Socioecology Research Today

In this work, the potential of invasive plant species as feedstock for value-added products (biochar and bioenergy) through pyrolysis was investigated. The product yield rates of two major invasive species in the US, Brazilian pepper (BP) and air potato (AP), were compared to that of two traditional feedstock materials, water oak and energy cane. Three [...]

The global protected area (PA) system has a key role to play in biological conservation, and it is thus vital to understand the factors that are likely to limit this potential. Attention to date has focused foremost on the consequences of biases in the spatial distribution of PAs for their effectiveness and efficiency in representing [...]

To better understand and manage complex systems like ecosystems it is critical to know the relative contribution of the system components to the system function. Ecologists and social scientists have described a diversity of ways that individuals can be important; This paper makes two key contributions to this research area. First, it shows that throughflow [...]

The supposition that agricultural intensification results in land sparing for conservation has become central to policy formulations across the tropics. However, underlying assumptions remain uncertain and have been little explored in the context of conservation incentive schemes such as policies for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, conservation, sustainable management, and enhancement of carbon [...]

  In the new study, researchers connected yeast populations by migration. The researchers grew groups of yeast colonies in rows of small, circular wells on plastic trays—imagine the bottom half of a miniature egg carton that has eight rows instead of two. Every morning, the scientists transferred a quarter of each population to the wells [...]

Alteration of rivers for human use has resulted in substantial biodiversity declines, particularly for species restricted to the largest rivers. Conservation and restoration efforts on large rivers often focus on the mainstem, but societal reliance on benefits derived from these alterations generally prevents complete restoration of the river. We propose that certain tributaries, by virtue [...]

The Atlas of Guatemalan Crop Wild Relatives (Atlas Guatemalteco de Parientes Silvestres de las Plantas Cultivadas) is a unique new resource designed to facilitate the conservation and use of wild plant species that are related to cultivated crops. Guatemala is located in the heart of Mesoamerica, one of the world’s most important centers of plant [...]

In 2009, the European Union has defined an organic label for macroalgae, which implies that the commercial harvest of algae shall not cause a significant impact on ecosystems. The aim of this work was to study the effects of hand harvesting of three algae: Fucus serratus, Palmaria palmata, and Porphyra linearis on the associated biodiversity [...]

Ecosystem restoration is now globally recognized as a key component in conservation programs and essential to the quest for the long-term sustainability of our human-dominated planet. Restoration scientists and practitioners are now on the frontline and will be increasingly called upon to get involved in large scale programs addressing immediate environmental crises and challenges. Here, [...]

Over the past 6 years, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom have created huge marine reserves that have banned fishing in more than 1.9 million square kilometers of ocean. Unlike an older generation of preserves that mostly focused on small patches of coral or coastal fish stocks, these vast new sanctuaries are designed [...]