Tag Archives: ecosystem

A neonic that’s bad news for birds

Posted on July 25, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Europe, three insect-killing neonicotinoids are under a temporary ban. One of the banned neonics is called imidacloprid. Six months into the neonic ban, here’s new science about imidacloprid and insect-eating birds in the Netherlands. The chemical and biotech … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged apple, arthropod, Bayer, bird, crop, DDT, ecosystem, Europe, European Food Safety Authority, history, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, insectivore, invertebrate, knowledge, law, pest control, pesticide, plant_dicot, poison, pollution, research, seed, seedling, soil, sugar beet, tomato, vertebrate, water, wildlife | 2 Comments

Seed banks in soil

Posted on June 15, 2014 by argylesock

Chris at woodlands.co.uk tells us about ‘soil seed banks’. Growers and farmers know very well how seeds can live in soil, ready to germinate when conditions change. This can be wonderful, terrible or both. Chris’s article stirs an old seedbank … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged bog, bryophyte, conservation, ecosystem, farmer, gardener, habitat restoration, keystone species, landscape, mining, moss, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, seed, seedbank, soil, wetland | Leave a comment

Gardens for wildlife

Posted on June 1, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Britain the gardening season looks good so far. Here’s an article about gardening for bees and other wildlife. Untidy gardeners like me are good gardeners for wildlife. It’s now a year since hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) bred in my … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, horticulture, miniculture | Tagged apiculture, arthropod, breeding, bumblebee, clover, conservation, ecosystem, Europe, flower, foraging, fruit, garden, gardener, green manure, hedgehog, herb, hibernation, honeybee, hymenopteran, insect, invertebrate, leaf, mammal, nest, plant_dicot, rat, salad, vegetable, vertebrate, weed, wild bee, wild food, wild pollinator, wildlife | Leave a comment

Feature: Protecting the pollinators part 1 – bees and ecology

Posted on April 21, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… We need bees and other pollinators. We really, really need them. Here’s the first of three articles about pollinators, from the Wellcome Trust blog, which I’ll pass on today.

Posted in agriculture, ecology, food, miniculture | Tagged apiculture, arachnid, arthropod, beetle, biodiversity, bumblebee, coleopteran, conservation, crop, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, dipteran, disease, ecosystem, habitat loss, honeybee, hoverfly, hymenopteran, insect, mite, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, pollination, research, seed, Varroa destructor, virus, wasp, wild bee, wild pollinator | 2 Comments

Genetic engineering in agriculture

Posted on April 10, 2014 by argylesock

As the European Union and the United States approach agreement on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), now’s a good time for us Europeans to approach understanding of USian farming. And vice versa. Today I’m looking at the Union … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, money and trade | Tagged agroecology, America, biodiversity, biotechnology, crop, crop diversity, ecosystem, Europe, genetic modification, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, seed, selective breeding, sustainable, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | 9 Comments

Fertilisers destabilise grasslands

Posted on March 21, 2014 by argylesock

Here’s new evidence that fertilising grasslands can make them less stable. Therefore, fertilised grasslands might become more vulnerable to climate change. This is a serious matter in our hungry world. Here’s the science. This research was led by Andy Hector … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, food | Tagged academia, biodiversity, climate, ecosystem, eutrophic, fertiliser, food security, grassland, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, research, soil | Leave a comment

Has Owen Gone Off-piste on Offsetting?

Posted on January 6, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… Paterson lost the plot.

Posted in ecology | Tagged ancient woodland, biodiversity, conservation, development, ecosystem, forest, law, offsetting, Paterson_Owen, planning, politics, woodland | 2 Comments

Exotic trees

Posted on December 9, 2013 by argylesock

Lewis at woodlands.co.uk tells us about the exotic (alien) trees which are familiar in our British landscapes. Lewis tells us how many of these trees arrived during colonial times when great houses and gardens were built. He doesn’t mention how … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology | Tagged alien species, arboriculture, disease, disease reservoir, ecosystem, forest, garden, hedge, history, human, invasive species, landscape, native species, naturalised species, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, sugar cane, tree, wood, woodland | Leave a comment

Neonic ban starts today

Posted on December 1, 2013 by argylesock

Today a two-year ban on three insecticides called neonics (neonicotinoids) came into force across the European Union (EU). The neonics are used as seed dressings to reduce pest attacks. Their names are clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. The neonics have been … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture | Tagged arthropod, clothianidin, conservation, crop, ecosystem, farmer, honeybee, hymenopteran, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, law, neonicotinoid, pest, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, pollination, seed, thiamethoxam, wild bee, wild pollinator | 18 Comments

New Marine Conservation Zones around England

Posted on November 22, 2013 by argylesock

New Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) will soon be created in English seas to protect coral reefs and other marine life. Yesterday Auntie Beeb told us that there are to be 27 new MCZs. ‘Announcing the 27 new zones, marine environment … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, fish | Tagged conservation, coral, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, ecosystem, finfish, invertebrate, lobster, marine conservation zone, mollusc, oyster, politics, sea, seabed, seahorse, shellfish, sustainable, vertebrate | Leave a comment