John Kerr • Dec 09, 2016 •
Now you see them, now you don’t. Hundreds of species have already undergone ‘local extinctions’ because of climate change, according to new a study. As overall temperatures increase around the world thanks to climate change, plants and animals are starting to shift their geographic range closer to the cooler poles of the planet, or higher up the slopes of mountains. Read More
Alison Campbell • Sep 30, 2016 •
A couple of days ago I did a spot of live radio with the good folks at 95bFM. It was great fun. One of the topics was dog evolution, which I’ve already written about here; another was the recent publications on human dispersal, covered nicely over on sciblogs.co.nz. The third was a brief discussion of claims made … Read More
John Kerr • Aug 03, 2016 •
The pollinating power of the humble honeybee is worth millions of dollars to the New Zealand agricultural sector – but we are at risk of losing it. Bees are having a hard time of it these days; varroa mite, pesticides and a lack of plant diversity are all contributing to the decline of the bee populations crucial for pollinating crops. Read More
Grant Jacobs • Dec 20, 2012 •
While I madly tackle the pre-Christmas to-do list (sigh) I’d like to give a shout-out to a blog post by Glenn Stewart, Professor of Urban Ecology, Lincoln University (near Christchurch), about what is happening to gardens in ‘abandoned’ Christchurch homes. As you might expect, they’re growing wild, with a natural succession taking place that is … Read More
Waiology • Jun 30, 2011 •
By Daniel Collins When you think about hydrology, the first things that come to mind are often rain and rivers, not plants. But plants have a significant effect on how much rain actually reaches the rivers. We see this most readily in the reduction in river flow when grassland is replaced by shrubland or forest. Low flows, mean flow and … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Oct 15, 2010 •
Stefano Mancuso’s TED lecture, shown below, opens with him pointing out what he considers to be the biggest error in the story of Noah’s ark – there were no plants.** I immediately thought: ’nor fungi’, then ’nor bacteria’ (which is a bit unfair as the writers of that day couldn’t see them). I then thought of viruses, … Read More
Hilary Miller • Jan 15, 2010 •
Hot on the heels of Forest and Bird’s “Bird of the year” competition comes the NZ Plant Conservation Network’s 2009 favourite plant poll. The winner was announced just before Christmas but I must have missed it in the Christmas rush. While voters in the bird of the year poll managed to display a stunning lack [...] … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Dec 15, 2009 •
[caption id="attachment_818" align="alignright" width="341" caption="(Source: wikipedia.)"][/caption] Some say that genetically modified plants are a concern because they're genetically modified organisms (GMOs), that "natural" plants are safer. Yet what most people call "natural" foods are rare mutants that have been selected or have been artificially bred (or often both). They have much more dramatic … Read More
Vic Arcus • Oct 29, 2009 •
I was in the garden this weekend and I saw the new tendrils on our passion-fruit vine winding their way outwards from the main stem of the vine. The tiny passion-fruit leaders form helices which grasp onto, and wind their way around the wire which we attached to the wall. The new spring growth in the garden has lots of … Read More