University of Wisconsin–Madison

ecology

One thing Ryan Bushong noticed about winter in Madison was the silence. An enthusiastic birder, he hadn’t seen or heard any birds in months. “So when I looked out my dorm window … and saw a large, white bird race past, I was shocked,” Bushong says. He rushed out of […]

Anyone can get involved in scientific discovery – and you ...

June 9, 2022 by rlee47

In July of 2018, a stalwart tree that had towered over the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus for generations and provided shade and residence for countless organisms was cut down. The American elm was one of the many long-standing elms in the U.S. to succumb to Dutch elm disease. Despite great […]

Elm tree conservation stayed by hybrid species research

December 12, 2018 by Tyler Fox

By Bekah McBride, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies A study published Wednesday, November 14 in Science Advances by The Nature Conservancy and 21 scientific partners in the United States and Europe highlights the power of natural landscapes to resist climate change in the U.S.. Because grasslands, wetlands, forests and other ecosystems naturally […]

Grasslands among the best landscapes to curb climate change

November 15, 2018 by Kelly April Tyrrell

On July 16, 2012, one of several signs posted along Lake Mendota near the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin-Madison warn against swimming during the presence of toxic blue-green algae in the water. Known as cyanobacteria, the algae are photosynthetic bacteria that live in colonies, typically in lakes with excess fertility. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison) — On June 7, the summer’s first blue-green algae bloom turned much of Lake Mendota a thick, putrid green color. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology concluded that several factors — including run-off from local farms, multiple days with hot temperatures, and low winds — created near-perfect conditions […]

Zebra mussels in Lake Mendota: the new kid in town

July 17, 2018 by Tyler Fox

A rare bird species, the Kirtland’s warbler, has experienced variability in its population in recent decades. But now, the small yellow-breasted songbirds are branching out into new terrain, with historic success. Sitting comfortably at about 4,000 individuals, the Kirtland’s warblers have started leaving the now-saturated real estate in their native […]

Research on the rebound: Kirtland’s Warblers expanding in central Wisconsin

April 27, 2018 by Mason Muerhoff

I spotted this young red fox meandering across the west end of campus on this brisk, sunny Friday, hopping from sun spot to sun spot. The empty streets make for an inviting playground for the canids, without any of the noise and commotion of the crowded passing times. Foxes are no […]

When the students are away, the foxes will play

January 12, 2018 by Mason Muerhoff

Imagine you are walking down a trail or a sidewalk when you come across a gorgeous flower. It’s so pretty that you want to remember what it is for later, maybe to plant in your home garden or show to a friend. So you take out your smartphone, open up […]

Gotta Catch ‘Em All: UW researchers developing plant identification app

October 11, 2017 by Mason Muerhoff

A glade with the regional endemic wildflower Ozark coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa) in bloom, with a gum Bumelia tree in the background. Native wildflowers such as this coneflower are threatened by woody encroachment of glades. — The following is a guest post from Jesse Miller, a former graduate student at UW–Madison in the lab of Ellen Damschen and a current postdoctoral researcher at the University of California-Davis. He summarizes a paper he and his research team recently co-authored in the journal Landscape Ecology: Grasslands are home to […]

Fire may help Ozarks grasslands

October 5, 2017 by Kelly April Tyrrell

According to a recently published study, invasive quagga mussels in Lake Michigan, paired with decreasing nutrient availability, could explain an observed decline in food chain productivity in Lake Michigan. Currently, Lake Michigan is in the midst of a decade-long decline in food chain productivity, or the lake’s ability to produce […]

Going hungry in Lake Michigan

August 17, 2017 by Mason Muerhoff