Can battling invasive species be a mistake? (Part Two)
Emerald ash borer adult (Photo by by U.S. Department of Agriculture)
In Part One, I discussed the prevalence of invasive species in contemporary ecosystems and questioned whether we should even spend time and resources battling them. I also discussed the "Tens Rule" in invasion biology, which suggests that only a...
Can battling invasive species be a mistake? (Part One)
Himalayan balsam (Photo by Keith Williamson)
As a conservation organization, the Nature Conservancy of Canada spends a considerable amount of time and resources controlling invasive species. In some ways, this seems contradictory. Why would an organization tasked with conserving the natural...
Grass carp: The new aquatic invader
Grass carp (Photo by Eric Engbretson, USFWS)
There has been a great deal of attention paid to the Asian carp invasion in recent years, and recently some devastating news was released: grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are probably already spawning in the Great Lakes basin(1). This...
Principles for ensuring healthy and productive freshwater ecosystems that support sustainable fisheries
Smallmouth bass (Photo by USFWS, Eric Engbritson)
As a postdoctoral fellow at Carleton University, I led the development of a review paper by a group of leading Canadian freshwater researchers. Our aim was to provide a summary of the best available science on freshwater ecosystems to guide...
It all adds up: The surprising variety of ways conservation scientists use math daily
Geometry lessons (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, KUHT)
A recent report by the Organization for Economic Development and Co-Operation found that Canadian students have slipped out of the top-10 list of countries with the highest math scores. This has implications for all Canadian professions, not...
Why does biodiversity matter? The diversity of life on Earth matters a lot…no matter how you look at it
Red admiral butterfly (Photo by NCC)
A question often asked, particularly by those who question whether too many resources are being spent on environmental protection, is "Why does biodiversity matter?" Biodiversity, often thought of in terms of the number of species found in one...
