News from the department of Ecology

Find news from the department of Ecology.

Seminar in Alnarp on biological control with CBC's new operations group External web Centre for biological control (CBC) Department of Ecology Institutionen för skoglig mykologi och växtpatologi Department of Plant Protection Biology Department of Molecular Sciences Platform Plant Protection The Center for Biological Control, CBC, met in Alnarp 4–5 October. The center has a new operations group this fall, and the meeting therefore started with seminars on biological control research. 05 October 2018
Ecological impact of logging in the Białowieża Forest extends far beyond logged areas External web Ecology Department of Ecology On start page external web Research news Press releases Environmental sciences A team of researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Siedlce University and the Mammal Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences, has provided a first objective estimate of the extent of logging (since 2015) in the renowned Białowieża Forest. This forest is the last remaining area of lowland temperate forest with a primeval character in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage and Natura 2000 site. 02 October 2018
Study Reveals Best Available Science for Predator-Livestock Coexistence External web Department of Ecology On start page external web Research news Livestock guardian dogs, livestock enclosures, and fladry all were scientifically shown to be effective conflict deterrents. Many more methods – lethal and nonlethal alike – show promise but have not yet been studied in a scientifically defensible manner to determine if they are effectiv, according to a new study in PLOS Biology with authors from Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in the international team. 18 September 2018
Regional landscape change linked to local species loss External web Ecology Agricultural science Department of Ecology On start page external web Research news Press releases Environmental sciences Widespread landscape change and a loss of grassland habitat during the 20th century could be responsible for a reduction in grassland plant species, new research shows. 27 August 2018
EcoStack – new EU project will combine ecosystem services for optimized crop production External web Ecology Centre for organic food and farming (EPOK) Centre for biological control (CBC) Department of Ecology Institutionen för skoglig mykologi och växtpatologi Department of Crop Production Ecology On start page external web Distinctions and financial funding Department of Molecular Sciences Platform Plant Protection EcoStack is a new EU-project with a budget of 10 million Euros that will span five years. The project starts in September 2018 and SLU is one of 24 partners. The aim of the project is to use ecosystem services to optimize crop protection and production. 24 August 2018
Could insects as a feed alternative change deforestation rates? External web Department of Ecology On start page external web SLU Future Food According to a master thesis by Douglas Hunter substitution of soybean meal with insects in the European poultry industry could reduce land-use up to 99 percent. Many colleagues at SLU have expressed their interest in the thesis that belongs to a research project on sustainable use of resources lead by Åsa Berggren, Department of Ecology. 10 July 2018
More predators in food webs weakens predictive ability of single-trait models External web Ecology Centre for biological control (CBC) Department of Ecology Research Research news Researchers from SLU has shown how an increasing number of predator species weakens the ability of a single-trait food web model to predict experimentally observed outcomes of trophic interactions. This new information will be important when developing food web models that can be used to predict biological control. 29 May 2018
When nearby plants touch leaves, neighbours’ roots grow away from crowded areas External web Ecology Agricultural science Department of Ecology Department of Crop Production Ecology On start page external web Research news Corn seedlings that grow together give off underground signals that impact the growth of nearby plants, reports a study published May 2, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Velemir Ninkovic from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, and colleagues. 03 May 2018
Peatland conservation for mitigating climate change is underrated External web Climate research Soil science Earth and environmental sciences Department of Ecology On start page external web Research news Press releases Environmental sciences Preserving peatlands around the world from degradation can be a relatively inexpensive and effective measure to tackle climate change, according to an article in Nature Communications written by Jens Leifeld, Agroscope (Switzerland) and Lorenzo Menichetti, SLU. They have analysed available data to evaluate the costs of global peatland degradation in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers are surprised that peatlands do not get more attention within research and climate policy at a... 25 April 2018
Long-awaited book about the birds of the forest External web Ecology Forest science Department of Ecology Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies School for Forest Management On start page external web Research news Press releases Environmental sciences About 10 years ago Grzegorz Mikusiński's students at the School of Forest Management asked him if he could recommend a good book about birds in the forest. Now he can finally answer ‘yes’ to that question. Ecology and Conservation of Forest Birds is a unique review of northern hemisphere forest birds with emphasis on Europe - how they are adapted to living in the forest and how they are affected by changes in the habitat. Grzegorz has edited the book together with Jean-Michel Roberge and Rob... 26 March 2018