With continued degradation of ecosystems, we need to know how to restore biodiversity, both for conservation and to ensure the provision of essential services provided by nature. To manage and restore diversity in human-modified systems, however, we need to understand the mechanisms that originally maintained biodiversity. The Ponisio lab studies the mechanisms operating in complex systems, specifically ecological communities, that underlie diversity maintenance.
First photos from the field! South Western Research Station, AZ
Osmia visiting phacelia. Photo by L.Ponisio
Cannot see the forest for the bees
While studying the mechanisms that underly the diveristy maintaince of plant-pollinator communities in Yosemite National Park, we became part of a much larger story about fire suppresion and management in natural landscapes.
L. Ponisio guest blogs for National Geographic Deep in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park, the flora and fauna in the understory form a mosaic of vibrant colors in constant motion. read more... |
Diversification practices like intercropping enhance yields. Photo by C. Kremen
Changing the face of agriculture After their publication comparing the yields or organic and conventional agriculture, L. Ponisio and K. Mace discuss how alternative farming systems could change the face of agriculture.
L. Ponisio and K. Mace guest blog for Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Agricultural landscapes in the United States, from the Central Valley of California to the Corn Belt of the Midwest, are largely similar in that the lands encompass expanses of single crops. . read more... |
A native plant flowering hedgerow field margin. Photo by L. M’Gonigle
Organic farming is closing the gapL. Ponisio guest writes for The Conservation
The unintended consequences of our agricultural food system – polluted air and water, dead zones in coastal seas, soil erosion – have profound implications for human health and the environment. So more sustainable agricultural practices are needed as soon as possible. Some farmers have turned to less chemically-intensive techniques to reduce the negative impact of agriculture, such as organic farming read more... |
