a branch of biology and the scientific study of the interactions of organisms with their environment.
Questions tagged [ecology]
25 questions
44
votes
1 answer
Is "Earth Overshoot Day" a useful or reliable metric of humanity's effect on the world?
Apparently, we are rapidly approaching Earth overshoot day and that day gets earlier every year. The Guardian explains:
Humanity is devouring our planet’s resources in increasingly destructive volumes, according to a new study that reveals we have…
matt_black
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27
votes
1 answer
In California, is water from the north diverted into the Pacific Ocean?
Possibly addressing the Californian wildfires, president Donald Trump claims that in California "water coming from the north" is "being diverted into the Pacific Ocean".
Governor Jerry Brown must allow the Free Flow of the vast amounts of water…
SQB
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26
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4 answers
Is moderated livestock grazing an effective countermeasure for desertification?
In this TED talk from 2013, Allan Savory claims that livestock/cattle grazing (not industrial farming, but rather some frugal grazing of herds) help prevent and reverse desertification processes, promoting plant cover growth. The claim is also…
einpoklum
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24
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2 answers
Do Americans use 500 million straws per day?
CNN claims that Americans use 500 million straws per day.
Every day, Americans throw away 500 million plastic straws, enough to
circle the Earth twice, or fill 125 school buses.
Other sources claim this too (ex1, ex2, ex3). Most seem to have a…
David says Reinstate Monica
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23
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2 answers
Do wind turbines kill many birds each year?
It has been claimed that due to their large size, and the velocity of their blades that wind turbines kill large numbers of birds that run into them at night, or in fog, and die.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wind-farm-birds112011.html#cr
Do…
Clatoon Adour
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15
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2 answers
Is the value of a tree $193,250?
There is a sign, at the Eden Nature Park & Resort in City of Davao, Philippines, that says this:
Of concern to all!
A tree is worth $193,250
According to Professor T.M.Das of the
University of Calcutta. A tree living
for 50 years will generate…
Cees Timmerman
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13
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1 answer
Are species becoming extinct at a rate of 0.01%-0.1% per annum?
The World Wide Fund for Nature warns that
there is, in fact, a very serious biodiversity crisis.
And illustrates this with an unreferenced "scientific analysis"
These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct…
BlueMoon93
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13
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Is there a high ecological impact from buying a new car?
First, a disclaimer: this is my first question here, so please point out any deficiency so I can amend it.
Here in Italy, the Government has a recurring policy (it is happening every 2/3 years now) of rejuvenating the traveling cars by issuing…
Lorenzo Dematté
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12
votes
1 answer
Is the honey bee apocalypse real?
In 2013 Time magazine wrote
A World Without Bees: The Price We’ll Pay If We Don’t Figure Out What’s Killing the Honeybee.
In 2021 New York Post writes
Why the honey bee ‘apocalypse’ is based on a lie
In 2021 MPR news writes
An annual survey of…
pinegulf
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12
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1 answer
Is the Great Barrier Reef dead after 25,000,000 years of being alive?
The New York Post published an article in 2016 titled Obituary: Great Barrier Reef (25 Million BC-2016).
The Great Barrier Reef of Australia passed away in 2016 after a long illness. It was 25 million years old.
I have a hard time even…
Anon
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11
votes
1 answer
Are polar bears doing well despite a reduction in sea ice?
From Skeptical Science and many other sources:
In conclusion, the reason polar bears have been classed as threatened comes from the impacts of future climate change on the bears’ habitat. Current analysis of subpopulations where data is sufficient…
gerrit
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9
votes
1 answer
Are there more tigers in private ownership in the US than there are in the wild?
According to the WWF there are more tigers in US backyards than live in the wild.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/more-tigers-in-american-backyards-than-in-the-wild
I have heard variants of this tale talking about ALL big cats, but I will…
GeoffAtkins
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2 answers
Do Kaziranga National Park workers shoot and kill poachers?
Bored Panda reports:
Kaziranga National Park is a story of success when it comes to conservation of rhinos – but what they’ve done to achieve it is allowing its workers to shoot and even kill potential poachers. So far, the park has killed 50…
WGroleau
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5
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Is electric pulse fishing less ecologically harmful than beam trawl fishing?
The Netherlands have championed a technique for fishing which uses electric shocks to lure fish into their nets. It is called electric pulse fishing. The Dutch state (and fishing lobby) maintains that this technique is superior to traditional beam…
digitalheir
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5
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1 answer
Have 'upland farmers' struggled to protect livestock from foxes since the fox hunting ban in the UK
The Daily Mail reports plans to repeal the fox-hunting ban.
At present it is legal to hunt with two hounds to flush a fox to a gun. If the proposed change went ahead, the exemption would cover using as many hounds as were necessary for wildlife…
Jeremy French
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