Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

Here we report severe apparent declines in mammal populations that coincide temporally and spatially with the proliferation of pythons in ENP. Before 2000, mammals were encountered frequently during nocturnal road surveys within ENP. In contrast, road surveys totaling 56,971 km from 2003–2011 documented a 99.3% decrease in the frequency of raccoon observations, decreases of 98.9% [...]

Few scientists have tried to systematically assess the biodiversity of interior as opposed to exterior spaces. Ecologists at North Carolina State University have mounted a large citizen-science survey-the first of its kind-to compile microbial data from thousands of homes in different parts of the world in order to explore whether the microbial makeup of homes [...]

Ocean acidification (OA) is a reduction in oceanic pH due to increased absorption of anthropogenically produced CO2. This change alters the seawater concentrations of inorganic carbon species that are utilized by macroalgae for photosynthesis and calcification: CO2 and HCO3− increase; CO32− decreases. Two common methods of experimentally reducing seawater pH differentially alter other aspects of [...]

Genes from recently extinct species can live on in the genomes of extant individuals of mixed ancestry. Recently, genetic signatures of the giant Galápagos tortoise once endemic to Floreana Island (Chelonoidis elephantopus) were detected within eleven hybrid individuals of otherwise pure Chelonoidis becki on Volcano Wolf, Isabela Island [1]. Movement of tortoises between islands by [...]

Increased aridity and human population have reduced tree cover in parts of the African Sahel and degraded resources for local people. Yet, tree cover trends and the relative importance of climate and population remain unresolved. From field measurements, aerial photos, and Ikonos satellite images, we detected significant 1954–2002 tree density declines in the western Sahel [...]

5. Under the ‘business as usual’ scenario, population models projected a 90% decline in the size of tapped and untapped populations within 50 years and a 50% decline in frankincense yield within 15 years. Model simulations for restoration scenarios revealed that populations and frankincense production could only be sustained with intensive management leading to full sapling [...]

At a recent ceremony in a small village in eastern Madagascar, a group of concerned elders presented a request to their ancestors. Would the ancestors please lift the taboo against hunting and eating lemurs? After all, a growing number of young people in their society were already flouting the traditional beliefs, illegally hunting endangered species [...]