Acaena exigua 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.<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-surface-slicks-create-superhighway-for-fish/"> Fish</a> and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. Acaena exigua is an extinct species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name liliwai. It was endemic to Hawaii, where it was known from Kauaʻi and west Maui. It had not been seen or collected since 1957 and was feared extinct until 1997, when one plant was discovered in a remote montane bog on <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=maui&amp;cvid=11f593b142284a109c4b71b63cd85874&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Maui</a>. The plant died in 2000, and the species is now considered extinct.Acaena exigua A. Gray var. subtusstrigulosa Bitter: Classification. Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report. Rank Scientific Name and Common Name; Kingdom: Plantae – Plants Subkingdom: Tracheobionta

Acaena exigua

Acaena exigua NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation...

Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia 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 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-natural-history-museum-introduced-more-than-500-new-species-in-2020/">Natural</a> 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=8a2f1576ab074624862faaf58d14d8c3&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia is only known in the wild from one population near the Mill Creek Summit divide within the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Angeles+National+Forest&amp;filters=sid%3ab9589a3f-6cd4-82b0-5a5a-7a2a5b4ec1b7&amp;form=ENTLNK">Angeles National Forest</a> in the San Gabriel Mountains, and is on the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=California+Native+Plant+Society&amp;filters=sid%3aa60a5753-4f19-df1d-bd84-327e1d460a26&amp;form=ENTLNK">California Native Plant Society</a> Rare and Endangered Plant Inventory.Subspecies include:
• Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. adamsii — Adams' manzanita: endemic to the Transverse Ranges in San Diego County and Baja California.
• Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia — Costa Baja manzanita, Del Mar manzanita: native to the San Diego and Baja coastlines. is native to California and Baja California. California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.1 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).

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Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia

Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe...

Arctostaphylos hookeri var. ravenii 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 <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=animals&amp;cvid=26f70df5dde340b2ad5fb2b0b4e5ef4c&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">animals</a> too.

NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network. and branch dieback due to fungal pathogen. USFWS uses the name A. pungens var. ravenii. See Madroño 19(6):200 (1968) for original description. To submit rare plant observation data, use the CNDDB field ...

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.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/perennial-vegetables-to-grow-in-north-america/">North America</a> and the world.Arctostaphylos hookeri is a species of manzanita known by the common name Hooker's manzanita.Arctostaphylos hookeri G. Don ssp. ravenii P.V. Wells – Presidio manzanita Subordinate Taxa. This plant has no children Legal Status. Threatened and Endangered Information: …

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.About Presidio Manzanita (Arctostaphylos montana ssp. ravenii) 2 Nurseries Carry This Plant Add to My Plant List; Presidio Manzanita (Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. ravenii) is a rare native shrub whose only documented location in the wild is in Presidio Park, San Francisco.It is listed by State and federal agencies as an Endangered Species.

Arctostaphylos hookeri var. ravenii

Arctostaphylos hookeri var. ravenii NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe...

Arctostaphylos morroensis 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, <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/fungi-characteristics-and-function/">fungi</a>, 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.

There are 18 occurrences of the Arctostaphylos morroensis plant, and it is abundant in some local areas. It is limited to a specific type of substrate known as "Baywood fine sands", a type of sandy soil which originated in the <a title="Pleistocene" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene">Pleistocene</a> as windblown <a title="Dune" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune">sand dunes</a>. The plant is found on less than 900 acres of <a title="Coastal sage scrub" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_sage_scrub">coastal sage scrub</a> and <a title="Chaparral" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparral">chaparral</a> habitat, sometimes forming monotypic stands on hillsides.

Two thirds of its habitat is privately owned, some of it is slated for development, and its habitat requirements are narrow; these and other problems led to the plant's being listed as a <a title="Endangered species" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species">threatened species</a> in 1994. Some of the plants are protected within <a title="Montaña de Oro State Park" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monta%C3%B1a_de_Oro_State_Park">Montaña de Oro State Park</a>

Arctostaphylos morroensis

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Arctostaphylos myrtifolia 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.Arctostaphylos myrtifolia is a rare species of <a title="Arctostaphylos" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctostaphylos">manzanita</a> known by the common name Ione manzanita. It is <a title="Endemism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemism">endemic</a> to the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Sierra Nevada (U.S.)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_(U.S.)">Sierra Nevada foothills</a> of <a title="California" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California">California</a>. It grows in the <a title="Chaparral" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparral">chaparral</a> and woodland <a title="Plant community" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_community">plant community</a> on a distinctive acidic soil series in western <a title="Amador County, California" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amador_County,_California">Amador</a> and <a title="Calaveras County, California" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calaveras_County,_California">Calaveras Counties</a>. There are only about 17 occurrences, but the plant is abundant in some areas of its limited range.  This is a federally listed <a title="Endangered species" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species">threatened species</a>.Arctostaphylos myrtifolia is a red-barked, bristly <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Shrub%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">shrub</a> reaching just over a meter in maximum height. The small bright green leaves are coated in tiny glandular hairs and are shiny but rough in texture. They are less than 2 centimeters long. The <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Inflorescence%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">inflorescence</a> is a <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Raceme%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">raceme</a> of urn-shaped manzanita flowers on bright red branches. The fruit is a cylindrical <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Drupe%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">drupe</a> only a few millimeters long.

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.

Arctostaphylos myrtifolia

Arctostaphylos myrtifolia NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Arctostaphylos pallida 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 -- Arctostaphylos pallida 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=8a2f1576ab074624862faaf58d14d8c3&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.Arctostaphylos pallida, commonly known as Pallid Manzanita, Oakland Hills Manzanita, and Alameda Manzanita, is an upright Manzanita shrub from the Ericaceae, or heath family. It is endemic to the eastern San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California.

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. Pallid manzanita (Arctostaphylos pallida) is a California endangered plant species, which means that killing or possessing this plant is prohibited by the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). This species is also listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Therefore still endangered and on the list as it is threatened

Arctostaphylos pallida

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Arenaria cumberlandensis 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 Arenaria cumberlandensis 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.Cumberland sandwort, Arenaria cumberlandensis, is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial member of the Pink family that reaches a height of about 6 in (15 cm). Long, narrow leaves form a rosette at the base. Tiny inconspicuous, white flowers appear in late June and early July.

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.Minuartia cumberlandensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Cumberland stitchwort and Cumberland sandwort. It is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau near the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky. This rare plant is found only in cool sandstone rock shelters, on the moist sandy cave floors behind the drip line. There are 27 occurrences in Tennessee and one in Kentucky. The plant is a federally listed endangered species.

Arenaria cumberlandensis

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Arenaria paludicola 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 -- Arenaria paludicola ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/fungi-characteristics-and-function/">fungi,</a> and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=a20c3191584d4672b0a45e23da38ef9f&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. Also is still endangered

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. Arenaria paludicolais a coastal species that was historically known to occur in wetlands and in freshwater marshes. Plants have been documented in areas with or without standing water and in acidic, organic bog soils and sandy substrates with high organic content also coastal species that was historically known to occur in wetlands and in freshwater marshes. Plants have been documented in areas with or without standing water and in acidic, organic bog soils and sandy substrates with high organic content.

Arenaria paludicola

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Arenaria ursina 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.It is <a title="Endemism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endemism">endemic</a> to <a title="San Bernardino County, California" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County,_California">San Bernardino County, California</a>, where it is known from a few occurrences in the vicinity of <a title="Big Bear Lake" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bear_Lake">Big Bear</a>. It grows on <a title="Quartzite" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartzite">quartzite</a> <a class="new" title="Pebble plain (page does not exist)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pebble_plain&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1">pebble plain</a> habitat in forest openings in the <a title="San Bernardino Mountains" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_Mountains">San Bernardino Mountains</a> near the communities of <a title="Fawnskin, California" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawnskin,_California">Fawnskin</a>, <a title="Sugarloaf, California" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarloaf,_California">Sugarloaf</a>, and <a title="Baldwin Lake (San Bernardino County, California)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_Lake_(San_Bernardino_County,_California)">Baldwin Lake</a>. It is an indicator species for the rare pebble plain habitat, which is unique to the area. It is a federally listed <a title="Threatened species" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threatened_species">threatened species</a>.Arenaria ursina, Bear Valley sandwort ESA Status. Visit the U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service Species Profile link below for links to listing and other USFWS documents. Listed Threatened 1998 (PDF, 142 KB) Threats

Arenaria ursina

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Argemone pleiacantha ssp. pinnatisecta 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/news/blue-butterflies-are-set-to-become-widespread-across-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=a89f77701d234b96b3eaee1307656b94&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l4j69i60l3.1415j0j9&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.

Argemone pleiacantha ssp. pinnatisecta

Argemone pleiacantha ssp. pinnatisecta NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe...

Argyroxiphium kauense 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.

Argyroxiphium kauense, the Mauna Loa silversword or Kaʻū silversword, is a rare species of <a title="Flowering plant" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowering_plant">flowering plant</a> in the aster family. It is endemic to the eastern and southern slopes of Mauna Loa on the island of <a title="Hawaii (island)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_(island)">Hawaiʻi</a>. A. kauense occurs in a much broader range of habitats than the closely related and better-known <a class="mw-redirect" title="Haleakala silversword" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haleakala_silversword">Haleakalā silversword</a> (A. sandwicense macrocephalum), and is found in <a title="Hawaiian tropical high shrublands" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_tropical_high_shrublands">montane shrubland</a>, <a title="Hawaiian tropical rainforests" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_tropical_rainforests#Bogs">bogs</a>, and open mesic forest.

Although threatened by damage from <a class="mw-redirect" title="Feral pigs" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_pigs">feral pigs</a>, <a title="Goat" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat">goats</a>, and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Mouflon sheep" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouflon_sheep">mouflon sheep</a>, most of the areas where it currently exists are now protected, and the species is actively managed by the <a title="National Park Service" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service">National Park Service</a> and Hawaiʻi State Department of Forestry and Wildlife.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyroxiphium_kauense#cite_note-2">[2]</a> It is a federally listed <a title="Endangered species" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species">endangered species</a> of the United States. There are three known occurrences remaining, for a total of fewer than 1000 individuals

Argyroxiphium kauense

Argyroxiphium kauense NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. macrocephalum NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/changing-ocean-soundscapes-impact-animals-worldwide/">animals</a> and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=canada&amp;cvid=4ce31c7c25ca49f2a5a40d7956a26580&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">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 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.

Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum, the east Maui silversword or Haleakala silversword, is a rare plant, part of the daisy family Asteraceae. The silversword in general is referred to as ʻāhinahina in Hawaiian. (Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. macrocephalum) is a single-stemmed shrub of the aster family. Its rosette of narrow, sword-shaped leaves has a dense mat of silky, silvery hairs. The narrow, branched, flowering stalk is elliptic to lanceolate in outline, 9-31 in (22.9-78.7 cm) wide and 2.3-4.9 ft (0.7-1.5 m) long. Argyroxiphium sandwicense, the Hawaiʻi silversword, or hinahina is a species of silversword. It is endemic to Hawaii. The two subspecies are separated by geography. Both subspecies are rare, threatened and federally protected.
• Haleakala silversword (A. sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum) is found on the mountain Haleakalā on the island of Maui at elevations above 2,100 m (6,900 ft). It is a federally listed threatened specie

Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. macrocephalum

Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. macrocephalum NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe...

Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense 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.bing.com/search?q=canada&amp;cvid=4ce31c7c25ca49f2a5a40d7956a26580&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">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 -- Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense 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. Also is on the endangered list still and reports that it may never be off of it.

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.

Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. sandwicense, the Mauna Kea silversword, is a highly endangered flowering plant endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi of <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/snow-on-hawaiis-tallest-peaks/">Hawaii.</a> It is the "crown jewel" of the volcanic mountain Mauna Kea, from which it derives its English name. The Hawaiian name is ʻahinahina; it applies to silverswords more broadly. The Mauna Kea silversword was once common on the volcano, and extraordinary conservation efforts are being made to preserve the species.

Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense

Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. sandwicense NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe...

Argythamnia blodgettii 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 <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/plants-cannot-keep-up-with-rising-co2-levels/">plants</a> and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports --Argythamnia blodgettii  ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants,<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=animals&amp;cvid=26b67657ae9c48c2b2dd1d5b66edce65&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> animals</a>, 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.Argythamnia is a genus of plants of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1756. They are known commonly as silverbushes. As with many other genera, there have been many changes in classification the past several years. The following list includes species accepted as members of Argythamnia as of September 2014. The species are native to Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, Colombia, and Texas. Therefore this plant will most likely still stay on the endangered list even though it can be seen in a lot of different states.

Argythamnia blodgettii

Argythamnia blodgettii NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Aristida chaseae 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 -- Aristida chaseae 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=a20c3191584d4672b0a45e23da38ef9f&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.ncate var proctorii, and Vernonia proctorii. 5 Year Review: Summary and Evaluation Recovery Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia. 22 pp. USFWS. 2019. Aristida chaseae, Aristida portoricensis, Lyonia truncata var proctorii, and Vernonia. Therefore this plant will still remain endangered and on the list.

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.Aristida chaseae is a rare species of grass known by the common name Chase's threeawn. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is known from two locations in the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge and the Sierra Bermeja. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. It cannot compete with introduced species of grasses, such as Brachiaria subquadripara, which are invading its habitat.

Aristida chaseae

Aristida chaseae NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Aristida portoricensis 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<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=animals&amp;cvid=d1d462d83b22458ebaa253ad7fe79918&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> animals</a> too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network. Therefore this plant will be on the endangered list and therefore found only in certain areas.

ITIS Reports -- Aristida portoricensis ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/perennial-vegetables-to-grow-in-north-america/">North America</a> and the world.Source: Poaceae update, database (version Sept. 2010) Acquired: 2010 : Notes: Poaceae update for ITIS, in cooperation with NatureServe, and based on the Catalogue of New World Grasses database and other sources : Reference Aristida portoricensis Pilg. Common names pelos del diablo in Spanish pelos del diablo in Spanish Bibliographic References. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1990: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status n endemic perennial grass, may reach 11.8-19.7 in (30-50 cm) in height. These culms occur in large bunches and are slender, erect, or spreading at the base. The blades are involute, somewhat curved, 2-3.9 in (5-10 cm) long, and scarcely

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.

Aristida portoricensis

Aristida portoricensis NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Asclepias meadii 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 <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=animals&amp;cvid=26b67657ae9c48c2b2dd1d5b66edce65&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">animals</a> 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.Asclepias meadii is a rare species of milkweed known by the common name Mead's milkweed. It is native to the American Midwest, where it was probably once quite widespread in the tallgrass prairie. Today much of the Midwest has been fragmented and claimed for agriculture, and the remaining prairie habitat is degraded.Mead’s milkweed is a long-lived, tallgrass prairie herb belonging to the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae). Mead’s milkweed is a federally threatened species. Threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Endangered species are animals and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct.

Asclepias meadii

Asclepias meadii NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Asclepias welshii 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 -- Asclepias welshii 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=a20c3191584d4672b0a45e23da38ef9f&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.Asclepias welshii is a rare species of milkweed known by the common name Welsh's milkweed. It is native to southern <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/great-salt-lake-in-northern-utah/">Utah</a> and northern Arizona, where there are four known occurrences remaining. Most of the plants occur in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, where the habitat has been degraded in many areas by off-road vehicle use. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.Therefore this plant will most likely stay on the endangered list. And remain a very rare plant.

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.non-GMO varieties in home gardening for over 140 years.. Shop the brand new 2021 seeds and plants as well as the tried and true favorites.

Asclepias welshii

Asclepias welshii NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Asimina tetramera 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.bing.com/search?q=canada&amp;cvid=782e634f4b81467e829a67081c6760f5&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">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 -- Asimina tetramera 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.Asimina tetramera, commonly known as the four-petal pawpaw, is a species of flowering plant endemic to the state of Florida. It is a small tree or large perennial shrub with one or more main stems. There is a total population count of about 950 plants, all of which are limited to areas in Martin and Palm Beach Counties in Florida. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-surface-slicks-create-superhighway-for-fish/">Fish</a> and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.Asimina tetramerais an understory plant of sand pine and scrub habitats that is easily outcompeted by species, primarily evergreen oaks and pines, that overgrow and shade it. It relies on infrequent fires approximately every 20 to 80 years to periodically.

Asimina tetramera

Asimina tetramera NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

When trees topple into peat bogs or riverbeds, a slow alchemy begins. Hemmed in by mud, deprived of oxygen, and nudged along by microbes, the trunks gradually darken, densify, and mineralize. 



Sometimes, centuries later, they emerge as prized “ancient buried wood” that resists rot and boasts a marble-like sheen.



An international group of materials scientists recently wondered: Could that natural upgrade be coaxed to happen on the lab bench - quickly, cleanly, and at industrial scale?



The answer is BioStrong Wood, a timber strengthened with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-fungi-species-are-threatened-with-extinction/">fungus</a> and heat, whose tensile strength now outmuscles common SAE 304 stainless steel while weighing far less.



The project was a collaboration between the <a href="https://www.ehu.eus/en/en-home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of the Basque Country</a> (EHU), <a href="https://en.whu.edu.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wuhan University</a>, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.



The outcome, the experts argue, is not merely a clever composite but a glimpse of circular, sustainable materials which could replace the non‑renewable and highly polluting materials on which our economy is based.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-wood-still-matters">Why wood still matters</h2>



Humans have used wood for millennia, yet most high‑performance engineering still defaults to steel, aluminum, or petro‑derived plastics.



Wood’s natural drawbacks - porosity, moisture absorption, and inconsistency - confine its use to beams and boards, not precision-engineered parts.



However, study co-author Professor Erlantz Lizundia sees untapped potential: “Wood is one of the most accessible biological materials, but outside its conventional use, it is barely being explored for high‑performance applications.”&nbsp;



Taming flaws could let designers replace fossil-heavy materials with a climate-friendly, carbon-storing feedstock that grows on trees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wood-uses-fungus-and-geology">Wood uses fungus and geology</h2>



Nature already offers a recipe. In ancient buried wood, modest heat and pressure, along with microbial enzymes, partially break down <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/researchers-create-antimicrobial-substances-using-lignin-and-plant-wastes/">lignin</a> - the amorphous polymer that cements cellulose fibers. 



This allows the remaining molecules to repolymerize into a tighter, hydrophobic network. The Basque-Chinese team accelerated that evolution in three deliberate steps:



<ol start="1" class="wp-block-list">
<li>Selective fungal digestion - Planks of fast‑growing poplar and radiata pine were inoculated with white‑rot fungi. Over several days the microbes chewed specific ether bonds in lignin, loosening the microstructure while leaving the strong cellulose framework largely intact.</li>



<li>Chemical tuning - A mild alkaline wash halted fungal growth and removed low‑molecular‑weight residues, setting the stage for new crosslinks.</li>



<li>Hot pressing under high pressure - Boards were stacked and compressed at temperatures above 356 °F (180 °C). Cell walls collapsed, voids vanished, and fragmented lignin pieces fused into fresh carbon–carbon bonds, welding the lumber into a dense, horn-like slab.</li>
</ol>



This hybrid bio‑thermo‑mechanical route preserves up to 85 percent of the original mass - far higher than acid‑delignified “super woods” - and requires little solvent or energy beyond the press cycle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wood-withstands-extreme-stress">Wood withstands extreme stress</h2>



Mechanical trials show why the researchers are excited. BioStrong Wood survives tensile stresses above 530 MPa - edging out stainless steel’s typical 520 MPa - and absorbs over eleven times more energy before fracturing than raw wood.



Flexural tests reveal a threefold jump in bending strength. Thermal cycling from –321 °F (–196 °C) to 248 °F (120 °C) hardly alters its stiffness, and water contact angles near 140° keep moisture at bay. In accelerated weathering chambers, samples showed negligible swelling or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-technology-can-detect-plant-diseases-from-above/">mildew</a>. 



Behind the numbers lies a reengineered microarchitecture. X‑ray diffraction indicates cellulose crystallinity rises during pressing, while scanning electron microscopy shows near‑complete elimination of pores.



Reformed lignin acts like a molecular epoxy, locking cellulose sheets together and sealing pathways for water or oxygen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-capture-in-every-plank">Carbon capture in every plank</h2>



Strength is only half the story; so is sustainability. Using standard life-cycle assessment protocols, the authors calculate that each 2.2 lbs of BioStrong Wood sequesters roughly 2.6 lbs of CO₂ net, even after accounting for energy, chemicals, and fungal cultivation.



The negative footprint contrasts starkly with steel (4.2 lbs CO₂ emitted per 2.2 lbs produced) or glass-fiber composites (~11 lbs CO₂ per 2.2 lbs).



Techno-economic analysis pegs potential production costs near ¥2 CNY (≈ US $0.30) per 2.2 lbs - dramatically cheaper than aerospace polymers and competitive with plywood.



“Our results show that it is possible to obtain materials with a very high mechanical performance and which are, in turn, economically viable and offer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-technology-faces-uncertainty-despite-heavy-investment/">carbon capture</a> capabilities,” noted Professor Lizundia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-uses-for-fungus-wood">Future uses for fungus wood</h2>



Early prototypes hint at diverse uses, from vehicle panels to sports equipment cores and impact-resistant phone cases. 



They could also serve as exposed beams with fossil-wood aesthetics or cryogenic insulation supports due to thermal-shock resistance.



Because the process accepts multiple softwood and hardwood species, regional mills could tap local forestry residues instead of importing steel rebar or petrochemical resin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-lab-to-lumberyard">From lab to lumberyard</h2>



Scaling will demand continuous‑press technology, rapid fungal bioreactors, and strict quality control to homogenize input lumber. 



Building codes require researchers to characterize fire behavior, often a stumbling block for dense woods.



End‑of‑life recycling pathways, perhaps via controlled pyrolysis to biochar, also need definition. 



The researchers are already testing other fungal strains and shorter incubation times to cut lead time from days to hours.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wood-joins-the-big-leagues">Wood joins the big leagues</h2>



The BioStrong Wood story demonstrates a broader shift. Engineers are revisiting biological feedstocks not just for novelty, but to replace emissions-heavy incumbents at the structural level.



Whether it is mycelium foams, bacterial cellulose films or now fungus toughened wood, the toolkit of renewable high‑performance materials including wood is expanding. 



This study shows that by letting nature handle part of the chemistry, scientists can leapfrog traditional limits of wood. That opens the door to steel‑class strength without the steel‑class carbon bill.



If trials succeed, pallet-bound planks could soon top <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozens-of-coastal-skyscrapers-in-miami-are-sinking/">skyscrapers</a> or rocket fairings. Even in advanced engineering, well-crafted wood can still compete with metal.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ady0183" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Scientists invented a process that makes wood stronger than steel

When trees topple into peat bogs or riverbeds, a slow...

Environmental concerns can sometimes feel especially urgent - and World Nature Conservation Day is one of those times. 



Observed each year on July 28, this occasion serves as a reminder of the vital role nature plays in our lives and how fragile that support has become.



Forests purify the air we breathe. Rivers nourish ecosystems and communities alike. But the balance is shifting. Temperatures are rising, habitats are shrinking, and pollution is spreading. These changes signal an urgent need for action.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-conservation-nbsp-around-the-world">Nature conservation&nbsp;around the world</h2>



Though people have protected nature for centuries, the official celebration of this day began in the late 1900s. It arose in response to rapid environmental loss.



Since then, the initiative has grown worldwide. <a href="https://wildlifeday.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communities</a> hold awareness campaigns and workshops. People plant trees and attend talks. The core message stays the same. A healthy planet means a healthy future for all.



Nature’s health determines our survival. We depend on clean air, fertile soil, and fresh water. Nature gives us food, medicine, and mental peace. 



If ecosystems collapse, everyone suffers. World Nature Conservation Day is not about charity or good intentions. It is about preserving what keeps us alive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smart-tools-for-wildlife-protection">Smart tools for wildlife protection</h2>



Nature is under threat, and illegal hunting remains one of the most serious dangers. Species like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-era-in-wildlife-conservation-how-ai-will-help-protect-elephants/">elephants</a> are often targeted for their tusks - putting entire populations at risk of extinction.



To stop this, experts have created a smart tool called PoachNet. It’s a digital system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and GPS location data.



PoachNet studies patterns and predicts where poachers are most likely to strike next. The system then alerts local conservation teams, so they can act quickly and protect the animals.



This approach demonstrates how technology can protect wildlife before harm occurs. PoachNet isn’t just reactive - it’s proactive, working to stop threats before they happen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-era-of-nature-conservation">A new era of nature conservation </h2>



Protecting animals isn't only about keeping them safe from harm. It also means learning how they live, move, and interact with their environment. Recent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracking-caribou-movement-patterns-can-transform-conservation/">caribou research</a> is a good example of this idea in action.



Scientists are using GPS tracking devices to study individual caribou. These trackers show where each animal travels over time. 



What the experts discovered is that not all caribou move the same way. Each group has its own pattern, and that means each group needs a different kind of protection.



This research helps conservationists design special paths, called migration corridors, so caribou can move safely across the land. It also helps keep them away from busy roads and industrial areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-guarding-the-oceans">Guarding the oceans </h2>



Protecting the ocean is difficult, especially because it's so large and hard to monitor. Marine conservation often struggles with enforcing rules, like fishing bans, in remote areas. Many people believe it’s too hard to stop illegal activity in such vast waters.



But <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-marine-protected-areas-working-satellites-reveal-the-truth/">recent research</a> shows that ocean protection is possible. Scientists studied over 1,000 marine protected areas using satellites and artificial intelligence (AI). These tools helped them track ship movements, even those trying to hide.



The researchers discovered that in places with strict fishing bans, illegal activity dropped. The radar technology detected hidden ships, and this allowed for better enforcement. The results prove that smart tools can make a big difference



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tagging-rays-to-help-save-them">Tagging rays to help save them</h2>



Conservation sometimes means learning about animals we rarely see. Rays are one such example. They move in ways that make them hard to track. 



For a long time, scientists couldn't follow rays closely because old tracking devices would fall off too soon.



That problem changed with the creation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracking-endangered-rays-a-new-chapter-in-marine-conservation/">new biologging tags</a>. These tags are advanced tools that include cameras, sensors, and machine learning. They stay attached longer and collect detailed information.



With these tools, scientists now know where rays swim, how they find food, and how they interact with other rays. This information helps create better marine protection plans, such as safe zones where rays can live without threats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-world-nature-conservation-day">Significance of World Nature Conservation Day </h2>



Every action taken to protect nature - whether it involves tracking the hidden journeys of rays or studying the migration of caribou - plays an important role. No effort is too small when it comes to preserving the delicate balance that supports all life on Earth.



World Nature Conservation Day 2025 serves as a powerful reminder that protecting nature is not just about preserving beauty or wildlife. It is directly connected to our own future, health, and stability. When we care for nature, we care for ourselves.



The latest conservation research - from animal protection to smart ocean monitoring - shows how compassion and innovation can go hand in hand. We’re entering an era where conservation is no longer passive but dynamic, creative, and action-driven.



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World Nature Conservation Day 2025: A healthy future for all

Environmental concerns can sometimes feel especially urgent - and World...

Across the eastern United States, tree communities are shifting toward fewer species in a process known as homogenization. A long-term case study now shows how quickly a decline in tree diversity can unfold inside a single Midwestern forest.



The 24-acre Trelease Woods, owned by the <a href="https://illinois.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Illinois</a> since 1917, has been surveyed again and again for almost a century.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-a-century-of-forest-diversity">Tracking a century of forest diversity </h2>



The team mined plot maps, punch-card data, and modern laser measurements to follow every tree wider than 2.5 inches recorded since 1922. During that period, species richness slipped from 23 to 20 as sugar maple and Ohio buckeye seized much of the growing space.



Trelease now forms part of the <a href="https://forestgeo.si.edu/what-forestgeo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ForestGEO</a> network, which monitors roughly seven million trees representing nearly 13,000 species worldwide. Linking the local census to that global database allows scientists to compare small-scale stories with continental patterns.



Tree <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-trees-protect-their-genetic-diversity-for-millions-of-years/">diversity</a> fell 22 percent overall, and the steepest drop showed up in saplings shorter than five inches across. That decline signals a forest less able to roll with surprise pests, storms, or heat waves.



Average tree diameter shrank by one-fifth as tiny saplings crowded below a still-expanding maple canopy. Yet the three largest trunks on the plot, two bur oaks and a black walnut, grew even larger - showing that veteran giants can coexist with maple expansion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pests-and-declining-tree-diversity">Pests and declining tree diversity </h2>



The invasive emerald ash borer kills more than 99 percent of untreated ash trees and could cost U.S. cities an estimated 900 million dollars over the next three decades. Dutch elm disease, driven by the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, has already erased most mature American elms in many states.



“Dutch elm disease and the emerald ash borer have significantly decreased the abundance of elm and ash trees in Trelease Woods and across North America,” said Jennifer Fraterrigo, who helped lead the analysis.



When the insects and fungi hollow out elms and ashes, they open holes in the canopy. Shade-loving seedlings waiting below pounce on the new light before slower oaks or hickories can respond.



Ash logs that once shaded summer research crews now lie riddled with larval galleries, their distinct D-shaped exit holes signaling where beetles fled. 



Because ash and elm filled different ecological niches - elm trunks provided shelter for cavity-nesting birds, while ash trees rapidly recycled nutrients - their simultaneous loss intensifies ecosystem disruption.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fires-and-forest-diversity">Fires and forest diversity </h2>



Early last century, federal and state policies pushed to stamp out most woodland <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-aspen-forests-can-help-stop-wildfires-in-their-tracks/">fires</a>, and that retreat of flames helped tip forests toward shade-tolerant, mesic species. 



Ecologists call the feedback loop mesophication, because the stand grows cooler, wetter, and ever friendlier to maples and other moisture-loving trees.



At Trelease, fire scars are absent in modern cross-sections, and the canopy has steadily darkened. That shift leaves oak seedlings gasping for sun while sugar maples prosper under their own shade.



Sapling counts confirm the change: maple stems now outnumber oaks almost ten to one in the smallest size class. Without periodic burns, managers say, the imbalance will only grow.



Researchers elsewhere have shown that just a few carefully timed burns can reverse mesophication, but only if enough oak seedlings remain in the bank. The Trelease dataset hints that the window for that turnaround is closing as maple dominance widens.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-deer-change-the-understory">Deer change the understory</h2>



Soaring numbers of white-tailed deer compound the problem by selectively browsing palatable seedlings and suppressing regeneration. Browsed stems stay short, letting shade widen across the forest floor.



Hackberry, basswood, and ash suffer the most nibbles here, while less tasty pawpaw spreads in their place. Those dietary choices accelerate the compositional skid already set in motion by pests and fire exclusion.



Even sugar maple, a deer favorite, persists because enough seedlings dodge grazing to replenish each gap. The result is a patchwork where a few hardy winners dominate every height layer.



Camera traps inside the woodlot now record up to eight deer per square mile, double early-1990s estimates kept by state biologists. Such densities far exceed the one to three deer per square mile many ecologists recommend for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/should-we-cut-down-all-oak-trees-isoprene-emissions-air-pollution-climate-change/">oak</a> regeneration.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-tree-species-diversity-matters">Why tree species diversity matters</h2>



Losing species diversity strips away the ecological insurance that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-are-losing-the-battle-against-climate-change/">forests</a> rely on when drought, disease, or storms strike. Fraterrigo warns that if one species swells to 70 percent of stems, a single new pest could trigger what she calls functional collapse.



Economic stakes are high as well, because mixed stands store more carbon and support more wildlife than single-species blocks. Long-term monitoring like the Trelease census offers early warning before those services vanish.



Tree variety underpins a mosaic of flowering times, leaf chemistries, and root depths that spreads risk the way a smart investor spreads capital. Homogenization erases that portfolio, leaving the system riding on a single economic bet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-the-study">Broader implications of the study</h2>



Researchers suggest thinning dense maple thickets, reintroducing low-intensity burns, and culling deer to rebalance light and browsing pressure. Planting diverse native saplings in canopy gaps can also jump-start forest recovery.



Lessons from Trelease now inform experiments across the ForestGEO network as scientists test which combinations of fire, harvest, and wildlife control restore forest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smarter-forest-design-can-help-fight-climate-change/">resilience</a>. Managers elsewhere may adapt those findings to keep their own woods from sliding into maple monocultures.



Some managers have begun injecting systemic insecticides into lingering ash saplings to preserve genetic stock until biocontrol agents catch up. Others experiment with protective cages around oak seedlings to give them a head start against hungry deer.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725002154?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forest Ecology and Management</a>.



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Century-old forest study reveals troubling decline in tree diversity

Across the eastern United States, tree communities are shifting toward...

Cutting back on meat has become mainstream, but eggs have mostly held their ground at the American breakfast table. That could be about to change. A new study tackles a surprisingly simple question: What will it take for consumers to embrace plant-based eggs?



The research uses a vignette design to test how price, setting, and recipe shape buying intent, inviting volunteers to picture either scrambled eggs or pancakes made with vegan <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-people-are-willing-to-switch-to-plant-based-food-to-save-the-climate/">substitutes</a> at home and in restaurants. 



The findings, and the voices behind them, make clear that breakfast economics still trumps curiosity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pricing-plant-based-eggs">Pricing plant-based eggs </h2>



Retail trackers say plant-based foods pulled in $8.1 billion in U.S. grocery sales last year. Egg alternatives claimed just $71.1 million of that total in 2024.



Study participants rated the vegan choice higher when it cost less than the chicken-egg version - a pattern that matches models finding a 3 percent jump in market share for every 1 percent price drop on plant-based burgers. 



“We wanted to measure the consumer's perception about plant-based eggs,” said Da Eun Kim of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (<a href="https://illinois.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UIUC</a>). 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-familiar-foods-work-better">Familiar foods work better</h2>



The strongest single nudge was not price but recipe, volunteers preferred pancakes over a solo scramble when the batter hid the new ingredient. 



“Introducing them as an ingredient, especially in a product that consumers are comfortable with, is a way to get people over any ‘mental hurdles’ associated with trying plant-based eggs,” said Brenna Ellison of <a href="https://agribusiness.purdue.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purdue University</a>. 



Consumer research across several countries shows purchase intent rises sharply once shoppers have tasted similar meat-free foods, and familiarity predicts acceptance more reliably than age, income, or even stated ethics. 



That same dynamic surfaced here, as people who had tried vegan eggs before were the most eager to buy again.



Curiously, eating in a restaurant did not boost enthusiasm the way the authors expected, hinting that home cooks feel safe experimenting when the recipe is foolproof. 



Ellison noted that setting “didn't have as much of an effect as we imagined,” demonstrating the power of a trusted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-are-suffering-from-declining-plant-quality/">dish</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-based-eggs-win-on-fat-nbsp-content">Plant-based eggs win on fat&nbsp;content</h2>



Beyond ethics, health looms large, and the nutrition panels back it up, a hard-boiled vegan egg lists 0 milligrams of cholesterol compared with 186 milligrams in a large hen egg.



Study participants ranked traditional eggs higher for taste but favored the plant version on fat and cholesterol, echoing broader surveys that link plant-based eating to lower LDL levels.



Nutritionists caution that some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fertilizer-reduces-plant-damage-caused-by-droughts/">formulations</a> use coconut oil, so saturated fat can creep back in. Still, the cholesterol-free claim gives marketers a clear badge to display.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-for-the-planet-and-prices">Good for the planet and prices</h2>



Animal-based eggs carry a carbon cost of roughly 2.2 to 2.66 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions per dozen. 



Feed production drives most of those emissions, so removing the chicken from the equation slashes the footprint at the start of the supply chain.



The past two years of avian influenza pushed shell-egg prices to nearly $5 per dozen in January of 2025, reminding consumers of the fragility of livestock supply chains. Plant-based eggs suffered no such shortages, giving them a timely window to win trials.



Environmental appeal and supply resilience combine into a story that resonates with shoppers who rate ethics and stability as highly as flavor. That story, however, still needs to be told in a way that feels personal rather than preachy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-is-most-likely-to-buy">Who is most likely to buy?</h2>



Generation Z and younger Millennials show the highest willingness to buy alternative proteins, a trend confirmed in surveys where age under 34 predicts frequent plant-based meat consumption. 



The researchers found a similar age gradient, with older participants least impressed by the vegan option.



Urban residence and liberal politics also correlated with purchase intent, mirroring patterns seen in earlier work on meat substitutes. For marketers, that means early wins will <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lanthanides-common-metal-in-plant-fertilizer-key-to-boosting-global-crop-food-supplies/">cluster</a> in cities and college towns before spreading outward.



Most striking, though, was experience, people who had already cracked a vegan egg were far more likely to buy again. Familiarity does more than any demographic trait to dissolve skepticism.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-based-eggs-still-need-improvement">Plant-based eggs still need improvement </h2>



Put price, familiarity, and health front and center, the authors suggest, and the category can break out of its niche. That could mean café pancakes with stealthy swaps, grocery bundles that pair the liquid mix with a trusted recipe card, and clear labels flagging cholesterol-free credentials.



Ongoing work to improve taste and texture is crucial - no bargain can make up for a rubbery scramble. But if plant-based eggs can match the feel of the real thing, their ethical and environmental benefits become a compelling bonus.



With global demand for alternative proteins climbing, even a small share of the egg market represents millions of hens spared and tons of CO2 emissions avoided. The next big test is whether consumers will keep buying once novelty fades.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/10/1742" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Foods</a>.



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Plant-based eggs gain acceptance when hidden in comfort foods

Cutting back on meat has become mainstream, but eggs have...

Nuclear war wouldn’t just kill people - it could kill the planet’s food supply. Imagine a world where sunlight vanishes behind thick smoke. In this scenario, temperatures crash, crops fail, and grocery store shelves go empty.



That’s the chilling reality of a nuclear winter - not science fiction, but a real risk if global conflict escalates. 



In a new study, scientists at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pen</a><a href="https://www.psu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">n State</a> explored how a nuclear winter could affect global corn production, the most widely grown grain in the world.



The team also offered a practical idea to prepare for this worst-case scenario: stockpiling "agricultural resilience kits" filled with cold-tolerant seeds that could help keep food growing, even in the darkest of times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-famine-after-the-fire">Famine after the fire</h2>



The researchers modeled six nuclear war scenarios, ranging from regional to large-scale global conflict. Each scenario simulated the effect of soot released into the atmosphere from nuclear firestorms -anywhere from five to 165 million tons of it.



In the best-case scenario, global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sweet-corn-yields-are-suffering-in-hotter-conditions/">corn yields</a> dropped by 7 percent. In the worst-case, an 80 percent drop.



“An 80 percent drop in global crop production would have catastrophic consequences,” said Yuning Shi, associate research professor in Penn State’s Department of Plant Science. 



“Even a 7 percent drop in global crop production would have a severe impact on the global food system and economy.”



Corn was chosen not just because it's everywhere - but because it’s highly sensitive to climate and represents a broader pattern in agriculture. What happens to corn would likely happen to many other crops.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modeling-nuclear-food-collapse">Modeling nuclear food collapse</h2>



The team used the Cycles agroecosystem model, developed by scientists at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. 



It’s a complex simulation tool that tracks how carbon and nitrogen move through the soil, plants, and atmosphere. 



With high-performance computing, the model can predict crop growth under different conditions - even under the shadow of nuclear fallout.



“We simulated corn production in 38,572 locations under the six <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nuclear-war-would-cause-global-famine-and-kill-billions/">nuclear war</a> scenarios of increasing severity - with soot injections ranging from 5 to 165 tons,” Shi said. 



“This investigation advances our understanding of global agricultural resilience and adaptation in response to catastrophic climatic disruptions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uv-radiation-could-make-it-worse">UV radiation could make it worse</h2>



Smoke and soot aren’t the only problem. A nuclear war could also shred the ozone layer, allowing more UV-B radiation to hit the Earth's surface. 



This form of radiation damages DNA, hurts photosynthesis, and stresses plants even further. Shi said this may be the first study to estimate the effect of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/uv-radiation-played-a-role-in-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">UV-B radiation</a> on agriculture in a post-nuclear scenario. 



The damage wouldn’t be immediate. UV levels would peak 6 to 8 years after the bombs drop - just as the planet struggles to recover.



“The blast and fireball of atomic explosions produce nitrogen oxides in the stratosphere,” Shi explained. 



“The presence of both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nitrous-oxide-is-a-growing-threat-to-human-and-planetary-health/">nitrogen oxides</a> and heating from absorptive soot could rapidly destroy ozone, increasing UV-B radiation levels at the Earth’s surface. This would damage plant tissue and further limit global food production.”



Add UV damage on top of climate stress, and corn yields could fall by as much as 87 percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-food-in-the-dark">Growing food in the dark</h2>



The researchers believe there's a small silver lining - if we act now. By switching to faster-growing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corn-plants-use-jumping-genes-to-adapt-to-their-environment/">corn</a> varieties that can tolerate cold, food yields could increase by up to 10 percent even during nuclear winter, compared to doing nothing. But there's a catch: seed availability.



That’s where their idea for “agricultural resilience kits” comes in. “These kits would help sustain food production during the unstable years following a nuclear war,” said Armen Kemanian, professor of production systems and modeling at Penn State.



“The agricultural resilience kits concept can be expanded to other disasters - when catastrophes of these magnitude strike, resilience is of the essence.”



These kits would include seeds tailored to different regions and climates. The idea is to give local communities the tools they need to keep farming even if the global food network collapses.



Shi acknowledged the challenges in pulling off such a plan. “If we want to survive, we must be prepared, even for unthinkable consequences,” he said.



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



The takeaway isn’t just about weapons. It’s about the fact that our food system is alarmingly fragile.



“Recall that catastrophes of this nature can happen not just because of nuclear war, but due to, for example, violent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-giant-volcanic-eruptions-alter-earths-climate/">volcanic eruptions</a>,” Kemanian said. 



“One may think that studies of this nature are just navel gazing, but they force us to realize the fragility of the biosphere - the totality of all living things and how they interact with one another and the environment.”



Food doesn’t grow in a vacuum. It depends on stable climate, clean air, and functioning ecosystems. Disrupt that balance, and the consequences ripple through every plate on the planet.



This research doesn’t predict the future. But it helps us prepare for one we hope never arrives.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/adcfb5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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Nuclear war would cripple Earth’s food supply

Nuclear war wouldn’t just kill people - it could kill...

With over 2.8 billion fungal DNA sequences from 130 countries, scientists have produced the first high-resolution global maps of underground mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi support ecosystems by transporting nutrients, capturing carbon, and protecting plant health. 



Yet, over 90 percent of this underground <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-fungi-species-are-threatened-with-extinction/">biodiversity</a> lies outside protected areas. That makes these vital ecosystems vulnerable to environmental damage.



The data powers a new interactive platform called the Underground Atlas. This tool helps anyone explore fungal biodiversity from Ethiopia to Brazil, and from Tasmania to West Africa. 



These maps expose not only diversity but also rarity, revealing patterns previously hidden from view.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-underground-fungi-matter">Why underground fungi matter</h2>



Mycorrhizal fungi form massive underground networks that interact with nearly every plant. 



These fungal systems capture more than 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year - about a third of global fossil fuel emissions. They help crops grow, rebuild forests, and regulate water cycles.



Still, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fungi-can-think-and-make-smart-decisions-without-a-brain/">fungi</a> remain missing from major conservation plans. That absence is dangerous. When these networks get disturbed, forests regenerate more slowly, crops suffer, and entire ecosystems unravel.



“For centuries, we've mapped mountains, forests, and oceans. But these fungi have remained in the dark,” said Dr. Toby Kiers of Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (<a href="https://www.spun.earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SPUN)</a>.



“They cycle nutrients, store carbon, support plant health, and make soil. When we disrupt these critical ecosystem engineers, forest regeneration slows, crops fail, and biodiversity aboveground begins to unravel."



"This is the first time we're able to visualize these biodiversity patterns - and it's clear we are failing to protect underground ecosystems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maps-show-fungi-need-protection">Maps show fungi need protection</h2>



The research team used machine learning to build predictive maps from their vast dataset. These maps reveal fungal richness and rarity at a global scale, down to one square kilometer. 



Less than 10 percent of biodiversity hotspots appear in protected areas, exposing a huge gap in global conservation strategy.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/fungi_global-underground-system_map_credit-SPUN_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/fungi_global-underground-system_map_credit-SPUN_1s.webp" alt="High-resolution map of from SPUN's Underground Atlas showing predicted arbuscular mycorrhizal biodiversity patterns across underground ecosystems. Bright colors indicate higher richness and endemism. Credit: SPUN" class="wp-image-1979248"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">High-resolution map of from SPUN's Underground Atlas showing predicted arbuscular mycorrhizal biodiversity patterns across underground ecosystems. Bright colors indicate higher richness and endemism. Click image to enlarge. Credit: SPUN</figcaption></figure>



This work is the first large-scale scientific product of SPUN. The group launched in 2021 with the goal to map and protect Earth’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-millions-of-fungal-species-still-remain-unknown/">fungal networks</a>.



"For too long, we've overlooked mycorrhizal fungi. These maps help alleviate our fungus blindness,” explained Dr. Merlin Sheldrake of SPUN.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-tool-to-explore-underground-fungi">A tool to explore underground fungi</h2>



Now, SPUN offers a powerful new tool: the Underground Atlas. It allows researchers, policymakers, and conservationists to explore biodiversity anywhere on Earth. 



“The idea is to ensure underground biodiversity becomes as fundamental to environmental decision-making as satellite imagery,” noted Jason Cremerius of SPUN.



Users can locate biodiversity hotspots, identify rare fungal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-have-unique-fungi-partnerships-that-help-them-survive/">species</a>, and support restoration work. The tool can inform the placement of conservation areas, especially in biodiversity-rich regions that remain unprotected.



“These high-resolution maps provide quantitative targets for restoration managers,” said Dr. Alex Wegmann from <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Nature Conservancy</a>. “Restoration practices have been dangerously incomplete because the focus has historically been on life aboveground.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-legal-shield-for-fungi">No legal shield for fungi</h2>



According to the researchers, the data could help shape climate and biodiversity laws. For example, Ghana’s coast hosts a vital underground fungal hotspot - yet this coast erodes by two meters each year. If left unprotected, this fungal diversity could vanish into the sea.



“Underground fungal systems have been largely invisible in law and policy,” said César Rodriguez-Garavito of NYU. “These data are incredibly important in strengthening law and policy across all of Earth's underground ecosystems.”



SPUN has built a global dataset of 40,000 samples covering 95,000 fungal taxa. The organization partners with more than 400 scientists and 96 “<a href="https://www.spun.earth/expeditions/underground-explorers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Underground Explorers</a>” from 79 countries. These teams now sample remote regions - from Bhutan and Mongolia to Ukraine.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-depends-on-these-networks">Future depends on these networks</h2>



Despite the achievements, scientists have sampled just 0.001% of Earth's surface. SPUN needs more data to improve maps, define restoration goals, and identify <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-fungi-species-are-threatened-with-extinction/">endangered</a> fungal communities. 



“These maps reveal what we stand to lose if we fail to protect the underground,” said Dr. Kiers.



To protect Earth’s underground biodiversity, collective action is essential. Researchers can partner with SPUN to expand data collection and improve the accuracy of fungal diversity maps. 



Conservationists should use these insights to design strategic interventions and prioritize high-value ecosystems. Policymakers need to recognize the critical role of underground fungi by including them in biodiversity and climate frameworks. 



The public can explore the <a href="https://www.spun.earth/underground-atlas/mycorrhizal-biodiversity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Underground Atlas</a> to better understand this hidden world and support ongoing efforts. Funders play a key role by investing in the next phase of global fungal exploration and restoration.



To see the hidden world beneath your feet, visit the Underground Atlas and help protect the life that sustains ours.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09277-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Underground fungi networks that sustain all life on Earth are in danger

With over 2.8 billion fungal DNA sequences from 130 countries,...

Climate watchers and wheat growers share the same worry: fertilizer dependence is pushing production costs up while adding more heat-trapping gases to the sky. Scientists are hunting for ways to keep harvests healthy without pouring on synthetic nitrogen.



The latest <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360138525001347">research</a> points to an unexpected ally, the soil microbes that cling to wheat roots and help the plant manage its own nitrogen use. 



Wolfram Weckwerth of the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> and his global team see this partnership as the key to hardier crops and cleaner fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fertilizer-adds-heat-and-expense">Fertilizer adds heat and expense</h2>



Farmers apply ever more nitrogen in a bid to keep yields steady, yet 40 to 68 percent of that fertilizer vanishes into air and water. Those losses raise costs and send reactive nitrogen downstream.



In 2022, the global appetite for nitrogen fertilizer hit about 190 million tons, according to the <a href="https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/42d5a668-f44c-4976-8540-8efdb0f4d17b/content" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food and Agriculture Organization</a>. The figure is projected to climb as diets shift toward grain fed livestock.



Much of the escaped nitrogen turns into nitrous oxide, a gas roughly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a century. It also sticks around in groundwater, threatening drinking supplies.



Limiting such runaway nitrogen is therefore a climate fix and a public health tool rolled into one. The new wheat strategy aims to deliver both wins without demanding new chemicals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soil-and-rain-waste-nitrogen">Soil and rain waste nitrogen</h2>



Soil bacteria convert ammonium fertilizer to nitrate in a two-step process called nitrification. Nitrate is easily washed out of topsoil during heavy rain.



Synthetic nitrification inhibitors slow that conversion but cost money and sometimes harm non-target <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-type-of-microbes-found-earths-deep-soil-critical-zone/">microbes</a>. Farmers who skip them lose fertilizer, farmers who use them gain new headaches.



Plants themselves can make natural inhibitors, yet breeders seldom tracked that trait because measuring it was hard. Advances in metabolomics now let scientists rank cultivars by their native stopping power.



By leaning on this built-in defense, growers can cut fertilizer bills and still meet yield wheat targets. The trick lies in choosing the right variety for each field.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wheat-microbes-manage-fertilizer">Wheat microbes manage fertilizer</h2>



Researchers describe the plant and its microbes as a holobiont—a single ecological unit shaped by cooperation and conflict. The idea rewrites the usual breeder’s focus on plant genes alone.



Root-zone bacteria help wheat pull in nutrients and fend off disease. In return, the plant feeds them with sugars and signaling chemicals.



Those chemicals, known as root exudates, differ from line to line. Some invite helpful microbes, some chase away pests, and a lucky few block nitrifying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-plants-produce-their-own-nitrogen-fertilizer/">species</a> outright.



Mapping this chemical chatter gives breeders new knobs to turn. It also explains why one cultivar thrives in worn-out soil while its neighbor languishes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wheat-roots-release-defenses">Wheat roots release defenses</h2>



“Our analysis of root exudates, complicated compounds released from the root system, shows substantial variation between the wheat cultivars,” said Arindam Ghatak, a molecular biologist at the University of Vienna.



The Vienna team screened dozens of elite wheat lines and found a tenfold spread in biological nitrification inhibitor activity.



Lines that topped the chart needed far less ammonium to reach the same biomass as standard checks. Early wheat field trials in Austria and India showed fertilizer savings of up to 30 percent after one season.



One compound under the spotlight is brachialactone, first spotted in tropical forage grass and now turning up in high-BNI wheat. Its structure resembles synthetic inhibitors but degrades harmlessly in soil.



The discovery hints that other cereals might hide similar chemistry. Screening <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/maize-plant-genetics-shape-root-health-and-growth/">maize</a> and barley is already underway.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wheat-that-boosts-yield">Wheat that boosts yield</h2>



Tracking subtle root chemicals across thousands of lines calls for heavy analytics. That is where machine learning steps in.



Algorithms sift metabolite fingerprints, microbiome profiles, and yield logs to flag the best genetic combos. The approach turns a breeder’s notebook into a prediction engine.



“In combination with machine learning algorithms, this opens up a promising breeding platform to develop new crop varieties,” said Weckwerth. His group feeds its models with “panomics” data covering DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites.&nbsp;



Once the math nominates winners, rapid cycle crossing and greenhouse trials can push a candidate from Petri dish to field plot within three years. That is half the time of classical pipelines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-for-farmers-and-the-planet">Benefits for farmers and the planet</h2>



A 25 percent cut in fertilizer on the world’s 540 million acres of wheat would save roughly 12 million tons of nitrogen each year. That translates to billions of dollars and a sharp fall in nitrous oxide.



Lower inputs also mean fewer energy hungry trips by tractors and fertilizer plants. The chain reaction trims carbon emissions well beyond the farm gate.



Health agencies welcome cleaner <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/groundwater-has-a-vital-role-in-ecosystem-survival/">groundwater</a> and smaller dead zones in lakes. Lake Erie’s algae bloom plan, for instance, banks on a 40 percent nutrient reduction by 2025.



When farmers see yield bumps alongside environmental credits, adoption moves faster. The holobiont approach gives them both carrots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greener-wheat-on-the-way">Greener wheat on the way</h2>



The first BNI-rated wheat could reach European seed catalogs by 2028 if regulatory reviews stay on schedule. Asia and North America are likely to follow soon after.



Future projects will probe whether stacking multiple BNI genes with drought-tolerance alleles offers an even sturdier crop. The team is already testing double-stack lines in controlled drought chambers.



Beyond wheat, sorghum, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-quietly-making-rice-more-dangerous/">rice</a>, and pasture grasses show promise as self-policing nitrogen users. Each carries its own microbial entourage ready for tuning.



Breeding plants and microbes together might feel unfamiliar today, yet it mirrors how ecosystems have worked for millions of years. The field’s next harvest could be resilience itself.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360138525001347">Trends in Plant Science</a>.



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Soil bacteria help wheat slash its need for fertilizer

Climate watchers and wheat growers share the same worry: fertilizer...

Lightning is shaping our forests more than anyone expected. Every year, about 320 million trees around the world are killed by lightning - not burned down in firestorms, but knocked out by direct strikes.&nbsp;



That’s a massive number, and it’s only counting trees that die from lightning itself - not the ones lost to fires that lightning later ignites.



The new estimate comes from a team of researchers who created the first global model to calculate lightning-caused <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-tree-deaths-are-increasing-even-in-untouched-forests/">tree deaths</a>.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-silent-killer-in-the-woods">A silent killer in the woods</h2>



The research suggests that we’ve been underestimating the ecological punch that lightning packs. And if lightning strikes become more frequent as the climate warms -as many projections suggest - this overlooked threat could grow even bigger.



Most of us think of lightning as something dramatic with loud cracks of thunder and intense flashes of light. However, much of lightning's impact on forests has gone unnoticed.&nbsp;



When a tree gets hit, the damage can be internal - its tissue fried from the inside out. The tree might stay standing for a while, slowly dying without any outward sign of what happened. In dense forests, those deaths blend into the background.



Scientists had long known that lightning was killing trees, but they didn’t know how many. Field observations in individual forests offered glimpses, but there was no way to connect the dots globally.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-estimating-lightning-damage-in-forests">Estimating lightning damage in forests</h2>



A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.tum.de/">Technical University of Munich</a> took a different approach. Instead of relying only on fieldwork, they used a global vegetation model and combined it with data on how lightning is distributed around the planet.&nbsp;



Next, the researchers looked at how trees respond to being hit, including how many survive, how many die, and how long it takes.



The team estimated where lightning does the most damage and how it affects <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-mammals-play-a-vital-role-in-maintaining-forest-health/">forest health</a> on a global scale.&nbsp;



“We’re now able not only to estimate how many trees die from lightning strikes annually, but also to identify the regions most affected and assess the implications for global carbon storage and forest structure,” said Andreas Krause, the study’s lead author.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-carbon-cost-of-lightning-strikes">The carbon cost of lightning strikes</h2>



Beyond killing trees, lightning strikes are also shaking up the planet’s carbon balance. When trees die and decay, they release carbon dioxide.&nbsp;



According to the study, lightning-related tree deaths emit somewhere between 0.77 and 1.09 billion tons of CO₂ per year. That’s nearly as much as the 1.26 billion tons released annually by the burning of living plants in wildfires.



To put that in perspective, the total carbon emissions from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-seasons-are-now-overlapping-worldwide/">wildfires</a> each year - including deadwood and soil material - add up to about 5.85 billion tons.&nbsp;



Ultimately, lightning-related emissions are a significant piece of the climate puzzle - one that’s often left out of critically important discussions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lightning-in-tropical-forests-nbsp">Lightning in tropical forests&nbsp;</h2>



Right now, most of the tree loss is happening in tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-lagging-centuries-behind-in-climate-adaptation/">forests</a>. These areas have high lightning activity year-round, especially in places like the Congo Basin and the Amazon.&nbsp;



Tropical trees also tend to be taller and more likely to get struck, but the pattern could shift.&nbsp;



“Most climate models project an increase in lightning frequency in the coming decades, so it’s worth paying closer attention to this largely overlooked disturbance,” said Krause.&nbsp;



The increase won’t be spread evenly. Models predict that lightning will become more frequent in temperate and boreal regions too - places like Canada, Russia, and parts of the U.S. - where trees haven’t historically had to deal with much lightning.



Forests that are already stressed by drought, heat, and pests might soon be facing another problem. And since trees in colder regions tend to grow more slowly, their recovery from lightning-related losses could take decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lightning-damage-to-the-world-s-forests">Lightning damage to the world's forests</h2>



This isn’t just about counting dead trees. Forests are crucial carbon sinks, soaking up CO₂ and helping to cool the planet. If a few hundred million trees start dying every year from lightning alone, that’s going to chip away at their ability to store <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-may-stop-absorbing-carbon-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/">carbon</a>.



And unlike wildfires, which are often visible from satellites and leave behind large scars, lightning deaths are subtle. They happen one by one, scattered across the forest floor. That makes them harder to monitor - and easier to ignore.



This study marks the first serious attempt to measure the damage, and it suggests we may need to rethink how we model forests, especially as the climate shifts.&nbsp;



Lightning might not be as showy as a wildfire, but its quiet impact could have lasting effects on the world’s forests - and the carbon cycle they support.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70312">Global Change Biology</a>.



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An astonishing number of trees are killed by lightning every year

Lightning is shaping our forests more than anyone expected. Every...

Atlas,Moth,-,Attacus,Atlas,,Beautiful,Large,Iconic,Moth,From

Female moths don't rely on sight or smell alone. They can also hear stressed plants. Scientists found that these insects detect ultrasonic clicks from plants under drought stress and use them when choosing egg-laying sites.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-heard-making-screaming-sounds-stress-induced-first-time-ever/">Plants</a> emit airborne ultrasonic sounds when stressed. These vibrations, previously thought to be undetectable by animals, can travel through the air. The Egyptian cotton leafworm moth,&nbsp;Spodoptera littoralis, hears these sounds. 



This species has tympanic ears sensitive to the 20 to 60 kHz range, with peak sensitivity around 38 kHz. That is where many plant clicks fall. 



The researchers hypothesized that female moths might use these plant sounds to decide where to lay eggs. Their experiments confirmed this.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-plant-communication">Understanding plant communication</h2>



Plants may not have mouths or ears, but they <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-could-soon-talk-to-farmers-and-listen-too/">definitely talk - and listen</a>. Through their roots, leaves, and even the air, they exchange chemical signals to warn each other of danger, call for help, or share resources. 



When a caterpillar chomps on a leaf, for example, some plants release volatile compounds that drift to their neighbors, triggering defensive measures like bitter-tasting chemicals or toughened leaves. 



Underground, fungi form vast mycorrhizal networks - often called the “Wood Wide Web” - that help trees and plants share nutrients, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-capture-plant-communication-on-video/">send distress signals</a>, and maintain the balance of the ecosystem.



What’s wild is how intentional it all seems. Certain plants send out distress chemicals only when their kin are nearby, suggesting a level of familial recognition. 



Others can distinguish between friend and foe based on the scent of another plant’s emissions. It’s not just survival - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-use-underground-networks-to-eavesdrop-on-their-neighbors/">it’s community</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moths-respond-to-plant-sounds">Moths respond to plant sounds</h2>



The study involved multiple experiments with precise setups. In a no-plant environment, moths preferred laying eggs near a speaker playing recorded plant stress sounds. 



When these moths were deafened, the preference disappeared. This proved that the response came from hearing, not other cues.



In contrast, when healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-music-help-plants-grow/">plants</a> were added and the same sounds were played near one, the moths chose the silent plant. This indicated that when real plants were present, moths correctly interpreted the sounds as warnings.



"After proving in the previous study that plants produce sounds, we hypothesized that animals capable of hearing these high-frequency sounds may respond to them and make decisions accordingly," said study co-author Professor Yossi Yovel from <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tel Aviv University</a>.



"Specifically, we know that many insects, which have diverse interactions with the plant world, can perceive plant sounds. We wanted to investigate whether such insects actually detect and respond to these sounds." 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-plant-sounds-change-moth-behavior">Do plant sounds change moth behavior?</h2>



In longer arenas, moths laid more eggs near either the sugar feeder in the center or the sound-emitting speaker at one end. They laid none near the silent resistor at the other end. 



These results were consistent across different click rates and setups. When tracked, moths spent more time on the side with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flowers-hear-bee-sounds-and-make-sweeter-nectar-in-response/">plant</a> sounds before deciding.



Even though the courtship sounds of male moths fell in a similar frequency range, females showed no egg-laying preference for the male side. This confirmed that the response was specific to plant sounds.



"We chose to focus on female moths, which typically lay their eggs on plants so that the larvae can feed on them once hatched. We assumed the females seek an optimal site to lay their eggs - a healthy plant that can properly nourish the larvae," said co-author Professor Lilach Hadany.



"Thus, when the plant signals that it is dehydrated and under stress, would the moths heed the warning and avoid laying eggs on it? To explore this question, we conducted several experiments."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-integrating-sound-and-smell">Integrating sound and smell</h2>



Without a visible plant, sound becomes the only cue. So moths associate it with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-plants-alter-the-soundscape-of-ecosystems/">plant</a> presence. But when they can see or smell real plants, and one gives off stress sounds, they avoid it. This shows a context-based decision-making process.



The researchers also tested moth antennae. Using electroantennogram recordings, they found strong differences in odor detection between drying and hydrated plants. This shows that moths integrate sound and smell.



In real tomato plant patches, the click rate reaches about 20 per minute. In experiments, sounds were played at 30 to 60 clicks per minute. 



This simulated what a moth might hear near many stressed plants. Sound levels used matched those measured in live plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-acoustic-interactions-in-nature">Acoustic interactions in nature</h2>



This study reveals that plant sounds can guide insect behavior. Moths may not just rely on smell or touch. Instead, they interpret ultrasonic cues. The researchers think other animals, perhaps pollinators or predators, might also use these sounds.



While the plant clicks likely evolved as a by-product of water loss, they now serve as useful cues. Scientists predict more discoveries in this area.



"In this study, we revealed the first evidence for acoustic interaction between a plant and an insect. We are convinced, however, that this is just the beginning," noted the researchers.



"Acoustic interaction between plants and animals doubtlessly has many more forms and a wide range of roles. This is a vast, unexplored field - an entire world waiting to be discovered."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/104700v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eLife</a>.



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Plants and animals captured "talking" to each other using sound for the first time

Female moths don't rely on sight or smell alone. They...

Recent archaeological discoveries challenge the idea that new technologies inevitably disrupt traditional ways of life. Japanese pots from the early rice farming period have preserved more than just traces of food. They hold memories of meals, choices, and cultural traditions.



Research from the University of York, the University of Cambridge, and Japan’s <a href="https://www.nabunken.go.jp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nara National Research Institute</a> reveals something striking. When rice farming spread from Korea to Japan 3,000 years ago, it did not immediately alter how people cooked or ate.



Cooking pot residue from early Japanese settlements tells a story of cultural resistance. Despite the introduction of rice and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bronze-age-people-abandoned-meat-for-millet-3500-years-ago/">millet</a>, fish-based meals stayed central to the Japanese diet. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rice-farming-in-japan">Rice farming in Japan</h2>



Rice farming arrived in Japan through contact with the Korean Peninsula. Migrants from Korea brought rice and millet together. But while rice became widespread over time, millet faded from Japanese meals. This puzzled researchers.



“Organic residue analysis has been crucial to our investigation into the earliest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ideas-traveled-farther-than-people-in-the-early-days-of-farming/">impacts</a> of rice and millet agriculture. It allows us to capture how these crops were actually used, offering a direct window into the culinary practices and crop interactions of early Japanese society," noted Dr. Jasmine Lundy from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of York</a>.



Seed impressions on pottery from the Final Jomon and Yayoi periods confirm both grains existed in Japan. Yet millet, a staple in Korean Bronze Age cuisine, rarely appeared in Japan’s food remains. Archaeologists wanted to understand why.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-japanese-people-chose-traditional-foods">Japanese people chose traditional foods</h2>



The absence of millet was not due to climate. Millet thrives in Japan’s environment, just as it does in Korea. 



“The absence of millet from Japanese food residues and human bones was a surprise to us, given that we knew both rice and millet had been introduced at this time,” said Professor Oliver Craig from the University of York.



“We know from isotope analysis of fats and oils in cooking pots that millet was a major part of the Korean diet, and continues to be eaten to this day, but it seemed that it made no impact on early Japanese cuisine."



“Environmental factors could be ruled out because we know that millet grows just as well in Japan as it does in Korea, so there was something else going on that provided a barrier to this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birth-of-farming-driven-by-humans/">crop</a> being adopted in Japanese cooking.”



This suggests social or culinary preferences shaped what foods were accepted. Even with Korean farming tools and pottery styles present in Japan, food habits stayed rooted in local customs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-stayed-the-main-food-in-japan">Fish stayed the main food in Japan</h2>



The team found that fish-based meals remained dominant, even as rice farming expanded. Cooking pots showed continued use for fish and wild foods. Few pots showed signs of cooking rice.



“There is evidence of Korean-style pottery and farming tools in Japan, but this didn’t line-up with changes to the way people cooked and ate. Yayoi pots were still used to cook fish and other wild foods, and few show signs of being dedicated to rice-cooking,” noted study co-author Dr. Shinya Shoda.



The findings reveal that technology alone does not reshape food habits. Even as tools and crops arrived, Japanese cooks kept preparing familiar dishes. Cultural memory and culinary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cave-discovery-of-ancient-avocados-could-rescue-a-global-crop/">tastes</a> held firm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-japanese-rice-farming">Lessons from Japanese rice farming</h2>



This phenomenon is not unique to Japan. In Southern Scandinavia, people kept fishing and gathering wild food long after farming arrived. By contrast, foragers in Britain quickly embraced agriculture.



“Whilst we see changes in pottery styles and other forms of material culture in Japan with the arrival of rice and millet, food culture remains remarkably consistent," said Professor Craig.



"And whilst Japan’s culinary history eventually catches up with the ‘rice boom’ that we see in Korea, it may have taken some time to have impacted everyday practices, suggesting food culture is deeply embedded and can survive major technological shifts."



These insights urge us to think differently about change. New tools may reach communities, but that does not guarantee quick transformation. Food culture, in particular, often moves at its own pace.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-the-spread-of-farming">Studying the spread of farming</h2>



The research supports the work of the ENCOUNTER project, led by Dr. Enrico Crema at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a>, which studies how farming spread and influenced life across ancient Japan.



“These latest findings add to our body of work in the <a href="https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/current-projects/encounter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ENCOUNTER</a> project, which has so far shown the diffusion rates of farming within the Japanese archipelago, the demographic impact of farming, and how different cultural traits might have been conditioned by marriage practices,” said Dr. Crema.



The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



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Japanese food traditions held strong despite the arrival of farming

Recent archaeological discoveries challenge the idea that new technologies inevitably...

Goldenrod plants swaying in the breeze may not strike us as champions of innovation. Yet, hidden in their stems lies an evolutionary story shaped by decades of human agricultural influence. What if simply adding fertilizer to soil could rewire the way plants defend themselves?



A study led by researchers at the <a href="https://umich.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a> shows that nutrient-rich environments can push goldenrod to adopt a fascinating plant defense: stem nodding. Professor Mia Howard and her team explored how nitrogen fertilization influences goldenrod defense traits.



"One of the exciting things about this finding is that there are so many hypotheses and theories predicting that resources would affect the evolution of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-future-climate-conditions-will-transform-plant-growth/">plant</a> defenses, and here we have the first experimental evidence to show that it does," she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-stem-nodding">What is stem nodding?</h2>



Goldenrod plants face an annual threat from insects like gall midges. These insects inject eggs into the plant's tip, triggering growth of protective galls where larvae mature. Goldenrod counters with nodding: a bend in the stem that hides the vulnerable tip during peak insect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/">activity</a>.



This trait is genetically encoded, not influenced by soil nutrients. Plants either nod or they don't. That consistency makes goldenrod ideal for studying genetic responses to environmental changes.



"If the plant is a nodder, it's going to nod. It's also really easy to phenotype because you can just look at it," Howard explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nitrogen-and-goldenrod-nodding">Nitrogen and goldenrod nodding</h2>



The team surveyed goldenrod in six paired plots (fertilized and unfertilized) set up in 1989. 



Fertilized plots received nitrogen equivalent to what’s used in agriculture. In 2016, 2021, and 2022, they recorded significantly more nodding goldenrod in treated plots. In fact, nodding morphs were 3 to 6 times more common in fertilized areas.



The researchers observed a clear trend: as nitrogen exposure increased over the decades, the frequency of nodding goldenrod also rose. 



This wasn’t just a short-term shift. It indicated a genetic change, likely caused by the spread of nodding clones in the high-nitrogen plots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bigger-plants-get-attacked-more">Bigger plants get attacked more</h2>



Fertilized goldenrod grew 30 to 40% taller than unfertilized ones. In 2022, they also produced about 50% more biomass. This growth made them more noticeable to insects. 



As expected, galling increased - twice as many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-innovation-takes-the-lead-in-environmental-action/">plants</a> were galled in fertilized plots that year.



Interestingly, stem nodding didn’t always help. In 2021 and 2022, galling rates were similar in nodders and non-nodders. This suggests insects may have adapted, or other factors (like antibiotic defenses) could be at play. 



Still, in 2016, nodding did reduce gall presence. Defense effectiveness seems to vary year by year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-bend-to-defend-themselves">Plants bend to defend themselves</h2>



Even if nodding fails sometimes, it persists. One reason is its low cost. Unlike chemical defenses that require energy, nodding is a simple structural adjustment. It does not reduce plant size, and in some studies, nodders grew taller and produced more seeds.



In nutrient-rich settings, plants must grow fast and outcompete neighbors for light. Howard’s team suggests nodding may be a defense that supports rapid growth. That makes it especially useful in fertilized environments where tall <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">plants</a> are more visible to herbivores.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-plants-evolve-to-defend">How plants evolve to defend</h2>



This study highlights why long-term experiments matter. Evolution unfolds over decades. Without this three-decade setup, scientists wouldn’t have spotted the subtle shifts in goldenrod genetics.



"We were really fortunate that <a href="https://www.kbs.msu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kellogg biological station</a> had started this experiment and continued to maintain it for three decades. Having these long term experiments is really valuable," Howard said. 



"You might not see a lot of differences in plant populations in the early years, but I think they are becoming a really good resource for studying evolution."



Goldenrod reminds us that even small changes - like bending a stem - can be part of nature’s slow but powerful evolutionary story. Nitrogen, a simple nutrient, may shape how plants fight back for generations to come.



The research was made possible by three decades of continuous fieldwork at the Kellogg Biological Station, with support from multiple institutions, including <a href="https://www.nsf.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NSF</a> and <a href="https://www.usda.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USDA</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oik.11181" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oikos</a>.



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Nitrogen exposure is changing the way plants defend themselves

Goldenrod plants swaying in the breeze may not strike us...

Endangered plants

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