Ecosystem Science

In the 1930s, the last wolves disappeared from Yellowstone National Park. Without them, elk herds overran the plains. Bears starved, rabbit families shrunk and birds flew away to new homes. Then plants and trees started to die off, too—even the flow of rivers was affected. Could the park be saved...by the wolves it had lost? After years of planning, in 1995 a team of experts was ready to find out. They carefully relocated 14 wolves from the Canadian Rockies to Yellowstone. This is the story of their homecoming.

Making earth science accessible and entertaining, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth explains how our planet works - and how we can protect it - from its diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants to the levels of ecology, the importance of biodiversity, the cycles of nature, and more. Science- and nature-loving listeners of all ages will delight in this utterly charming guide to our amazing home.

Rebalancing ourselves, through the simple practice of conscious ritualing, will not only free us from our addictions, but it will give us a greater purpose as well: Saving our ecosystems. While landscapes are violent and competitive, ecosystems hold all landscapes together, harmoniously, and cooperatively. With ecosystems in mind, rather than landscapes, and qualia in our sights, rather than matter, we can break the big Dopamine habit and change the human economy.

YUCK is a prismatic collage, a poetic wandering, a compact history of the West as twisted and weird and ominous and beautiful as the plant it obsesses over. From divine providence to gaseous landfill to Instagram paradise, Yuck deftly traces the modern history of a small patch of desert to leave us with a big warning about America's demented relationship with the land.

Mosquitoes are among the most notorious insects globally, infamous for their role as vectors of various deadly diseases. Yet, their existence is a complex interplay of detrimental and beneficial effects on both ecosystems and human societies.

Drawing upon his vast knowledge of the environment, biology, botany, and history, Ronald R. Van Stockum, Jr. has written a love letter to Kentucky. The lay person as well as the expert will understand as he describes the state’s evolution - its history, original land surface, the river-cut gorges, the mountains, and the lakes. Along with thorough documentation, the writer gives us a poetic description of this “...verdant state, lush in its heat, humidity, and rainfall. The diversity and abundance of life was immediately evident to all who came here”.

In Elkhorn Slough, an inlet on the California coast, seagrass grows healthy and strong in the shallow water. This healthy seagrass baffled marine biologist Brent Hughes. The scientist expected this estuary to be overrun with algae, causing the seagrass to die. Why was the seagrass thriving? As Brent investigated, signs pointed to an unexpected player helping to keep the seagrass healthy: sea otters! What do these top predators have to do with an aquatic grass at the opposite end of the food chain?

Ecology for Kids helps children aged 10 and up better understand the complexity of the natural world and the web of life. Topics covered include predator and prey relationships, and how creatures are interconnected via food chains. The book also explores how these food chains can be impacted by extinction events and the potential impacts of global warming and actions that can be taken to reduce the impact. This is a great guide to some important biology topics for interested middle schoolers.