I’m proud and fortunate to be a co-inhabitant of Earth … I think everyone should feel that sense of pride –- not quite patriotism or nationalism … just Earthism …

I think I’ve coined a new word …

it sounds awkward, but the sentiment is, I believe, noble … if we all inspire a swelling of honour for being alive on this stupendous host planet, then respecting our home would be an innate habit, an inevitable consequence of our mundane routines … we wouldn’t have to think about taking care of the Earth, it would be automatic … as parents love their child, as siblings care for each other, as friends look out for one another, each human would have the same concern for Home … it would be effortless and intrinsically rewarding … it would be a necessity and a natural way of living …

it’s not a primitive mind-set, nor does it imply sacrifice … for we are sacrificing more if we ruthlessly imperil life on the planet … it isn’t difficult to live conscientiously … a “simple life” doesn’t mean “boring” or even “deprived” … i think it suggests respect more than anything … respect for oneself as well as for other living beings …

You’re not the only one who enjoys the sweetness of agaves. Desert bats have been feasting on the ephemeral flower nectar long before humans even existed!  

Recently, the explosion of agave nectar consumption has dramatically increased demand for the agricultural production of agave crops.  Agave nectar is advertised as a safe and nutritious alternative sweetener that can be enjoyed by everyone, especially diabetics, without the potential side-effects suffered from consuming sugar cane, honey, corn syrup, and sugar alcohols.  However, agave agriculture is not an ecologically sustainable practice.  The biodiversity of agave plants, their native desert ecosystems, and the pollinator bat species that depend on agave for food are all at risk.

It has become widespread knowledge that the world’s pollinators are dwindling.  Thanks to the global voices of entomologists (scientists who study insects) and ornithologists (scientists who study birds), public concerns about the precipitous decline in pollinator populations have motivated successful conservation strategies to help protect commonly loved species such as honey bees, Monarch butterflies, and various hummingbirds.

However, the number of plant pollinators whose existence is under threat is, sadly, far greater than what most people realize.  One very important group of pollinators, bats, is often overlooked; yet, in many ecosystems bats are primary pollinators and dispersers of seeds for thousands of plants, including plants used and consumed by humans.

Agaves are among the plants that some species of bats pollinate. However, what makes this relationship especially unique is that bats and agaves are reliant upon each other—loss of one will effect dire consequences for the other. So how does the agave nectar industry affect the ecology of bats and of agave? Let’s take a closer look at the biology of agaves and bats in South America.

more…

skinny whale what?!?

a quick reference to distinguishing gray whales from other species ... click for a larger image

according to the urban dictionary, there is such a thing as “dolphin whale syndrome” … that made me chuckle …

according to biologists, however, there is also such as thing as “skinny whale syndrome” … this one’s not so funny …

skinny whale syndrome is a recent phenomenon that is being observed in pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) by fishermen, local people living near marine environments, and marine biologists … the migration, feeding, and breeding behaviours of these magnificent mammals are changing … more…

exposed bedrock in the gulf of maine, usa

well, if injecting CO2 supercritical gas into bedrock is loaded with caveats, imagine how much worse it is to inject CO2 gas into the ocean — a living ecosystem teeming with biota (albeit i am not averse to Buddhist teachings and the contemporary Gaeia hypothesis, which contend that all matter has life) …

i’m especially bothered by any anthropogenic perturbations to oceans, largely because my training and schooling as a marine biologist made me shockingly aware of the enormity and extent of issues plaguing marine ecosystems as well as the (often unappreciated) importance that oceans play in global ecosystems …

so what may happen as a result of our attempts to store excess atmospheric CO2 gas in oceans? more…