Missing Mayflies: Imperiled Insects Part 4
Most insects that begin life underwater enjoy only a fleeting adult existence. A mature dragonfly’s seven-month lifespan would seem like an eternity to the stoneflies and caddisflies, Read More…
food web
Imperiled Insects: Damsels and Dragons in Distress
A recent study revealed that insect species have experienced a staggering worldwide decline over the past 40 years (Sánchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys 2019). Researchers compiled decades of long-term Read More…
Macroinvertebrates Meet Microplastics
Our planet is awash in plastic. It’s ubiquitous, takes hundreds of years to degrade, and more is constantly being produced. Numerous studies have assessed plastic making its Read More…
Sheephead, Sea Urchins & Kelp: A Dynamic Food Chain
In ocean food webs, many organisms directly and indirectly rely on each other to bring balance to the surrounding environment. Food webs in ecosystems like kelp forests Read More…
The Lake Tahoe Takeover
While Lake Tahoe is famous for its clear blue waters, the ecosystem of the lake is far from untouched or pristine. Stocking and unintended introductions of non-native Read More…
Disrupting the Delta Food-Web
When it comes to alien invaders (also known as invasive species) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the most damaging species generally fall into two categories: ecosystem engineers Read More…
Stuck in the Middle: Insects in the Food Web
Macroinvertebrates are one of the smaller and often unnoticed organisms in the food web, but they play a vital role in stream ecosystems. As our staff have observed, Read More…
The dish on fish guts
Food webs are important features of any ecosystem – but in an environment like the river or the ocean, how do you actually identify who eats who? Read More…
Tiny Plastic Pieces Found in Seafood and Marine Life
Tiny bits of plastic, known as microplastics, are becoming a massive aquatic problem. It may be easy to think plastic poses no problem if it’s so tiny Read More…
Shifting waters: California ocean grows warmer, less bountiful
On World Oceans Day today (June 8), we’re reflecting on the news that the California Current Ecosystem is changing. In this important marine environment off the West Read More…