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Forests and birds − they’re iconic symbols of our planet’s changing environmental health. This Earth Day, we’re bringing you both.
Just off Chesapeake Bay, ecologists John Parker and Justin Nowakowski have been growing mini-forests, experimenting with different mixes of tree species at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. As those plots grow, the scientists are seeing some big differences. Having biodiversity − more than one species − influences everything from the eventual size of trees to the number of insects and birds they shelter.
“If the world is going to plant a trillion trees, we believe it needs to do more than just put seedlings in the ground. It needs to rethink what a forest should be,” they write.
Many of those birds will end up defending their territory, and that means sing-offs! Georgia Tech ornithologists Ben Freeman and Shreyas Arashanapalli tricked birds across several countries into defending their territories to see how each species would respond. They describe which birds came out ready to rumble in defense of their nests and trees, and what sex and monogamy had to do with it.
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A long-running experiment is testing tree mixes to develop the healthiest forests.
Mickey Pullen/Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
John Parker, Smithsonian Institution; Justin Nowakowski, Smithsonian Institution
The tree mix matters. Near Chesapeake Bay, scientists have been experimenting with mini-forests for over a decade. The surprising results show how biodiversity pays off.
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Don’t mess with my territory. Male northern parulas sing and get physically aggressive when intruders invade their space.
Pranav Gokhale
Benjamin Freeman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Shreyas Arashanapalli, Georgia Institute of Technology
Males aren’t the only angry birds defending their territory. A clever test finds which songbirds step up to fight off intruders and the role monogamy plays.
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