The world faces many problems - researchers are constantly wrestling with climate change, unstable ecosystems and mounting waste. On the other hand, nature itself may already hold solutions to the problems we face, such as...
Carbon-Capturing FishFish excrement isn't the most obvious factor in climate change - but it plays a significant role in trapping carbon. Carbon in the atmosphere helps warm the planet, and that extra heat can mean changing weather patterns or melting icecaps. Governments are trying to get a handle on the problem ("carbon neutral by..." is a common refrain) by cutting carbon emissions, with limited success.
One way to control the carbon in the atmosphere is to capture it. This actually occurs naturally in the seas - organic debris sinking to the bottom of the ocean takes any contained carbon with it. The carbon can stay harmless and untouched in the lightless depths for hundreds of years.
Research has found that around 16% of the total carbon sinking beneath the waves is contained in the excrement of fish. That's about 1.65 billion tons per year. Unfortunately the estimated biomass of fish in the ocean has dropped by 50% in the the last century alone... so reversing this decline and finding a way to boost fish stocks could be a big step in controlling climate change.
Hunted to extinction on the plains, these mighty beasts have been brought back in to help manage the landscape and revitalize the plains. Their grazing produces and spreads dung, whilst their fur can be used by birds looking to insulate a nest - but their biggest contribution is to water access. The 900 kilogram bison roll in the dust of the plains, creating shallow hollows called wallows. These pools collect the sporadic rain and offer less-resilient animals a place to drink. They also allow brief insect booms that feed birds and pollinate vegetation. The bison themselves visit creeks to drink, but then track back onto the plains to forage grass.
Across the sea in Africa, elephants play a similar role. They dig up dry river beds, producing water holes that both they and other animals can use. Their dung carries seeds across the land, and their grazing helps keep fast growing trees in check. Sadly this comes at a cost - elephants can wreck farms in a matter of hours.
Plastic-Eating FungiDumped in landfill or the ocean, plastics take a long time to break down. Researchers are exploring "plastispheres" (ecosystems with high levels of plastic pollution) in the hopes of finding organisms that can speed the process along.
The efforts of researchers have already borne fruit. Samples retrieved from the polluted coastal salt marshes of Jiangsu in China contained a range of bacteria and fungi specializing in breaking down plastics. Meanwhile, researchers in Sydney have found two fungi capable of degrading polypropylene, a plastic that is difficult to recycle. Others have found fungi in Sri Lanka that are capable of breaking down lignin (a tough organic polymer) and can break down polyethylene if denied wood.
Taking point at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center is Madder Akka, a llama tasked with protecting sheep. Standing at around 6ft and equipped with a set of vicious hooves, the llama is more than capable of intimidating, maiming or outright killing any coyote that fancies some mutton. In addition to the physical advantages compared to a dog, llamas also eat the same foods as a sheep - making them quite low maintenance. They can also bond with a flock, making them pretty attentive and determined defenders. Perhaps one day we will see llamas guarding every flock in place of human workers?
Another unsung hero is the sea otter - a marine predator of purple sea urchins. These creatures may have singlehandedly saved the kelp forests of Monterey Bay from purple sea urchins. The urchins are normally kept in check by sunflower-starfish, but a disease outbreak had killed most of their population. The urchins multiplied, and soon there were enough of them to devour kelp like a plague of aquatic locusts. Satellite images from Northern California showed a 95% decrease in kelp canopies, but Monterey Bay managed to keep fields of kelp. It seems that the resident otters had taken it upon themselves to eat the urchins!
The Nourishing False Banana vs World HungerBananas. These fruits (also berries from a botanical perspective) are instantly recognizable. They are also clones, sterile and require propagation by cuttings or tissue culture. The current popular variety is called Cavendish - and like the preceding Gros Michel banana, their lack of genetic diversity leaves them horribly vulnerable to disease. Because of this, researchers are looking for other options.
Enter the enset, or "false banana." Like the banana, the enset is a herb. It protects coffee and sorghum planted near it from soil pests, is resistant to drought and feeds approximately 20 million people across Ethiopia. A stand of merely 60 plants could feed a family of five for a year.
The plant is very efficient in terms of food - though reports vary as to the edibility of the pulpy seed-filled fruits. The center of the stem can be cooked and eaten or the roots can be boiled and eaten like a potato. The stem and roots can also be mashed, buried and fermented to produce a dough, alongside a white powder used to make dumplings or pancakes. To round things out, the leaves can be used as weaving material or animal fodder.
As the human population grows, space efficient food crops like the enset may be the only way to keep food supplies matching demand.
- Carbon-capturing fish
- Bison and elephants - ecosystem engineers
- Plastic-eating fungi
- Guard llamas and otter farmers
- The nourishing false banana vs world hunger
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| Elephants can dig watering holes and keep trees in check...(jbauer-fotographie) |
Carbon-Capturing FishFish excrement isn't the most obvious factor in climate change - but it plays a significant role in trapping carbon. Carbon in the atmosphere helps warm the planet, and that extra heat can mean changing weather patterns or melting icecaps. Governments are trying to get a handle on the problem ("carbon neutral by..." is a common refrain) by cutting carbon emissions, with limited success.
One way to control the carbon in the atmosphere is to capture it. This actually occurs naturally in the seas - organic debris sinking to the bottom of the ocean takes any contained carbon with it. The carbon can stay harmless and untouched in the lightless depths for hundreds of years.
Research has found that around 16% of the total carbon sinking beneath the waves is contained in the excrement of fish. That's about 1.65 billion tons per year. Unfortunately the estimated biomass of fish in the ocean has dropped by 50% in the the last century alone... so reversing this decline and finding a way to boost fish stocks could be a big step in controlling climate change.
Bison and Elephants - Ecosystem Engineers
Conditions are harsh on the plains of Montana. Temperatures swing between an icy 45°C and a scorching 38°C, while dry winds batter anyone who braves the arid landscape. Anything living there has to brave these conditions... and that's where bison come in.Hunted to extinction on the plains, these mighty beasts have been brought back in to help manage the landscape and revitalize the plains. Their grazing produces and spreads dung, whilst their fur can be used by birds looking to insulate a nest - but their biggest contribution is to water access. The 900 kilogram bison roll in the dust of the plains, creating shallow hollows called wallows. These pools collect the sporadic rain and offer less-resilient animals a place to drink. They also allow brief insect booms that feed birds and pollinate vegetation. The bison themselves visit creeks to drink, but then track back onto the plains to forage grass.
Across the sea in Africa, elephants play a similar role. They dig up dry river beds, producing water holes that both they and other animals can use. Their dung carries seeds across the land, and their grazing helps keep fast growing trees in check. Sadly this comes at a cost - elephants can wreck farms in a matter of hours.
 |
| Plastics can last a long time - but some fungi can break them down... (Hamsterfreund) |
Plastic-Eating FungiDumped in landfill or the ocean, plastics take a long time to break down. Researchers are exploring "plastispheres" (ecosystems with high levels of plastic pollution) in the hopes of finding organisms that can speed the process along.
The efforts of researchers have already borne fruit. Samples retrieved from the polluted coastal salt marshes of Jiangsu in China contained a range of bacteria and fungi specializing in breaking down plastics. Meanwhile, researchers in Sydney have found two fungi capable of degrading polypropylene, a plastic that is difficult to recycle. Others have found fungi in Sri Lanka that are capable of breaking down lignin (a tough organic polymer) and can break down polyethylene if denied wood.
Guard Llamas and Otter Farmers
Humans have needed to guard flocks and crops since farming began - after all, we're not the only creatures to appreciate a good meal! This take a fair bit of manpower, but what if we could subcontract the duty out - not to a dog, but to something more independent...Taking point at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center is Madder Akka, a llama tasked with protecting sheep. Standing at around 6ft and equipped with a set of vicious hooves, the llama is more than capable of intimidating, maiming or outright killing any coyote that fancies some mutton. In addition to the physical advantages compared to a dog, llamas also eat the same foods as a sheep - making them quite low maintenance. They can also bond with a flock, making them pretty attentive and determined defenders. Perhaps one day we will see llamas guarding every flock in place of human workers?
Another unsung hero is the sea otter - a marine predator of purple sea urchins. These creatures may have singlehandedly saved the kelp forests of Monterey Bay from purple sea urchins. The urchins are normally kept in check by sunflower-starfish, but a disease outbreak had killed most of their population. The urchins multiplied, and soon there were enough of them to devour kelp like a plague of aquatic locusts. Satellite images from Northern California showed a 95% decrease in kelp canopies, but Monterey Bay managed to keep fields of kelp. It seems that the resident otters had taken it upon themselves to eat the urchins!
 |
| A hero waiting to rise? (photoscene) |
The Nourishing False Banana vs World HungerBananas. These fruits (also berries from a botanical perspective) are instantly recognizable. They are also clones, sterile and require propagation by cuttings or tissue culture. The current popular variety is called Cavendish - and like the preceding Gros Michel banana, their lack of genetic diversity leaves them horribly vulnerable to disease. Because of this, researchers are looking for other options.
Enter the enset, or "false banana." Like the banana, the enset is a herb. It protects coffee and sorghum planted near it from soil pests, is resistant to drought and feeds approximately 20 million people across Ethiopia. A stand of merely 60 plants could feed a family of five for a year.
The plant is very efficient in terms of food - though reports vary as to the edibility of the pulpy seed-filled fruits. The center of the stem can be cooked and eaten or the roots can be boiled and eaten like a potato. The stem and roots can also be mashed, buried and fermented to produce a dough, alongside a white powder used to make dumplings or pancakes. To round things out, the leaves can be used as weaving material or animal fodder.
As the human population grows, space efficient food crops like the enset may be the only way to keep food supplies matching demand.
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