![[Two round cardinals grip onto two iron bars.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/03/Female-and-male-cardinal.jpg)
Step outside in Southern Indiana and you’ll be greeted by a symphony of chirps, calls, and songs from a myriad of local birds. Home to over 400 species, Indiana is a birder’s paradise. Warblers, eagles, and owls alike call Bloomington home and are frequently spotted on the campus of IU Bloomington. Birds are a vibrant part of Bloomington culture, so it’s worth getting to know a few…
Tag: Ecology
Five fascinating facts about bees
![[a photograph of a swarm of bees sitting on golden honeycomb. There are many bustling workers surrounding a significantly larger queen bee.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/04/pexels-mostafa-eissa-3424406.jpg)
There is more to bees than what initially meets the eye! Sure, we couldn’t live without these busy pollinators, but bees are scientifically interesting beyond just the honey they create. Bees can provide insight into other areas of science, and they themselves are fascinating little creatures. Get to know bees better with the five crazy facts below…
Clean Water, Healthy Town: The importance of the Monroe Watershed
![[A retention pool covered in grass sits in a large parking lot.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/12/33000475966_d1b290fae9_b-1.jpg)
Lake Monroe is one of the best spots in Bloomington: trails, water skiing, boating, what more could you ask for? But little did you know, Lake Monroe is a lot more than just a leisure activity. It is the main water source for Bloomington and the surrounding areas. Each day the Monroe Water Treatment Plant pumps an average of 15 million gallons of water for people to use. We bath in this water and even drink it. But where is all of this water coming from? It turns out the answer is all around us…
How Your Diet Impacts the Environment
![[A hand painted green, holding a leaf cutting.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2020/05/person-s-left-hand-holding-green-leaf-plant-886521.jpg)
The food you put into your body not only affects your own health, but also the health of our planet. The world’s food system accounts for about twenty-five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Famous primatologist Jane Goodall once said, “you cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Are you making a difference?
7 Tips on How You Can Help the Environment
This is part three in a series on primates and conservation. Check out parts one and two here. If you want to help with saving our environment and animal conservation efforts follow the tips below! Even the smallest efforts can make an impact on primate conservation, and help combat against the effects of global warming.
The early bird gets the worm, part II: How behavioral ecology is connecting the dots between early-life stress and aging
This is the second post of a two-part series on a day in the life of a behavioral ecologist, which features the stories and research of members of Dr. Kim Rosvall’s laboratory in the Department of Biology. Click here to read the first post of the series! In Part I of this series, I discussed… Read more »
The cycle of life… and death… below your feet
As an ecosystem ecologist, I study how the cycle of life and death influences forest structure and changes over time. A walk in the woods might illuminate the forest’s dynamism as you observe squirrels tending to their buried acorn caches and listen to woodpeckers feasting on grubs. In contrast, the plant community may appear more… Read more »
When the things we can’t see matter: the plant vs. environmental change edition
Farmers are facing new challenges in the age of global change. Drought is a major stressor for crops in Indiana and other regions of the U.S. and is forcing farmers to face the question: to irrigate or not to irrigate? Irrigation equipment is incredibly expensive, but is often the best quick solution to water crops… Read more »
A night at the museum takes us back to the future!
Graduate students across disciplines agree: as your years of graduate education increase, your knowledge and skill sets become incredibly specialized. Cue Liam Neeson in Taken, “I can tell you that I do not have money, but what I do have… [is] a very particular set of skills.” So when I asked Dr. Tara Smiley, a… Read more »
Getting to the root of the global carbon cycle
This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published by Adrienne Keller in March 2018 and has been lightly edited to reflect current events. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in our atmosphere continue to rise, and global warming has transitioned from a possible future phenomenon to a present environmental reality. Given this reality, scientists are… Read more »