Two of my favourite blogs, Dynamic Ecology and Small Pond Science, both produce end-of-week compilations of links to interesting items on the web. On the basis that plagiarism imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I thought I’d follow suit with a regular series of posts to biodiversity-related* items that have caught my attention during the week**. This is the first one.
- In an article in the Times Higher, John Warren and colleagues discuss their concern about the decline in graduates with species identification skills. They raise some valid points that echo worries that others have raised in the past, but I question their assertion that “each year there are fewer than 10 UK graduates who are proficient enough in field identification skills to be employable”. I’d like to see some evidence to back that up.
- Tony Juniper discusses the importance of bees (and other pollinators) to business in an article in Resurgence magazine (and I get a name check!)
- Scientists find evidence of wheat growing in UK 8,000 years ago – which is 2,000 years earlier than previously believed.
- Mr Spock has died; I’ve always loved Star Trek and Leonard Nimoy’s passing is sad news. But he lived long, and he prospered, and we can’t ask more from life than that.
- Tropical deforestation may have actually accelerated, not decreased, according to a new study. But Brazil is faring better than other countries.
- A great example of a mutualistic interaction between a carnivorous pitcher plant and a species of bat that makes its home within it. Bat gets somewhere to live; plant gets pooh; everyone wins.
*Disclaimer: may sometimes contain non-biodiversity-related links.
**Feel free to recommend links that have caught your eye.
Prof. Jeff Ollerton - ecological scientist and author 