Speciose Weekly - Science Update #1
This week, we learn that many cities are quite biodiverse, focus on 15 new and surprising biodiversity issues, come to know our noisy oceans, and much more
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Speciose Weekly’s short-form science newsletter, where we’ll focus exclusively cool, new science.
Current events can be grim, especially on our current business as usual trajectory. But alongside the rush of the the weekly news cycle, there’s also a rush of new learning. Trouble is, that learning—complete with profound insights about the world, innovative solutions to today’s biggest problems, and the magic of what we have yet to learn—tends to exist behind two barriers: paywalls1 and technical jargon. If only we could get past those barriers and understand what scientists are on about, we might feel more optimistic about our future.
That’s the goal of this science-only edition of Speciose Weekly: to focus on all that we’re learning, keep our finger on the pulse of new ideas, and, in the end, leave feeling a little more optimistic.
So with that, let’s step away from current events and dive into some exciting new science from this past week.
This week’s top pick: Many Cities Support a Surprisingly Rich Diversity of Species
Spotswood et al. 2021; BioScience (free to access!)
It’s easy to assume that cities are ecological dead-zones. In this view, nature—however you define it—only exists far off in the country. But for a variety of reasons, we may want to rethink this rigid divide. One of those reasons is human health and wellbeing: as we’ve already seen in the past month of Speciose Weekly, cities that are habitable for other species are healthier for people too—they seek fewer antidepressant prescriptions, report similar happiness boosts to what you’d expect from a pay-raise, and have fewer health problems. The rising tide of urban greening, it seems, lifts all boats.
Now, as biodiversity monitoring becomes more commonplace, a new consensus is emerging. Far from being dead-zones, many cities actually contain more species than surrounding landscapes. Those species tend to have larger populations, faster population growth, and they contribute to higher ecosystem productivity.
Of course, many species—specifically those that are more specialized on particular of life, less intelligent, less social, and reproduce slowly—simply can’t cope with urbanization. But, of those that can cope, many are flourishing.
For that reason, the authors of this study identify five ways that urban species can benefit less speciose ecosystems outside the city:
Releasing species from threats in the larger landscape - These are cases where species are actually more at risk of dangers like habitat loss or poisoning outside a city than within.
Increasing regional habitat heterogeneity and genetic diversity - Simply having vibrant populations in any area preserves a diverse gene pool. And many species, like tree species, produce habitat that other species can inhabit.
Acting as migratory stopovers - Migratory species need to stop and refuel, just like travelers on an interstate highway. If cities offer lots of habitat, migratory species can use the urban landscape rather than avoiding it.
Preadapting species to climate change - One of the strongest effects any city has on its biodiversity is through the “urban heat island effect” (cities are warmer than the surrounding landscape). Populations that adapt to the warmer temperatures in cities will, coincidentally, be well-prepared for a hotter future.
Enhancing public engagement and environmental stewardship - My favorite example of this is Monty and Rose, a pair of Piping Plovers (a federally endangered species) that took up a home on Chicago’s Montrose Beach. The pair generated huge public interest, leading to the closure of much of the beach, protection for other species at that site, and even a film.
Here’s the kicker: by implementing these five benefits, urban planners and policymakers won’t just reap the rewards of a greener city—the whole region of people and other species will too.
Read the full, free-to-access study in the journal BioScience.
The Top 15 Emerging Biodiversity Issues in 2021
Sutherland et al. 2021; Trends in Ecology & Evolution (free to access!)
Most biodiversity research involves studying things that happened in the past, assuming that similar things will happen in the future. But how do we make predictions about things that haven’t happened yet? Such is the promise of horizon scanning, a method in the field of foresight research aimed at “searching for and describing the early warning signs of phenomena that, if realised, may warrant changes to policies“. When the authors of this free-to-access study applied horizon scanning to biodiversity, they identified fifteen issues that may come to the fore this year. So, in other words, here’s a list of issues that, according to the available evidence, are most likely to bring biodiversity into the news this year:
Oxygen is being sucked out of seawater by algal blooms, or is simply rising out of warmer waters. This will have an increasingly negative effect on coral reefs.
Melting glaciers are one of the main sources of iron for arctic marine ecosystems (I had no idea). Now, as glaciers melt at unprecedented rates, Arctic species once lacking the essential nutrient of iron will experience populations booms.
Thousands of offshore oil and gas platforms will be decommissioned, and offshore wind farms will fill the void.
Seabirds with satellite transmitters will help monitor fishing vessels and help prevent illegal fishing activities…yes, you read that right
More fishing vessels will transmit false locations to carry on with illegal fishing activities (hence the need for number 4)
Many pharmaceuticals, insecticides, and other chemical products contain false hormones, which make their way into waterways through sewage systems. This year, we’re likely to get a better idea of how these chemicals affect fish over many generations.
Air-cooling low clouds, which often form along coastlines, will form less regularly and dissipate more readily due to ongoing climate warming.
Tree plantations as a means of sequestering carbon will be pushed to their limits.
There will be more logging to reduce the risk of wildfires in many areas.
Every state in India will establish sustainable farming practices.
We will learn more about how tens of thousands of low-orbit satellites disrupt animals that migrate by following stars.
We will decide what to do with energy from hydropower, fossil fuels, and other energy sources, which will soon be in excess in a market where they are outcompeted by clean energy sources.
Civil society groups will use open-source, highly publicized investigations to hold organizations accountable for environmental damage
More “self-healing” building materials will be introduced to the marketplace, which will mean less waste and less harvest.
2000 km waterway will link the Baltic and Black Seas—dividing Europe’s largest intact wilderness.
Want to Help Biodiversity and the Climate Crisis? Think of the Two Like a Budget
Vaughan and Gotelli 2020; Trends in Ecology & Evolution
I think this a brilliant reframing of climate costs and benefits while also tying in biodiversity. The idea of climatic debts and assets could come in handy with policymakers focused on the economy. Here, I’ll let the authors speak for themselves:
Many [species] respond relatively slowly to rising global temperatures, resulting in a [discrepancy] between observed and expected biodiversity known as the ‘climatic debt’. Recent empirical work has demonstrated how local-scale climate adaptation options can be conceptualised as climatic credits that pay part of the debt.
Will Covid-19 Push China to Crack Down on the Wildlife Trade?
Huang et al. 2021; Biological Conservation (free to access!)
This study is your one-stop-shop on the policies China has enacted in the past year to control the wildlife trade—without which, by the way, this and many other pandemics would not have occurred. The jist is that we may, very tentatively, have reason to be optimistic. The Chinese government has recently established stricter bans on wildlife consumption. It has also consolidated previously fragmented habitats and expressed an openness to public and international oversight on its wildlife trade. Whether or not these measures have long-term efficacy remains to be seen. Still, it appears the pandemic shocked Beijing into facing the facts: business-as-usual for the wildlife industry isn’t worth the risks.
Converting Forest to Farmland Is Hard to Predict—Until Now
Zhang et al. 2021; Biological Conservation
Thanks to Zhang et al. 2021, we can now predict where converting habitat into farmland is most likely to affect biodiversity. This is a big step, not only because any loss of habitat to agriculture is problematic, but also because most land conversion happens in tropical regions, where forest harbors disproportionately rich biodiversity. Zhang et al. show that 1) Western Congolian swamp forests (farmed for coconut), 2) Northwestern Congolian lowland forests (farmed for oil palm, maize, rice), and 3) Southern American Pacific mangroves (oil palm), all tropical areas, “present the highest extinction potential for birds and mammals.” They also show that by helping more farms reach their maximum possible yield, many of these extinctions can be avoided.
Humans Are Filling the Oceans With Noise, Another Challenge for Marine Species
Duarte et al. 2021; Science (also see the New York Times article on it)
Underwater, sound travels far and fast—about four times faster than sound travels in air. That’s why so many species, most memorably whales, use sound to communicate. But when commercial boats, construction, and increasingly powerful storms boom through the seas, marine species have difficulty reaching members of their own kind. Duarte et al. characterize the “soundscape of the Anthropocene ocean”, showing how it affects marine animals’ behavior, physiology, and even survival. This study makes it clear: noise pollution has a major impact on marine species. Any marine conservation action is incomplete if it fails to help animals find some peace and quiet. What about solutions? After amassing evidence of marine noise pollution, the authors of this study went on to amass a comprehensive guide for how policymakers and business managers can quiet down the oceans.
Speed Round:
In the most comprehensive study ever done on this subject, IPBES researchers showed that beyond a reasonable doubt, human quality of life declines with biodiversity loss. This was true across a number of different nature benefits, including clean water, soil formation and protection, and pest regulation. And, as you might expect, quality of life declines caused by biodiversity loss is most intense for the most impoverished. Read more in this Mongabay article.
By simulating a world suddenly without humans, a team of researchers were able to project how UK bird populations would fare if humans were to disappear. The results were surprising; while 69 species would be able to expand into new areas, another 47 actually lose habitat. Read more in this article from Anthropocene Magazine.
Is it possible to decarbonize the economy without hurting businesses and households? According to this study, which reviewed the tradeoffs for 10 decarbonization policies, the answer is a definite yes. As this article in Anthropocene Magazine details, the key is to identify known tradeoffs and offset them.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, folks🙏🏼
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With gratitude,
—Nick
If you want to dive deeper into the science mentioned here, simply reply to this email for copies of any study I mentioned. Let’s get more science in the hands of more people.