking could also cut greenhouse‑gas emissions because successful microbial teams often help plants capture nitrogen from air and recycle soil carbon, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-024-13347-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trimming demand</a> for energy‑intensive fertilizer. Lower fertilizer demand translates to fewer nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fts-from-soil-to-other-systems">FTS from soil to other systems</h2>



The authors argue that FTS can illuminate animal guts, coral reefs, and even human‑made bioreactors because each hosts a crowd whose joint output beats any single member. 



Testing the idea across systems may reveal design rules for building resilient microbiomes in medicine and industry.



A similar logic already guides fecal microbiota transplants that restore healthy gut ecosystems after recurrent infections, proving that designed consortia can outperform single‑strain probiotics. 



Cross‑talk between fields may speed the jump from proof of concept to routine practice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-research-goes-next">Where research goes next</h2>



Johnson and Marín want field trials that run for multiple plant generations, use minimal fertilizer, and track microbial genomes alongside plant performance. 



Such studies would put FTS to the test by asking whether curated teams stay stable and beneficial when weather and management shift.



Meanwhile ecologists are building network models that predict which microbes form keystone partnerships under drought, salinity, or heat waves. 



If those models hold, future crops may come with recommended microbial seed mixes tailored to local stress profiles instead of chemical input schedules.



The study is published in <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ismej/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ismejo/wraf137/8182121?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The ISME Journal</a>.



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Plants have microbiomes like humans do, now scientists have learned how they work

A single teaspoon of healthy soil can hold as many...

The dream of living beyond Earth demands fresh food far from our planet. The Moon-Rice project is pioneering this vision by experimenting with future-proof crops for space. One day, this initiative could supply nutritious food to astronauts and people living in harsh environments on Earth.



Today, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-lettuce-nasas-plans-to-grow-nutritious-plants-on-mars/">space</a> missions depend on supplies from Earth. These include ready-to-eat meals that lack fresh ingredients. Such meals often miss essential nutrients that the human body needs, especially during long missions.



For deep space exploration, we must grow food rich in vitamins and fiber. The Moon-Rice project aims to create such crops. Their goal is to sustain life in deep space missions.



“Living in space is all about recycling resources and living sustainably,” said Marta Del Bianco, a plant biologist at the <a href="https://www.asi.it/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Italian Space Agency</a>. “We are trying to solve the same problems that we face here on Earth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-rice-is-key-for-space-food">Tiny rice is key for space food</h2>



Dr. Del Bianco noted that the main challenge: crop size. Many dwarf rice types are still too large for space farming. “What we need is a super-dwarf, but this comes with its own challenges.”



“Dwarf varieties often come from the manipulation of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-do-astronauts-meals-lose-flavor-in-space/">plant</a> hormone called gibberellin, which can reduce the height of the plant, but this also creates problems for seed germination. They're not an ideal crop, because in space, you just don't have to be small, you must also be productive.”



Since space farming demands high-yield crops that are compact, scientists face the tough task of balancing plant size with productivity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-united-efforts-for-innovation">United efforts for innovation</h2>



In addition to the Italian Space Agency, the research involved the work of experts from three Italian universities.



The <a href="https://www.unimi.it/en">University of Milan</a> has a strong background in rice genetics, the University of Rome ‘Sapienza’ specializes in crop physiology manipulation, and the University of Naples ‘Federico II’ has a rich heritage in space crop production.



“We started this four-year project nine months ago, so it’s very much a work in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/futuristic-food-supply-transforming-co2-into-protein/">progress</a>, but the preliminary results we have now are really promising,” said Del Bianco.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-rice-plants-with-more-protein">Tiny rice plants with more protein</h2>



Scientists at the University of Milan have discovered tiny rice varieties. These grow only 10 centimeters tall.



“Researchers at the University of Milan are isolating mutant rice varieties that can grow to just 10 cm high, so they’re really tiny and this is a great starting point,” said Del Bianco. “At the same time, Rome has identified genes that can alter the plant architecture to maximize production and growth efficiency.”



In addition to compactness, the team is enhancing rice protein levels. Meat production will not be practical in space, so protein-rich <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/novel-stretchy-sensors-could-transform-space-farming/">crops</a> are vital.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-rice-plants-in-fake-gravity">Testing rice plants in fake gravity</h2>



According to Dr. Del Bianco, the team investigated how the rice plants would respond to microgravity. This type of research helps ensure the plants can survive space conditions.



“We simulate microgravity on Earth by continually rotating the plant so that the plant is pulled equally in all directions by gravity. Each side of the plant gets activated continuously and it doesn't know where the up and down is,” she said.



“It's the best we can do on Earth because, unfortunately, doing experiments in real microgravity conditions - i.e. in space - is complex and expensive.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fresh-food-helps-mental-health">Fresh food helps mental health</h2>



Fresh food does more than nourish the body. It also boosts <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-illness-is-caused-by-the-whole-body-not-just-the-brain/">mental health.</a>



“Watching and guiding plants to grow is good for humans, and while pre-cooked or mushy food can be fine for a short period of time, it could become a concern for longer-duration missions,” said Del Bianco.



Astronauts need both physical and psychological support during their missions. Their health directly affects mission success. Mistakes in space can be costly or even deadly.



“If we can make an environment that physically and mentally nourishes the astronauts, it will reduce stress and lower the chances of people making mistakes. In space, the best case of a mistake is wasted money, and the worst case is the loss of lives,” said Del Bianco.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-space-rice-could-help-farmers">Space rice could help farmers</h2>



The Moon-Rice project has benefits beyond space. It could help farmers on Earth too.



“If you can develop a robust crop for space, then it could be used at the Arctic and Antarctic poles, or in deserts, or places with only a small amount of indoor space available,” said Del Bianco.



The research will be presented at the <a href="https://www.sebiology.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference</a> in Antwerp, Belgium, on July 9, 2025.



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Tiny rice plants could help astronauts grow food in space

The dream of living beyond Earth demands fresh food far...

Young trees in large forests are often dismissed as bit players in the fight against climate change, but new evidence shows their importance is anything but small. 



The latest study of <a href="https://www.fao.org/4/j0628e/J0628E16.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secondary forest regrowth</a> found that young trees, only a few decades old, can lock away carbon faster than almost any other land based solution.



Researchers mapped carbon removal in regrowing woodlands worldwide and discovered a sweet spot between 20 and 40 years where <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-carbon-sequestration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon sequestration</a> peaks, reaching up to eight times the rate recorded in newly sprouting forest patches.



The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02355-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> was led by ecologist <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/muelbert-adriane-esquivel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert</a> at the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Birmingham</a>, whose team says protecting these adolescent forests could keep billions of tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-forests-trap-more-carbon">Young forests trap more carbon</h2>



“Our research underscores the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-fire-smoke-boosts-ocean-life-but-with-a-hidden-cost/">critical role</a> of young secondary forests in the global fight against climate change,” said Esquivel-Muelbert. 



Overlooking their protection could forfeit the opportunity to capture carbon more quickly and at a larger scale when it's needed most.



The emphasis on youth contrasts with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-lagging-centuries-behind-in-climate-adaptation/">reforestation</a> drives that prioritize planting, then wait decades for stored carbon to accrue. 



Keeping a 25 year old stand standing can deliver as much carbon benefit as planting several acres of new trees because its engines are already running at full speed.



A global <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2686-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">synthesis</a> published in 2020 showed that natural forest regrowth could capture 226 gigatons of carbon over the century.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maps-reveal-fastest-carbon-gains">Maps reveal fastest carbon gains</h2>



The new paper applies a random forest model, crunching 109,708 field plots and 66 environmental layers to generate one kilometer growth curves for stands up to 100 years old. 



That computational lift produced the first fine scale map of how fast <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/virtual-forest-bathing-can-reduce-stress-and-improve-mood/">above-ground biomass</a> piles up decade by decade.



Across 800 million hectares of land identified as restorable, starting regeneration in 2025 could remove 20.3 billion metric tons of carbon by 2050. 



Delay the start to 2035 and the budget shrinks by almost half, underscoring the cost of procrastination.



Machine learning also revealed how growth spurts shift with latitude, offering a tool planners can use to rank projects by speed of return. Such spatial precision was impossible a decade ago.



Earlier satellite <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36922608/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> led by Viola Heinrich showed recovering humid tropical forests store an average 3.6 billion tons of carbon but only if they survive interruptions from fire or fresh clearing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-forests-left-out-of-climate-plans">Young forests left out of climate plans</h2>



The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/2023-ipcc-ar6-synthesis-report-climate-change-findings" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPCC</a>) warns that deep emissions cuts alone will not limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels, making carbon removal essential. 



Yet current market rules rarely pay for preserving forests younger than 20 years, creating a blind spot that could derail mitigation efforts.



Co‑author <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/pugh-thomas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tom Pugh</a>, from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, at the University of Birmingham, notes that young stands “aren’t even on the books” for many offset schemes, despite their outsized impact. 



Fixing that oversight, the team argues, would steer finance toward projects that begin sequestering carbon within a single election cycle instead of a generation.



A persistent global forest sink of roughly <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1201609" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2.4 petagrams</a> of carbon per year from 1990 to 2007 already helps offset emissions, but analysts say ramping up the sink during the decisive 2020s could keep warming targets within reach.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-location-changes-forest-carbon-speed">Location changes forest carbon speed</h2>



<a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/resource-library-biomes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biome</a> type influences when forests hit their peak carbon removal rates. In <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/biome/biorainforest.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warm tropical zones</a>, forests often reach their highest rates in their early 20s, while <a href="https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/mediterranean-woodlands-and-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mediterranean woodlands</a> may not hit that point until they're closer to 50 years old.



Even so, the per hectare advantage of youth appears everywhere. In the Amazon, a forest that is eight years old today would draw 36 percent more carbon by 2030 than a clear cut plot replanted next year.



Similar arithmetic holds in <a href="http://costarica-information.com/nature/ecosystems-of-costa-rica/Lowland%20Rainforest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Costa Rica’s wet lowlands</a>, where a 20 year old stand can outperform seedlings by 65 percent over the same window. That universality makes age tracking as important as area.



Journalist <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/policymakers-often-ignore-forest-regeneration-fight-against-climate-change-2025-06-24/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data</a> show that fewer than six percent of young forests in the tropics survive long enough to reach their twentieth birthday, often sacrificed to repeat agricultural cycles or burned in accidental fires.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-trees-saves-money">Saving trees saves money</h2>



Carbon credits linked to young forest protection could offer investors quicker returns than tree planting programs because monitoring tools can confirm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-forests-helps-birds-and-humans-in-many-ways/">biomass gains</a> within a few years. That speed matters to companies racing toward net zero pledges set for 2030.



Maintaining existing young stands is also cheaper for governments. Studies suggest natural regeneration costs a fraction of active planting while delivering side benefits such as better soil structure and wildlife habitat.



A fresh economic <a href="https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/N4C_NaturePositiveRecoveryReport_063020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> estimated that every dollar spent on safeguarding regrowth can yield climate returns three to four times higher than planting efforts in the same region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-talks-may-boost-forests">Global talks may boost forests</h2>



The study lands months before negotiators gather in Belém, Brazil, for <a href="https://cop30.br/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COP30</a>. The hosts sit amid the world’s largest tropical forest and also the fastest disappearing, giving added weight to calls for immediate safeguards on regrowth.



“We urge policymakers to prioritize the protection and regeneration of young secondary forests,” said Esquivel‑Muelbert. She wants treaty language that treats young forests as a strategic reserve, not a placeholder. 



Brazilian officials have hinted that regrowth credits could join the country’s voluntary carbon market, a signal observers hope will ripple across the Amazon Basin. If other nations follow, the carbon math suggests the path to net zero could get a much needed boost.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02355-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Climate Change</a>.



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Young forests, big climate punch: Why 20-year‑old trees matter most

Young trees in large forests are often dismissed as bit...

In South Florida, the sea level has been edging upward by roughly 2.4 to 3.7 millimeters a year, reshaping shorelines and pushing salt water farther inland. 



A new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479725018183" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> of Everglades wetlands shows that this slow creep of salt can boost total carbon storage, if managers leave space for migrating mangroves, while other plant communities stumble.



Sparkle Malone of the Yale School of the Environment and Amanda Richey from <a href="https://www.flbog.edu/university/florida-international-university/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida International University</a> led the field team that measured carbon flows across three <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-lagging-centuries-behind-in-climate-adaptation/">habitat</a> types in 2021.



Rising oceans create what ecologists call <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12643" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate debt</a>, the lag between an ecosystem’s present state and the state best suited to new conditions. 



When that debt grows unchecked, coastal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-fire-smoke-boosts-ocean-life-but-with-a-hidden-cost/">wetlands</a> can drown, a scenario that could claim up to 78 percent of the world’s tidal marshes by 2,100 under high‑sea‑rise <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818115301879" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">projections</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mangroves-excel-at-carbon-capture">Mangroves excel at carbon capture</h2>



On Everglades transects, the team tracked the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/net-ecosystem-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">net ecosystem exchange</a> of carbon dioxide, a direct measure of whether a landscape breathes in or exhales CO₂. 



The researchers found that compact “scrub” mangroves, dominated by <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP502" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rhizophora mangle</a>, kept absorbing about 294 grams of carbon per square meter each year even when water levels covered a quarter of their stems, outperforming sawgrass prairies more than six‑fold.



“We expect that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/virtual-forest-bathing-can-reduce-stress-and-improve-mood/">mangroves</a> will need to continue moving further inland. If this occurs, it could enhance carbon capture in those new locations,” said Malone. 



The team's models suggest that as <a href="https://esa.org/esablog/about/ecotone-explained/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecotone zones</a> creep inland at roughly 25 yards each year the net carbon uptake of the southeastern Everglades could climb another 12 percent, adding about 131 metric tons annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-freshwater-plants-struggle-in-floods">Freshwater plants struggle in floods</h2>



<a href="https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/marlprairie.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Freshwater marl prairie grasses</a> thrive when their leaves stay dry for part of the year. Once water sits above the soil for weeks, photosynthesis drops by a third and the prairie’s climate debt balloons, signaling low resilience to longer floods.



Ecotone mixtures of sawgrass and mangrove seedlings fall in the middle: tolerant of brief floods yet still losing ground when tides linger. 



Because the ecotone acts as a moving front, its health now sets the timetable for wholesale habitat turnover across the landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moving-mangroves-to-boost-carbon-storage">Moving mangroves to boost carbon storage</h2>



<a href="https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/3401/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mangroves</a> lock away carbon three to five times more densely than most tropical upland forests thanks to deep, anoxic sediments that slow decay. 



Allowing mangroves to colonize higher ground provides room for trunks and roots to pile up sediment, a natural levee that can keep pace with moderate sea‑level rise.



Blocking this migration with roads or seawalls traps the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-forests-helps-birds-and-humans-in-many-ways/">forest</a> against the tide, turning a productive carbon sink into open water. 



Managers who once fought encroaching salt now face the opposite task: clearing pathways for salt‑tolerant species to race inland ahead of the water.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-steps-to-protect-mangroves">Steps to protect mangroves </h2>



First, map low‑lying barriers that could choke future mangrove expansion, from old spoil berms to abandoned canals. 



Second, adjust freshwater releases so that salinity gradients shift gradually; sudden pulses of salt can kill sawgrass before mangroves take hold, leaving bare mud.



Third, prioritize restoration projects that connect patches of existing mangrove to potential refuge sites upslope, reducing fragment stress and fostering seed dispersal. 



Finally, track <a href="https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/ear-nose-and-throat/disequilibrium-of-aging.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">disequilibrium</a> indicators such as <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.787877/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">leaf‑level photosynthesis</a> and soil elevation change so that intervention happens before large carbon debts accrue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-balancing-carbon-capture-and-biodiversity">Balancing carbon capture and biodiversity</h2>



Although scrub mangroves are efficient carbon sinks, they support a narrower range of species compared to freshwater prairies. 



As salinity increases, native amphibians, fish, and wading birds adapted to low-salt environments may be pushed out or face population declines.



Land managers will need to weigh these biodiversity losses against the climate benefits of carbon storage. 



In some zones, maintaining a mosaic of habitats might offer the best of both worlds: storing more carbon while protecting ecological diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-other-coastlines">Lessons for other coastlines</h2>



The Everglades aren’t the only place where mangroves are pushing inland. Similar shifts are being observed in the Mississippi Delta, Australia’s Northern Territory, and parts of Southeast Asia where sea level rise, salt intrusion, and human disturbances are reshaping wetland boundaries.



Each site has different constraints, tidal range, land use, and species pools, but the patterns of mangroves shifting and carbon storage changes echo those seen in South Florida. 



This study offers a practical way to assess when to defend current habitats and when to help mangroves move inland for carbon benefits.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479725018183?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Environmental Management</a>.



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How mangroves could store more carbon as oceans rise

In South Florida, the sea level has been edging upward...

Endangered animals

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