climate change

Did you read Andrew Sullivan's piece on The Daily Beast on the place of sharks in the ocean? The idea of trophic cascades is starting to enter the mainstream.

In anticipation of the Society for Conservation Biology, North American Congress for Conservation Biology meeting that starts this weekend, get familiar with Anthony Barnosky and his important book, Heatstroke.

This unique member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) is found only in Indian River and St. Lucie County.  It is a short-lived perennial with showy pink flowers that bloom in the fall that are pollinated by bees.  Lakela’s Mint is one of six species of Dicerandra, each of which are endemic to only Florida and have their own unique minty aroma arising from a particular mixture of essential oils that are produced in glandular capsules on their leaf surfaces.

Variable climate patterns are predicted to be the new norm in today’s changing climate.  No longer can we rely on our normal precipitation levels or temperatures.  Models foretell increased storm frequencies and intensities as sea surface temperatures climb.  The impacts of climate change affect all of us and our planet’s rare fauna and biota.  Yet we often don’t appreciate the immense responsibility we hold until we’ve had personal experience with an extreme event.