Communications > Press Releases
December 2009
12/16/09 - Even at sublethal Levels, Pesticides may slow the Recovery of Wild Salmon Populations
A new study in the journal Ecological Applications determines that short-term, seasonal exposure to pesticides in rivers and basins may limit the growth and size of wild salmon populations. In addition to the widespread deterioration of salmon habitats, these findings suggest that exposure to commonly used pesticides may further inhibit the recovery of threatened or endangered populations.
November 2009
11/03/09 - Ecological Society to hold Conference on Drought and Environmental Justice
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will hold the first conference in its Millennium Series, titled “Water-Ecosystem Services, Drought, and Environmental Justice,” at the University of Georgia, Athens on Nov. 9-12. The conference will bring 100 scientists and managers from universities, federal agencies and local governments together to work on the resolution of social issues related to localized drought.
October 2009
10/14/09 - Arctic Land and Seas Account for up to 25 percent of World's Carbon Sink
In a new study in the journal Ecological Monographs, ecologists estimate that Arctic lands and oceans are responsible for up to 25 percent of the global net sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Under current predictions of global warming, this Arctic sink could be diminished or reversed, potentially accelerating predicted rates of climate change.
10/01/09 - Coral bleaching increases chances of coral disease
Mass coral bleaching has devastated coral colonies around the world for almost three decades. Now scientists have found that bleaching can make corals more susceptible to disease and, in turn, coral disease can exacerbate the negative effects of bleaching. A paper in the October issue of the journal Ecology shows that when they occur together, this combination of afflictions causes greater harm to corals than either does on its own.
September 2009
09/15/09 -
Exotic Timber Plantations Found To Use More Than Twice the Water of Native Forests
Ecologists have discovered that timber plantations in Hawaii use more than twice the amount of water to grow as native forests use. Especially for island ecosystems, these findings suggest that land management decisions can place ecosystems – and the people who depend on them – at high risk for water shortages.
August 2009
08/06/09 - Symposium to discuss geoengineering to fight climate change at the ESA Annual Meeting.
Geoengineering techniques aim to slow global warming by changing the composition of the Earth's land, seas or atmosphere. But new research shows that the use of geoengineering to do environmental good may cause other environmental harm.
08/04/09 - Animal and Plant Communication at the ESA Annual Meeting
Animals and plants communicate with one another in a variety of ways: behavior, body patterns, and even chemistry. In a series of talks at the Ecological Society of America's annual meeting, to be held August 3-7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ecologists explore the myriad adaptations for exchanging information among living things.
08/04/09 - Sustainable Agriculture at the ESA Annual Meeting
Advances in ecology increasingly reveal that conventional agricultural practices have detrimental effects on the landscape ecology, creating problems for long-term sustainability of crops. In a series of sessions at the Ecological Society of America's Annual Meeting, ecologists will present their ideas on how our agricultural practices can take lessons from natural environments.
08/02/09 - Urban Water Ecology at the ESA Annual Meeting
Increasingly, human urban development overlaps with habitat for wild animals and plants, creating environments that degrade natural landscapes. But people, animals and plants all have in common the need for healthy, sustainable freshwater ecosystems. In a series of presentations at the Ecological Society of America's Annual Meeting, to be held August 2-7, 2009, ecologists present research results that guide efforts to balance an increasingly urbanized society with the need to conserve and protect water and aquatic ecosystems.
July 2009
07/29/09 - New Mexico Senator Tom Udall to receive Regional Policy Award from ESA
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) will receive the second annual Regional Policy Award from the nation's largest organization of ecologists at the meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) on Aug. 2. The award recognizes a regional or local policymaker who has an outstanding record of informing his political decision-making with ecological science.
07/29/09 - Ecological Society of America and partners receive $207K NSF grant
The Ecological Society of America has received a $207,000 National Science Foundation grant to cultivate the participation of underrepresented institutions and students in science and education within the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). The grant is in partnership with the Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (SEA) and NEON, Inc.
07/27/09 - Sichuan Earthquake Caused Significant Damage to Giant Panda Habitat
When the magnitude 8 Sichuan earthquake struck southern China in May 2008, it left more than 69,000 people dead and 4.3 million homeless. Now ecologists have added to these losses an assessment of the earthquake's impact on biodiversity: namely, habitat for some of the last existing wild giant pandas. In an article published today in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment e-view, researchers show that more than 23 percent of the pandas' habitat in the study area was destroyed, and fragmentation of the remaining habitat could hinder panda reproduction.
07/21/2009 - Value of Ecosystems Should Figure in Economic Decisions
As the United States and much of the world try to recover from the current economic crisis, the nation's largest organization of ecological scientists sees an opportunity to rebuild the economy for long-term sustainability. The key, these scientists say, is to take natural capital - ecosystem services such as clean water provisioning - into account. Because they lack a formal market, many of these natural assets are missing from society's balance sheet and their contributions are often overlooked in public and private decision-making.
June 2009
06/11/09 - Ecological Society of America Announces 2009 Award Recipients
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will present societal awards to five distinguished ecologists at its 94rd Annual Meeting on Monday, August 3, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More than 3,500 attendees are expected at this year's meeting.
06/11/09 - Ecological Society of America announces its 94th Annual Meeting
Registration is now open to the press for the Ecological Society of America's (ESA) 94th Annual Meeting, which will be held Aug. 2-7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The meeting will include more than 3,500 scientists, students and educators, and will center around the theme, "Ecological Knowledge and a Global Sustainable Society."
06/08/09 - Ecologists Identify Birds Struck in Hudson River Crash as Migratory Canada Geese
Using forensic data from feather remains, scientists have identified the birds that caused the Jan. 15 airline crash into the Hudson River as migratory Canada geese. The study, published online today in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, will help managers better assess how to prevent such strikes in the future.
06/01/09 - In the turf war against seaweed, coral reefs more resilient than expected
(Joint release with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
There’s little doubt that coral reefs the world over face threats on many fronts: pollution, diseases, destructive fishing practices and warming oceans. But reefs appear to be more resistant to one potential menace – seaweed – than previously thought, according to new research by a team of marine scientists from the United States and Australia.
April 2009
04/21/09 - Plants Could Override Climate Change Effects on Wildfires
Many scientists predict a global increase in the number of wildfires under climate change. In a study in Ecological Monographs, paleoecologists show that in some cases, changes in the types of plants growing in an area could override the effects of climate change on wildfire frequency.
04/20/09 - Ecologists Put Price Tag on Invasive Species
It’s well known that invasive species can disrupt or even destroy ecosystems. But now scientists have begun to put a price tag on this damage. In Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, ecologists list the invasive species that cause the most harm to environment and cost the most money to control.
04/20/09 - 'Ecology' Named Among Top 100 Most Influential Journals in Biology and Medicine
ESA’s flagship journal, Ecology, garnered top marks from the Special Library Association in its list of the top 100 most influential journals in biology and medicine over the last 100 years. First published in 1920, Ecology is a leading source of peer-reviewed research and is consistently ranked among the top ten journals in the field of ecology.
04/01/09 - Ecologists Question Effects of Climate Change on Infectious Diseases
Recent research has predicted that climate change may expand the scope of human infectious diseases. A new review, however, argues that climate change may have a negligible effect on pathogens or even reduce their ranges. The paper has sparked debate in the ecological community.
March
03/19/09 - HIGHLIGHTS from the March editions of ESA journals
These press tips highlight research in the ESA journals Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Ecology, Ecological Applications and Ecological Monographs.
03/05/09 - Ecologists Propose First Prevention for White-nose Syndrome Death in Bats
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a poorly understood condition that, in the two years since its discovery, has spread to at least seven northeastern states and killed as many as half a million bats. Now researchers have suggested the first step toward a measure that may help save the affected bats: providing localized heat sources to the hibernating animals.
February
02/25/09 - New USGS Climate Center should be conduit between climate science and wildlife management
The new U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center should be a conduit between climate science and fish and wildlife management, according to a preliminary report released today from a group of nearly 200 representatives from state and federal agencies, academia and nongovernmental organizations.
02/11/09 - Cropland Diversity Reduces Nitrogen Pollution
Researchers have identified a link between the diversity of crops grown in farmlands and the pollution they create in lakes and rivers. In a Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment e-View paper, ecologists show that when the biodiversity of crops is high, less dissolved nitrogen is found exiting the surrounding watersheds.
02/02/09 - Ecologists Report Quantifiable Measures of Nature’s Services to Humans
The idea of ecosystem services is a promising conservation concept but has been rarely put into practice. In a special issue of the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, researchers use novel tools to report some of the first quantifiable results that place values on nature’s services to humans.
