"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Category: Ecology
Vascular Plants
09/12/26
“How do we classify plants that can move water and minerals through their bodies using specialized tissues?”
Plants work in all sorts of ways. Some plants have tissues dedicated to moving water and minerals through their bodies. These Vascular Plants can grow to sizes much larger than non-vascular plants because of their quicker intra-body resource transport. Examples of vascular plants include conifer trees and flower-bearing plants.
The Las Vegas Wash
09/11/26
“How does Las Vegas use a 12-mile swampy stream to recycle its wastewater?”
Las Vegas sits in a difficult place for water. The metropolis sits in one of the driest and hottest parts of the U.S., and climate change is expected to bring even less rainfall. But it turns out Vegas has a secret card up its sleeve. The Las Vegas Valley channels its wastewater into a 12-mile swampy stream called The Las Vegas Wash for purification. The plants in the Las Vegas Wash remove contaminants from the (post-treatment plant) wastewater, and the end of the stream ends at Lake Mead to connect back into the water supply system. This advanced water-recycling technique will only become more important as the climate-change-driven drought intensifies.
Image credit: https://www.lvwash.org/
Conifer Trees
09/07/26
“What makes trees that hold their seeds in cones so special?”
Trees are commonly thought to hold their seeds in fruits and flowers. However, some trees hold them in cones. These Conifer Trees are typically (but not always) evergreen and tend to dominate colder-temperature climates. Conifer trees are also a vital food source for many species. Christmas trees and California Redwoods are conifer trees.
Artificial Reefs
09/06/26
“How can we make artificial reefs to provide homes for sea life?”
Reefs provide habitats for all kinds of sea life. But they don’t have to be natural. Artificial Reefs are human-made reefs designed to provide homes for ocean creatures. Common materials for artificial reefs include concrete, sunken ships, and even old subway cars! Artificial reefs also dissipate coastal wave energy, protecting coasts from storm surge and soil erosion.
Reefs
09/05/26
“Why are ridges of material beneath the ocean surface so important for marine biodiversity?”
Countless species live in the Earth’s oceans. Building multidimensional ecosystems can sometimes be tricky on the endless sands of the ocean floor. However, ridges of material called Reefs provide complex habitat for multiple communities of sea life, allowing for large-scale biodiversity to grow. Reefs are pivotal for ocean health and coastal storm surge protection.
Evergreen Trees
09/04/26
“Why do some trees never lose all of their leaves?”
One of plants’ most distinct characteristics is their green color. However, many trees seasonally lose this marking. But some trees never do. Evergreen Trees are trees that never lose their green color or all of their leaves. This could stem from a multitude of reasons, from tropical trees never having to worry about cold weather or low moisture to pine trees that evolved thinner, oilier foliage to prevent moisture loss. Evergreen trees are popular as windbreakers since they keep a thick foliage profile in the breezy winter months. Christmas trees are an example of evergreen trees.
Deciduous Trees
09/03/26
“Why do some trees shed their leaves in fall?”
Trees of all shapes and sizes shed their leaves seasonally. But how do we classify these trees, and why do they do this? Well, these Deciduous Trees shed their leaves to conserve water and energy during colder seasons. The leaves start to fall typically in the autumn season as the trees produce less chlorophyll due to the shortening daylight hours. Deciduous trees are the reason why so many people visit New England in the fall.
Dammed River Reservoirs
07/17/26
“How can we dam rivers to create reservoirs?”
People can create reservoirs to store water. One way is to install a dam over a river, bringing its flow to a near halt and practically turning the water body into a lake. These Dammed River Reservoirs can hold vast amounts of water throughout the year. Water is typically still let out through controlled release. Dams can release enough water to generate hydropower. Dammed river reservoirs can protect against floods by concentrating water upstream and releasing only a paltry amount downstream. Dammed river reservoirs can be environmentally catastrophic (especially for Indigenous livelihoods), and people may remove dams to restore the natural environment. Damned river reservoirs are also liable to sedimentation buildup and algae blooms from the stopped flow.
Net Primary Productivity
07/13/26
“How do we quantify the rate of new biomass by photosynthesizers after accounting for keeping themselves alive?”
Primary productivity measures the rate of new biomass growth by photosynthesizers. However, these organisms will need to use some of the energy they receive from the sun to keep themselves alive. Consequently, these organisms will only have the Net Primary Productivity, or biomass growth rate, accounting for the energy used to keep themselves alive. Photosynthesizing organisms use the former to grow themselves, and the latter to sustain themselves.
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