Old collections of dried plants trapped in herbaria for centuries are acquiring unprecedented powers in understanding the history of plant evolution and improving biodiversity conservation, thanks to new technological...
A study in southern Spain shows that using cover crops instead of tillage in olive groves can significantly increase biodiversity, suggesting organic farming with cover crops or abandonment of groves for natural...
Botanical gardens provide access to vital plants and water for butterflies in the southwest US. This will only become more important as the climate becomes warmer and drier.
In urban areas, gardens and parks can provide green oases among the concrete, and birds are adapted to fly in and settle in these areas. But not all green spaces are the same.
It was thought that people preferred graveyards to be tidy. A new survey finds that visitors can accept the presence of some decaying matter - opening more possibilities for biodiversity.
Refugia are island-like habitats that are linked to long-term environmental stability and, as a result, high endemism. Conservation of refugia and endemism hotspots should be based on a deep ecological and evolutionary...
Is there a better way to control pests than spraying chemicals? Keeping a non-crop habitat nearby can help shelter predators, but new research shows the correlation between conservation and pest-control isn't simple.
Did flowering plants appear earlier than the fossil record indicates? Two papers independently conclude they did - and suggest what fossil evidence we should look for.