BioScience Talks

American Institute of Biological Sciences

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We hope you enjoy these in-depth discussions of recently published BioScience articles and other science stories. Each episode of our interview series delves into the research behind a highlighted story, giving listeners unique insight into scientists' work.

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153 episodes

One Health (and more) with DeeAnn Reeder

For this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by DeeAnn Reeder, Professor of Biology at Bucknell University and a researcher at the Smithsonian Institution. We spoke about a number of topics, including bats, disease ecology, and community outreach. Underlying that conversation was an important message about the One Health concept, which will be the subject of a forthcoming special issue of .    Potential contributors to the One Health special issue can find more information here https://www.aibs.org/news/2024/240315-one-health-bioscience.html. 

51m
Mar 27
Spy Satellites for Ecology, with Catalina Munteanu and Volker Radeloff

For today's episode, we're joined by Catalina Munteanu, Researcher at the University of Frieberg in Germany, who has a background in geography and forest sciences. Also joining us is Volker Radeloff, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the SILVIS Lab, where he works on satellite imagery to look at land use. They were here to discuss the potential value of images from Cold War-era spy satellites for current ecological research and practice.    Read their article https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae002 in BioScience.   Captions are available on YouTube https://youtu.be/_s-2znLLB2o.

26m
Mar 08
Pollinator Roadside Habitat, with Thomas Meinzen, Diane Debinski, and Laura Burkle

For today's episode, we're joined by Thomas Meinzen, recent Master's of Science graduate from Montana State University in Bozeman, Diane Debinski, who is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Ecology at MSU, and Laura Burkle, a Professor also in the MSU Ecology Department. They were here to talk about the subject of their recent BioScience article https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad111, roadside verges, and in particular, the way that these habitats may prove to be a boon—or bane—for pollinating insects.    Captions are available on YouTube https://youtu.be/FjlakNOLHAc.

31m
Feb 15
Shipwreck Ecology, with Avery Paxton, Chris Taylor, and Melanie Damour

For today's episode, we're joined by Avery Paxton, who is a Research Marine Biologist with NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Chris Taylor, Research Ecologist, also with NOAA's NCCOS, and Melanie Damour, who is a Marine Archeologist and the Environmental Studies Coordinator with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's Gulf of Mexico Region Office. They were here to discuss their recent BioScience article on "Shipwreck Ecology," and the ways in which these sites can be hotspots for biodiversity—and also for research.    Read the article here https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad084.    Captions can be found on YouTube https://youtu.be/v6s6I9i9cb4. 

28m
Jan 10
The Global Women in Herpetology Project (and Book), with Sinlan Poo

For today's episode, we jump back to last spring's Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Our guest is Sinlan Poo, Curator of Research at the Memphis Zoo and one of the co-organizers of the Global Women in Herpetology Project. You may remember her from a previous interview, but we recorded an extra mini-podcast to talk about the book "Women in Herpetology: 50 Stories from Around the World https://www.womeninherpetology.com/," which features a diverse group of authors describing their journeys to and through the world of herpetology. Proceeds from the book's sales will fund a conference scholarship for women students.    Captions are available on YouTube https://youtu.be/ykmJ0_s9UQw. 

10m
Jan 03
The Re-Envisioning Culture Network, with Simone Soso

For today's episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Dr. Simone Soso, Assistant Director of Research and Workforce Development at the MSI STEM Research & Development Consortium. She was here to discuss the NSF-funded Re-Envisioning Culture (or REC) Network and its recent activities. I'll let her tell you more, though, so let's go to the interview. Captions are available on YouTube https://youtu.be/YaGV5zlKBIo.

20m
Dec 15, 2023
Rewilding Governance, with Jeremy Bruskotter and John Vucetich

In this episode, we're joined by Jeremy Bruskotter, faculty member and Professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University and John Vucetich, Distinguished Professor at Michigan Technological University, in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. They were here to talk about their recent article in on the governance issues related to rewilding, or the restoration of native species to their traditional ranges. Read the article here https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad099. Captions are available on YouTube https://youtu.be/0k4sFehVy10.

26m
Dec 01, 2023
READI-Net, with Adam Sepulveda

Our guest for this episode of BioScience Talks is Adam Sepulveda, Research Scientist with the US Geological Survey's Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, Montana. He joined us to talk about READI-Net, an environmental DNA-based program that was recently funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill as a priority for addressing aquatic invasive species. Learn more about READI-Net here https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/readi-net-transitioning-edna-aquatic-invasive-species-surveillance-research.  Captions are available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2G-6AEwJE8Y

30m
Oct 27, 2023
Organization of Biological Field Stations

Today’s episode features three representatives of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS), which is an American Institute of Biological Sciences member organization. We discussed many topics related to field stations, including the research performed there, as well as the ways that field stations collaborate through organizations like OBFS and AIBS to improve their research, education, and outreach efforts.   Our guests were:   Lara Roketenetz, Director of the University of Akron Field Station, in Ohio. She is also currently serving as President of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.    Rhonda Struminger, Codirector and Cofounder of the Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca" (CICHAZ), in Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico. She is also affiliated with the University of Padova, in Italy, and is Cochair of the OBFS's International Committee.   Chris Lorentz, Professor of Biological Sciences at Thomas More University and Director of Ohio River Biology Field Station. He is currently serving as Past President of OBFS.    Learn more about OBFS and their ongoing efforts on their website https://obfs.org/. Captions can be found on YouTube https://youtu.be/eW5b-N1kF-g.

32m
Oct 19, 2023
On Site at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

This episode of BioScience Talks was recorded on location at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists http://burkclients.com/JMIH/meetings/2023/site/index.html in Norfolk, Virginia, and features a range of presenters and organizers. Our first guests were Sinlan Poo, who is Curator of Research at the Memphis Zoo and affiliated with Arkansas State University, and Prosanta Chakrabarty, who is Curator of Fishes and a Professor at Louisiana State University's Museum of Natural Science. Dr. Chakrabarty is also the current President of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, one of the organizations that convened the meeting. They joined me to talk about the ZooMu symposium, which was held as part of the meeting. Read more about zoo and museum collaboration in BioScience https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac022.  Next up, I sat down with Karen Caceres from Old Dominion University. She spoke about Florida cottonmouths and how they manage to live on small islands that typically lack freshwater resources.  Maisie MacKnight, PhD candidate at Penn State, gave a talk about fieldwork and the ways in which it can be made safe and inclusive for all participants. We discussed her talk, as well as some of her other work.  Oliver Shipley, Research Professor at Stony Brook University in New York, and Maria Manz, a graduate student at Stony Brook University, joined me to talk about sharks, their movement, and the ways that scientists study them.   Erin Anthony, President of the Virginia Herpetological Society, chatted with me about her organization's public outreach efforts, as well as herps native to Virginia. Last, I was joined by Sarah Yerrace, a master's student at the University of Washington in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Her talk was focused on the invasive lionfish, and we chatted about a new approach to surveying their abundance at deep ocean depths. Captions are available on YouTube https://youtu.be/iklzm-tefP0. 

59m
Sep 28, 2023
Wolf Recovery and Its Challenges, with David Mech and David Ausband

For today's episode, we were joined by L. David Mech, from the US Geological Survey’s Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and the University of Minnesota in St. Paul and David E. Ausband, from the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, at the University of Idaho. They were here to talk about the successful recovery of gray wolves in North America, and in particular, the challenges associated with that success. Below is a brief article describing their  article https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biad053. ____ Over the past 30 years, efforts to recover gray wolf populations in the United States have been broadly successful, with many regions now sporting robust populations of the charismatic carnivore. Writing in https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biad053, wolf experts David E. Ausband and L. David Mech describe the conservation landscape and also the obstacles that wolves face as their populations expand into their historical ranges. "Remarkable wolf conservation success yields remarkable challenges," say the authors, as 6000 wolves now occupy habitat across 11 states. These growing populations now face significant threats as they attempt to colonize human-dominated areas, among them "fragmented habitats and barriers to dispersal, as well as increased encounters with humans, pets, and livestock." In response to those concerned about wolves’ potential impacts to prey populations and domestic livestock production, many jurisdictions have ramped up wolf efforts. For instance, in Wisconsin, "the legislature requires a public hunting or trapping season whenever wolves are delisted from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) list of Endangered species." In contrast, wolves are seen as desirable in other areas, such as Colorado, where voters recently passed a ballot initiative to reintroduce them in the state. The authors caution that such pro-reintroduction initiatives, which may seem initially promising for wolves, could have the unintended consequence of setting precedent for laws barring reintroduction and thus complicate management. An uncertain regulatory regime, say Ausband and Mech, could cause major fluctuations in wolf populations, with dire consequences for conservation efforts. The answer to this quandary, the authors suggest, is thoughtful management that carefully considers the needs of diverse stakeholders: "Future wolf conservation in the United States will be affected by the ability of managers to predict colonization and dispersal dynamics, to reduce hybridization and disease transmission, to mitigate and deter wolf–livestock conflicts, to harvest wolves sustainably while satisfying diverse stakeholders, to avert a reduction in tolerance for wolves due to a disinterest in nature, and to engage diverse stakeholders in wolf conservation to avoid management by ballot initiative or legislative and judicial decrees." Only through such science-informed management, argue Ausband and Mech, can the present success of wolf conservation be built on in the future.  Captions for this episode are available on YouTube. https://youtu.be/cB7IILuHuXc

27m
Sep 06, 2023
A Dispatch from the AIBS Congressional Visits Day

Today's episode of BioScience Talks is a second dispatch from AIBS's spring Congressional Visits Day, which is a program that gives researchers a chance to travel to Washington, DC, to meet with their Congressional representatives and advocate for science. I had the chance to talk with a number of participants about their research, their interest in policy, and their plans for the next day's Capitol Hill visits. Participants included: Peri Lee Pipkin, University of California Botanic Garden, Claremont University Conner Philson, University of California, Los Angeles; Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Valentina Alvarez, University of Hawaii at Manoa Katherine Charton, University of Wisconsin Lauren Orton, Sauk Valley Community College Rebecca Kauten, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory News https://www.aibs.org/news/2023/230505-2023-cvd-event.html#subheader about this year's event. Learn more /io.aibs.org/cvd about our Congressional Visits Day, and stay tuned for the next event.  Captions are available on YouTube.

22m
Aug 11, 2023
The Past, Present, and Future of Water, with Peter Gleick

For today's episode, I was joined by Dr. Peter Gleick http://www.gleick.com/, Cofounder and Senior Fellow at the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, author of the new book, https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/peter-gleick/the-three-ages-of-water/9781541702271/, and member of the National Academy Sciences. He joined me to talk about a number of water-related topics, starting with a recent piece https://kyivindependent.com/peter-gleick-a-call-to-condemn-attacks-on-water-systems-in-ukraine/ he wrote in the about the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnieper River and the ensuing human and ecological tragedies. We also discussed his new book, which tells the fascinating story of human history and the way that it has always been deeply intertwined with the history of water on Earth.  __ __

33m
Jul 31, 2023
50 Years of SACNAS, with Executive Director Juan Amador

For today's episode, I was joined by Juan Amador, who is the Executive Director for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). We discussed SACNAS's 50th anniversary, its upcoming meeting, as well as the organization's crucial work over the years.    Become a SACNAS member. https://www.sacnas.org/memberships Donate to SACNAS. https://www.sacnas.org/donate Learn more https://www.sacnas.org/conference about the 2023 National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference in Portland Oregon, 22–26 October. Closed captions are available on YouTube. https://youtu.be/LGHQd6HYP1E

30m
Jul 25, 2023
Under the Weather with John Van Stan: Scientists Should Spend More Time in the Rain

For today's episode, we're joined by Dr. John Van Stan, Associate Professor at Cleveland State University in the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, where he runs the Wet Plant Lab. A description of the article follows, and captions can be found on YouTube https://youtu.be/-YsPU2_JYmQ . https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biad044 An audio version of the article is available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5bnVFSmOs4

27m
Jun 14, 2023
Talking Science, Policy, and Congressional Visits with the Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award Winners

Today's episode comes "live" from AIBS's 2023 Congressional Visits Day https://www.aibs.org/news/2023/230505-2023-cvd-event.html#subheader in Washington, DC, where our guests gathered for a communications boot camp and meetings with their congressional representatives. Our interviewees were winners of AIBS's Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award https://www.aibs.org/policy/eppla: Inam Jameel (2023 awardee, University of Georgia), Elena Suglia (2023 awardee, UC Davis), Michael McCloy (2022 awardee, Texas A&M), and Heidi Waite (2022 awardee, UC Irvine). During the busy preparations for the upcoming congressional visits, we took a few minutes to chat about science and the policies needed to support it. If you're interested in applying for the EPPLA or in joining us in Washington, DC, for our next Congressional Visits Day, please visit the links above. Captions can be found on YouTube https://youtu.be/pUtLgnRh30M.

21m
Jun 08, 2023
Food Security in High Mountains of Central Asia, with Roy Sidle

In this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Professor Roy Sidle, Director of the Mountain Societies Research Institute and Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Central Asia. He was here to discuss his new BioScience article, Food Security in High Mountains of Central Asia: A Broader Perspective https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad025. Captions can be found on YouTube https://youtu.be/nG3ah2Dxulg.

38m
May 12, 2023
Nature's Chefs, with Robert Dunn and Pia Sörensen

A recent article https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad026 in BioScience discusses "Nature's Chefs"—animal, plant, and fungal species create or mimic food for others for a variety of reasons. In this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by authors Robert Dunn and Pia Sörensen to discuss the article and some of these food-creating species (including humans). Captions can be found on the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/gqzXjUoJYyE

37m
May 01, 2023
Evolution in the City Urban Wildlife Coloration with Samantha Kreling

For this episode, we're joined by Samantha Kreling, PhD candidate at the University of Washington, in the Prugh Lab. She's here to discuss her new BioScience article So overt it's covert: Wildlife coloration in the city https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad021. Captions can be found in the YouTube version https://youtu.be/zVH-NccrRLQ.

22m
Apr 19, 2023
Richard Hill Discusses "Living Naked in the Cold"

Today's interview is with Dr. Richard Hill, Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University and author of the BioScience article "Living Naked in the Cold: New Insights into Metabolic Feasibility in Primeval Cultures." https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad002 Captions available on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/2eT9WXCiY8A

36m
Apr 12, 2023
Urban Green Spaces with Brenda Lin and Erik Andersson

For today's episode, we're joined by Dr. Brenda Lin from CSIRO Land and Water in Australia, and Dr. Erik Andersson, Professor of Sustainability Science with University of Helsinki and Stockholm University. We discussed their  article https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biad009 on green spaces, particularly in urban areas, and the ways that different groups use those spaces. We also chatted about how planning can be used to achieve urban green spaces that are equitably used and a valuable part of the urban landscape.  A captioned version can be found on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jUCk6ghBoLU

35m
Mar 30, 2023
Roberto Efraín Díaz

This podcast is part of AIBS's Diversity Heroes series, where we spotlight individuals who are working to increase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the biological sciences. Our guest today is Roberto Efraín Díaz, PhD student in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, San Francisco.  Read our Diversity Heroes contribution from Dr. Steward Pickett https://www.aibs.org/news/2022/220610-steward-picket-diversity-hero.html.

35m
Mar 23, 2023
Neoclassical Economics from a Biologist's Perspective: Charles A. S. Hall

For today's episode, we're joined by Dr. Charles A. S. Hall, who discusses his recent book review https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac114 of Peter Victor's "Herman Daly's Economics for a Full World: His Life and Ideas." In addition, we chatted about neoclassical economics from a biologist's perspective, among many other topics. For a further critique of neoclassical economics, read Hall and colleagues 2001 BioScience article, The Need to Reintegrate the Natural Sciences with Economics https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051%5b0663:TNTRTN%5d2.0.CO;2.    The accompanying transcript was computer generated and has not been edited.

37m
Mar 17, 2023
In Their Own Words: Osvaldo Sala

In Their Own Words chronicles the stories of scientists who have made great contributions to their fields. These short histories provide our readers a way to learn from and share their experiences. We publish the results of these conversations in the pages of BioScience https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biad005 and on our podcast, BioScience Talks. This history is with Dr. Osvaldo Sala, who is the Julie A. Wrigley and Regents’ and Foundation Professor and the founding director of the Global Drylands Center, at Arizona State University. Note: Both the text and audio versions have been edited for clarity and length.

50m
Mar 09, 2023
Leopold's Preserve: Protecting Nature in a Fast-Growing Region

In this episode, we're joined by Scott Plein, Principal of Equinox Investments and Founder and Chairman of the White House Farm Foundation, and Alan Rowsome, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, to discuss Leopold's Preserve, a 380-acre natural site nestled within the rapidly growing area of Haymarket, Virginia. We discussed the vision that underlies the preserve, its namesake, Aldo Leopold, the preserve's ecology and role promoting the wellbeing of the community, and the conservation easement that will protect it in perpetuity. Learn more about Leopold's Preserve and plan a visit here. https://www.leopoldspreserve.com/

33m
Dec 01, 2022
Textiles that Pollute: Microfibers in the Environment

For this episode, we're joined by Dr. Judith Weis of Rutgers University to discuss her new book, Polluting Textiles: The Problem with Microfibres https://www.routledge.com/Polluting-Textiles-The-Problem-with-Microfibres/Weis-Falco-Cocca/p/book/9780367760755. Listen to Dr. Weis's In Their Own Words oral history interview. https://bioscience-talks.aibs.org/episodes/in-their-own-words-judith-weis A description of the book follows:

32m
Nov 22, 2022
The Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate at NSF

For this episode, we're joined by Thyaga Nandagopal, Division Director for the Division of Innovation and Technology Ecosystems, in the newly launched TIP Directorate https://beta.nsf.gov/tip/latest at NSF. He discusses the directorate's programs, priorities, and future plans.

22m
Oct 26, 2022
Communicating Disease Spillover Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has been the first pandemic that has taken place alongside the interconnectivity of the Internet. Consequently, the spread of ideas and information about the disease has been unprecedented—but not always accurate. One of the widely circulated headlines was that of the relationship between land change and the spillover of diseases from wildlife to humans. Writing in https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac075, Andre D. Mader of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and colleagues survey primary and secondary literature, as well as webpage content on the subject of land change and zoonotic disease risk. Based on the patterns picked up from this literature and media coverage, Mader and colleagues describe what amounts to a case study in improper science communication and its possible consequences. Dr. Mader joins us on this episode of BioScience Talks to discuss his article in depth. This episode can also be found on Mader's podcast, The Case for Conservation https://www.case4conservation.com. Read more about the article: According to the authors, media messaging consistently described direct causality between zoonotic disease spread and land use change, despite the fact that only 53% of the surveyed peer-reviewed literature made this association. The authors delve into theoretical scenarios that would demonstrate the difficulty of tracing the real risk of zoonotic spillover, emphasizing that the “complexity of pathogen responses to land change cannot be reduced to one-size-fits-all proclamations.” The authors found that as the literature moves from primary research to review articles and commentaries, and finally to webpages, the “overstating of the evidence” increases, with 78% of secondary papers implying the land use–zoonotic spillover association and all but one of the sampled webpages making this association. The authors also noted that secondary sources and webpages often failed to mention the uncertainty associated with their conclusions. The potential consequences of simplistic messaging and a lack of proper communication regarding zoonotic spillover can erode credibility, neglect local community’s specific needs when it comes to policy making, and detract attention from other factors that can lead to zoonotic spillover, say Mader and colleagues. The authors recommend more accurate, nuanced, and explanatory dissemination of the studies on zoonotic spillover risk, arguing that such an approach would also benefit science more broadly. As the authors conclude, “if the goal of science communication is to improve understanding, it must strike a balance: sufficient simplicity to be grasped by as broad an audience as possible but sufficient nuance to capture the complexity of an issue and contribute meaningfully to the discussion around it, especially when it goes viral.”

25m
Oct 17, 2022
The Plan to "Rewild" the American West

As the effects of climate change mount, ecosystem restoration in the US West has garnered significant public attention, bolstered by President Joe Biden's America the Beautiful plan to conserve 30% of US land and water by 2030. Writing in https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac069 William J. Ripple and 19 colleagues follow up on the Biden plan with a proposal for a "Western Rewilding Network," comprising 11 large reserve areas already owned by the federal government. The authors advocate for the cessation of livestock grazing on some federal lands, coupled with the restoration of two keystone species: the gray wolf and the North American beaver. For this episode, we're joined by Mike Phillips of the Turner Endangered Species Fund, one of the Viewpoint's coauthors.

25m
Sep 30, 2022
40 years of Ecological Research, the Effects of Climate Change

As global warming accelerates, it is increasingly clear that climate change is affecting our planet on every scale, from global shifts in weather patterns to local ecosystem changes. In a special section in , a group of authors hailing from the US National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network synthesize insights from 40 years of long-term ecological research on how ecosystems are responding to climate change. For today's episode, we're joined by the authors of that special section's lead article, Julia Jones, Professor of Geography at Oregon state University and an investigator at the Andrews Forest Long-Term Ecological Research site, and Charles Driscoll, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University and an investigator at the Hubbard Brook Long-Term Ecological Research site. According to the special section authors, although the variety of ecosystems have some responses in common, most ecosystem responses to climate change are unique and are the result of a combination of region-specific drivers, human activities, and interactions between multiple climate drivers. In the lead peer-reviewed article, Julia Jones of Oregon State University and Charles Driscoll of Syracuse University introduce and describe the section, explaining the conceptual framework behind the processes driving these ecosystem changes and the logistics of and varied results from the 28 LTER research sites that were used to collect the data. A contribution from Hugh Ducklow https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac050 (Columbia University) and colleagues describes the varied ocean ecosystem responses to climate change, as well as broader and more consistent marine physical system changes, such as declining sea ice and changes in the ocean surface layer. Tackling coastal ecosystems https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac006, Daniel C. Reed (Marine Science Institute) and colleagues use long-term ecosystem research at seaside sites to demonstrate the importance of site-based, long-term research for understanding the “natural capacity of coastal ecosystems to resist and adapt to climate change and the types of human interventions that effectively mitigate them.” Back on land https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biab134, Amy R. Hudson (US Department of Agriculture) and colleagues compare diverse drylands’ responses, revealing consistent warming across sites but variability in droughts and their subsequent effect on primary production. Discussing forest and freshwater ecosystems https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biab124, John L. Campbell of the USDA Forest Service and colleagues delve into how these tightly linked ecosystems are directly and indirectly impacted by climate change, and how primary production is being affected. The special section is rounded out by a Viewpoint article https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/biosci/biac065 from Michael Paul Nelson of Oregon State University, who reflects on environmental scientists’ duty to not only tell the stories of climate impacts but also advocate for mobilization and change. In Nelson’s words, “our love and knowledge create a new kind of work for us in the face of the climate crisis. Beyond the work of revealing and explaining our ecosystems, we are called also to do the work of caretakers for those ecosystems.”

29m
Sep 19, 2022