shrubs – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Hidden Wildfires Taking Big Toll on Amazon Rainforest

By Guest PostJune 9, 2013Environmentairs, Amazon, amazon fire season, amazon forests, Amazon rainforest, atmospheric infrared sounder, austin, climate conditions, climate fire connection, climate mechanisms, data, deforestation activity, doug morton, dry conditions, evolution, fire season, frequent understory fire, german aerospace center, global climate, grace, grasses, hidden wildfires, imaging spectroradiometer, irvine, isabella velicogna, kathryn hansen, moderate resolution, modis, nasa scientists, noaa, regional scale, satellite technique, sea surface temperature, shrubs, southern amazon, terra satellite, type of wildfire, understory fires, university of california, university of texas, yang chen

Using an innovative satellite technique, NASA scientists have determined that a previously unmapped type of wildfire in the Amazon rainforest is responsible for destroying several times more forest than has been lost through deforestation in recent years.

In the southern Amazon rainforest, fires below the forest treetops, or “understory fires,” have been hidden from view from NASA satellites that detect actively burning fires. The new method has now led to the first regional estimate of understory fire damages across the southern Amazon. (more…)

Researcher Discovers Bug That Might Only Exist on Mizzou’s Campus

By Guest PostMarch 17, 2013Scienceaphid family, aphis mizzou, ben puttler, bend stems, bug, campus, crumple leaves, distort plant tissue, doris lagos, faurot field, five segmented antenna, jesse hall, memorial union, molecular tests, mu researcher, new insect, North America, sap of plants, shrubs, trees, university of Illinois, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri has Jesse Hall, Faurot Field, Memorial Union and the Columns. Now, MU has its own bug. An MU researcher has discovered a new insect on campus and given it a Mizzou name. Ben Puttler, assistant professor emeritus of plant sciences at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, first discovered Aphis Mizzou in 2005 while conducting research on wasps on the MU campus.

The insect, Aphis Mizzou, is a member of the aphid family of bugs. Aphids are tiny insects that live by feeding on the sap of plants. Nearly all annual and perennial plants, including shrubs and trees, are potential hosts for aphids. When feeding on these plants, aphids can crumple leaves, distort plant tissue and bend stems. There are 5,000 species of aphids known in the world, but only 150 live in North America. (more…)

Weevils and Weeds

By Guest PostJuly 3, 2012Environmentamanda stout, chester county, China, coverdale farm preserve, creek state park, dave pro, delaware, doug tallamy, judy hough goldstein, margo mcdonough, mile a minute, pea patch island, photosynthesize, rhinoncomimus latipes, shrubs, weed, weeds, weevil, weevils, white clay, yard

UD researchers use weevils to check spread of prolific mile-a-minute weed

Mile-a-minute weed has declared war on Doug Tallamy’s yard. This non-native, invasive vine is growing up his trees, scrambling over shrubs and smothering tree seedlings. By blocking sunlight, it weakens a plant by reducing its ability to photosynthesize.

Mile-a-minute doesn’t care one whit that Tallamy, professor and chair of the University of Delaware’s Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, is a highly respected proponent of native gardening who doesn’t believe in planting any non-natives, let alone a highly invasive non-native.

“The deer brought mile-a-minute from our neighbor’s yard three years after we moved in,” says Tallamy. “We had just a few plants the first year, a few hundred the second year, and 20 trillion the third year.” (more…)

Tag Archives: shrubs

Hidden Wildfires Taking Big Toll on Amazon Rainforest

Researcher Discovers Bug That Might Only Exist on Mizzou’s Campus

Weevils and Weeds