Tree Ecology

They are trees of life and trees of knowledge. They are wish-fulfillers, rain forest royalty, more precious than gold. They are the fig trees, and they have affected humanity in profound but little-known ways. Gods, Wasps and Stranglers tells their amazing story. Fig trees fed our prehuman ancestors, influenced diverse cultures, and played key roles in the dawn of civilization.

Drawing upon a lifetime of scientific expertise and an abiding love of nature, Richard Fortey uses his small wood to tell a wider story of the ever-changing British landscape, human influence on the countryside over many centuries and the vital interactions between flora, fauna and fungi. The trees provide a majestic stage for woodland animals and plants to reveal their own stories.

In this entertaining young readers edition of the environmental studies classic, Michael Pollan demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a reciprocal relationship. He links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, energy, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, coffee, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also helped them to thrive.

America was built on white pine. From the 1600s through the Civil War and beyond, it was used to build the nation's ships and houses, barns, and bridges. Yet this popularity came at a cost: by the end of the nineteenth century, clear cutting had decimated much of America's white pine forests. In White Pine, ecologist and writer John Pastor takes listeners on walk through history, connecting the white pine forests that remain today to a legacy of destruction and renewal.

In this simple question-and-answer audio program with immersive sound design, follow our intrepid babies on an adventure into the depths of the rain forest. Take a peek into the dense foliage and uncover the millions of plants and animals that live inside. Plus, learn how to tell the difference between the kinds of rain forests—temperate and tropical—in this simple text written in question-and-answer format.

Climate science can seem dense, remote, and abstract. But through the lens of this one tree, it becomes immediate and intimate. In Witness Tree, environmental reporter Lynda V. Mapes takes us through her year living with one red oak at the Harvard Forest. We learn about carbon cycles and leaf physiology but also experience the seasons as people have for centuries, watching for each new bud and listening for each new bird and frog call in spring.

It’s common knowledge that coast redwoods are tall, tall trees. In fact, they are the tallest trees in the world. What most people don’t know is that there is a whole other forest growing high in the canopy of a redwood forest. This adaptation of "The House That Jack Built" climbs into this secret, hidden habitat full of all kinds of plants and animals that call this forest home.

Jimmy and Janet’s Apple Tree is about teaching children, in a magnetic and fun way, the change of the seasons.

Carbon is everywhere. It is constantly moving between the air, water, rocks, and living things. But did you know that none of these things would exist without the carbon cycle? Or that humans have caused the carbon cycle to be out of balance? Learn more about the carbon cycle in this fascinating book.

The rain forest biome is filled with many kinds of plants and animals. More rain falls here than anywhere else on Earth. How do animals protect themselves from danger in the rain forest? And how do plants get enough light to grow under the thick canopy? Listen to find out!

Winter lasts a long time in the evergreen forest biome. The trees here stay green all year. But how do tree needles help a tree survive the winter? And how do animals live in the snow and cold? Listen to this audiobook to find out!

The deciduous forest biome is filled with leafy trees. This biome changes with each season. What kinds of animals live and hunt in the forest? And how do people make good use of the trees? Listen to this book to find out!

When a young boy riding the subway finds an abandoned book about redwoods, strange things start to happen. He reads that the trees' ancestors lived during the Jurassic period as dinosaurs appear at his window. Discovering that redwoods alive today first sprouted during the Roman Empire, he finds himself seated between two Roman citizens. And when, still reading, he emerges from the subway, he enters the very forest described in the book he holds in his hands....

Early in the morning, young Tepui walks through the Venezuelan tropical rain forest. Colorful birds call from the treetops, and a tribe of monkeys plays in the branches. But Tepui doesn't have time to enjoy the animals he loves so much. He is going to the Science Laboratory to talk to his scientist friends.

Ancient trees stand as sentinels against all odds while Earth and its people have changed around them. Award-winning author Anthony D. Fredericks examines their awe-inspiring longevity and evolutionary intelligence, drawing on expert interviews, scientific research, and a remarkable reverence for the environment. Fredericks focuses on ten of the oldest trees in the United States and marvels at the complexity of roots, the determination of growth, and the wisdom of forests.

The once denuded Northeastern United States is now a region of trees. Nature Next Door argues that the growth of cities, the construction of parks, the transformation of farming, the boom in tourism, and changes in the timber industry have together brought about a return of Northeastern forests. Although historians and historical actors alike have seen urban and rural areas as distinct, they are in fact intertwined, and the dichotomies of farm and forest, agriculture and industry, and nature and culture break down when the focus is on the history of Northeastern woods.

O grande pesquisador e contador de histórias leva os ouvintes numa instigante jornada pelos imensos sistemas naturais que tornam a vida na Terra possível.