As the unusually harsh winter snows and storms retreated from central European steppes earlier this year, a terrible slaughter was uncovered. Nearly 12,000 beautiful saiga antelopes were found dead, possibly from a bacterium, pasteurellosis, which can attack an animal’s immune system, at a time when the entire species is literally fighting for its very existence. Uncontrolled poaching … Read more
The process of photosynthesis in plants involves a series of steps and reactions that use solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide to produce organic compounds and oxygen. There are two main sets of reactions: energy-transduction reactions (commonly called light reactions) and carbon-fixation reactions (commonly called dark reactions). In the energy-transduction reactions, solar energy is converted … Read more
How do flowers develop? This is a puzzle tackled by Wei Lai and Louis Ronse de Craene in their paper What is the nature of petals in Caryophyllaceae? Developmental evidence clarifies their evolutionary origin. In it, the authors use scanning electron microscopy to examine the interiors of flowers close up. While the topic might seem … Read more
The answer to the question “what is hemp good for” might be more like “what isn’t it good for? Hemp has multiple applications in food, industry and the environment, being one of the most versatile crops available today. Since its first cultivation in 8000 BC in China, hemp has become one of the key plants … Read more
Whether you’re a vegan who has been called a “plant murderer” by a non-vegan, a non-vegan who is trying (and failing) to be funny, or just someone with an affinity for plants, this is information you need to read. The issue of plant sentience is being brought up more and more as a reason to … Read more
Just as sun angle makes the difference overall between temperatures at different latitudes of the earth, it makes a significant difference on a local scale too. If a slope is angled towards the sun when the sun is low in the sky, it gets more of a full beam and so the surface temperature of … Read more
The Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010 Report, produced by some of the world’s leading experts of Arctic ecosystems and biodiversity, is the Arctic Council’s contribution to the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity in 2010 and will be a preliminary product under the Arctic Council project ‘Arctic Biodiversity Assessment’ (ABA). In 2008, the United Nations Environment … Read more
It refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time (also called as virgin vegetation). Cultivated crops and fruits, orchards form part of vegetation but not natural vegetation The virgin vegetation, which are purely Indian are known as endemic or indigenous species but … Read more
The rapid development in the economy has resulted in urbanization worldwide. There is an urgent need for effective waste management. Japan is one such country which has been promoting the disposal of waste since 1960. And they have also successfully reduced household and industrial waste crediting their pro-environmental measures since 2000. Japan has now taken … Read more