Ecosystem Science

Der neue Hörbuch-Spaziergang mit dem Lieblingsförster der Deutschen: verblüffende Phänomene und spannende Zusammenhänge. "In unseren Genen ist das Band zu den grünen Riesen noch intakt", sagt Peter Wohlleben - und tritt in seinem neuen Hörbuch den Beweis an. Die Natur ist dem modernen Mensch nur scheinbar fremd geworden, nach wie vor verbindet ihn ein starkes Band mit ihr. Ein Beispiel? Menschliche Reaktionen auf chemische Botenstoffe der Bäume: Unser Blutdruck ändert sich nachweislich, wenn wir im Wald sind.

Over the past 100 years, gulls have been brought ashore by modernity. They now live not only on the coasts, but in our slipstream following trawlers, barges, and garbage trucks. They are more our contemporaries than most birds, living their wild lives among us in towns and cities. In many ways, they live as we do, walking the built-up world and grabbing a bite where they can. Yet this disturbs us. We’ve started fearing gulls for getting good at being among us. We see them as scavengers, not entrepreneurs; oceangoing aliens, not refugees.

When all the species of birds, trees, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, wildflowers, dragonflies, tiger beetles, and ants are tallied, Alabama harbors more species than ninety percent of the other states in the US. The state's 4,533 species, with more being inventoried and discovered each year, are supported by no less than sixty-four distinct ecological systems—each a unique blend of soil, water, sunlight, heat, and natural disturbance regimes. Although Alabama is teeming with life, the state's prominence as a refuge for plants and animals is poorly appreciated.

The world's oceans are changing at a drastic pace. In response, the people who know the ocean most intimately are taking action for the sake of our shared future. Community scientists track species in California tidepools. Researchers dive into the waters around Sydney to replant kelp forests. Scientists and First Nations communities collaborate to restore clam gardens in the Pacific Northwest.

For over a quarter century, biologist Mark J. Rauzon has worked in the field of island restoration, traveling throughout the American Insular Pacific to eradicate invasive plants and animals introduced by humans. The region spans from Hawai'i to Samoa to Guam, and their neighbors - small, obscure, tropical islands that are hundreds if not thousands of nautical miles from each other. These little-known US possessions and territories include various islands and atolls: Jarvis, Howland, Baker, the Northern Marianas, Wake, Palmyra, Johnston, and Rose Atoll, among others.

The Atlantic grey seal is globally rare—there are fewer grey seals in the world than African elephants—and Britain hosts 40 per cent of this world population. Over the course of a year in their lives, Susan Richardson comes to know a colony of seals, watching as it is hit by storms in the autumn pupping season, experiencing sociable winter haul-outs and sympathising as the colony scratch and fidget through their annual moult.

Edward J. Larson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and eminent science historian. This marvelously readable, yet sumptuously erudite work traces the development of the scientific theory of evolution. From Darwin's essential trip to the Galápagos, to the most contemporary studies in sociobiology, this work takes listeners both into the field and laboratories of the world's greatest evolutionary scientists, and shows how the theory of evolution has itself evolved.

From an award-winning adventure and science journalist comes an eye-opening exploration of a burgeoning environmental phenomenon and the science coalescing around it. Leslie Anthony leads listeners on adventures physical and philosophical as he explores how and why invasive species are hijacking ecosystems around the globe.

An awe-inspiring investigation into the hidden world of the deep sea—the most mysterious, unforgiving environment on Earth—whose secrets can radically revise our understanding of life itself and chart our planetary future. The deep sea is our planet’s last frontier. For most of human...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an engine of innovation that is driving scientific discovery and economic growth. It is increasingly becoming an integral component of solutions that stand to impact everything from routine daily tasks to societal-level challenges, ultimately serving the public good. At the same time, there are also concerns that AI could have negative social and environmental consequences.

Swifts live almost entirely in the air. They eat, drink, sleep, mate and gather their nesting materials on the wing, fly thousands of miles across the world, navigating their way around storms, never lighting on tree, cliff or ground, until they return home with the summer. Sarah Gibson has written a fascinating story of discovery, exploring what is known about these mysterious birds, their ancient ancestry and how they have been regarded through history.

This gripping, deeply thoughtful book considers the future of civilization in the light of what we know about climate change and related threats. David Orr, an award-winning, internationally recognized leader in the field of sustainability and environmental education, pulls no punches: Even with the Paris Agreement of 2015, Earth systems will not reach a new equilibrium for centuries.

Ocean Country is an adventure story, a call to action, and a poetic meditation on the state of the seas. But most importantly it is the story of finding true hope in the midst of one of the greatest crises to face humankind: the rapidly degrading state of our environment. After a near-drowning accident in which she was temporarily paralyzed, Liz Cunningham crisscrosses the globe in an effort to understand the threats to our dazzling but endangered oceans.

Acclaimed nature writer Susan Hand Shetterly opens a window into the world of this fascinating organism by providing an elegant, often poetic, look at life on the rugged shore of the Gulf of Maine. Shetterly offers a close look at the life cycle of seaweed and introduces us to the men and women who farm and harvest it - and their increasingly difficult task of protecting this critical natural resource against forces both natural and man-made.

You might know that gray wolves live in packs, but there’s so much more to learn about these incredible predators! Find out what makes wolves howl, why wolves sniffing each other’s butts is their way of shaking hands, and how some wolves in Yellowstone National Park used thermal activity to heat their den! You’ll also witness the incredible relationship gray wolves have with ravens (they play tug with wolf cubs), learn about wolf rewilding projects, and discover what it takes to become a wolf zoologist yourself.

Following numerous courses in scuba diving, Gary Knapp embarked on a 12-year filming adventure inspired by his promise to God to share with mankind the majestic life he created both under and above the world’s oceans. Through his vivid accounts, Gary takes you on an incredible journey beneath the depths of the seas, to exotic islands, and other countries by the oceans as he travels with marine biologists on trips around the globe.

The Colorado Trail in Crisis addresses the sweeping transformation of western forests and wilderness ecosystems affected by climate change. This book is equal parts trail journal and synthesis of natural and human history. Karl Ford uses research on climate impacts to forests, wildlife, hydrology, and more to stress the urgent need for an action plan to reduce greenhouse gases and save forests and watersheds.

Depuis quelques années, dans le sillage d’importantes découvertes scientifiques liées à la communication végétale, une tendance de fond nous incite à prendre l’arbre pour modèle, voire à pénétrer les arcanes de sa " vie secrète ". Mais, au-delà des métaphores et des analogies faciles, que peut-on vraiment espérer de ce nouveau rapprochement avec l’arbre ? Une source d’inspiration, un modèle écologique, la clé d’un nouveau bien-être fait d’ouverture et de partage ? Un écologue passionné nous livre ses réponses empreintes de science, de sagesse et d’un infini respect pour l’arbre.

The Amazon Rainforest is an immersive journey into the world’s largest and most biodiverse rainforest. This book explores the Amazon’s breathtaking geography, its astonishing array of life, and the deep-rooted cultures that have flourished under its green canopy for millennia. Through vivid storytelling and accessible science, listeners discover the Amazon’s vital role in regulating the planet’s climate, its history of exploration and exploitation, and the urgent challenges it faces today—from deforestation and climate change to the fight for indigenous rights.

Observer l’histoire de l’humanité à partir des forêts, c’est la perspective enthousiasmante que propose le journaliste, conférencier et essayiste Laurent Testot, qui s’inscrit dans le courant assez récent et novateur de l’histoire environnementale. L’auteur retrace l’histoire de l’humanité depuis la constitution des premiers empires de l’antiquité romaine, chinoise et indienne, en passant par les sociétés médiévales et modernes et étudie le rapport que ces sociétés passées ont entretenu avec leur environnement et en particulier leurs forêts.