Pollinators are essential for the reproduction of most plant species, including many major food crops, as well as for the maintenance of healthy ecosystems.
A new research review by scientists at Lund University in Sweden has found that — in 90 percent of cases studied — nocturnal pollinators like moths are just as important as bees and other daytime pollinators.
“The daily transition between day and night, known as the diel cycle, is characterised by significant shifts in environmental conditions and biological activity, both of which can affect crucial ecosystem functions like pollination,” the authors of the findings wrote. “Our synthesis revealed an overall lack of difference in pollination between day and night; many plant species (90% of studied spp.) exhibit similar pollination success across the diel cycle.”
For more than six decades, scientists have been trying to determine whether the pollination of plants happens mostly during daylight hours or at night, without any clear conclusion being reached, a press release from Lund University said.
The research into diel pollination differences examined different pollination outcomes between night, day, open, and closed pollination treatments (A), progressed over time (B), occurred across a range of daylengths (C), temperature conditions, and elevations (D). The time series (B) shows the cumulative (line) and annual (bars) number of publications. Each study’s daylength (C, hours) was computed using each study’s location and median date. Daily temperature range and elevation (D) were extracted based on study location (see Methods). Ecology Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1111/ele.70036
Most people are aware of the importance of bees, butterflies and birds for plant reproduction and agriculture, but less attention has been given to pollinators who are active at night, like bats, nocturnal butterflies and moths. And these equally important pollinators don’t just get less recognition — they are also less protected than their daytime counterparts.
The interest of Liam Kendall and Charlie Nicholson, researchers from Lund University, in nocturnal pollinators was piqued when they ran across studies exploring individual plant species that are pollinated in the daytime versus at night. They suspected that previous research might have overlooked nocturnal pollinators.
Kendall and Nicholson put together data from 135 studies around the world and found that, of the 139 species of plants examined, 90 percent had similar reproductive success whether they were pollinated at night or during the day.
“We were definitely surprised by the number of plant species where it didn’t matter. We found this really fascinating because it’s easy to assume that a specific plant needs a specific pollinator. The analysis actually showed almost the opposite — there’s much more flexibility. A different pollinator than expected can contribute enough for a plant species to reproduce,” Kendall said.
The results of the first-of-its-kind global meta-analysis bring up questions of human biases in science. Kendall hypothesized that many researchers have likely had a fixed idea of how pollination for certain plants should occur. Kendall also speculated that most people being active during daylight hours could lead to them overlooking what happens while they’re sleeping.
“We have this idea that all the magic happens during the day, because that’s when we’re active, and that’s when we see bees and butterflies fluttering around flowers,” Kendall said.
Kendall believes daytime pollinators being seen as beautiful is a factor as well.
“Bees are such a big part of our cultural identity. We learn that they’re important. And they’re fluffy and cute to look at. While moths — I mean, they have their prettier cousins, the butterflies, which we love, but moths are gray and dusty, and they eat your clothes. How could they possibly do anything positive?” Kendall added.
Given human activity’s pressure on biodiversity, the researchers said their study calls attention to the importance of considering daytime and nocturnal pollinators in conservation and agriculture.
For example, Kendall said the life cycle of a moth is entirely different from that of a bee, so their ecological needs are different.
“The analysis shows that we need to change the way we think about how environments can support pollinators and biodiversity,” Kendall said.
And if pollination at night is really important, it becomes critical to avoid light pollution — excessive or badly placed lighting that disturbs the natural environment.
“Actions are often taken to protect daytime pollinators, such as spraying pesticides at night. There’s an oversight there — sure, you’re protecting the daytime insects, but you’re also, theoretically, harming the nocturnal pollinators. This means we could be doing much more, but we haven’t thought enough about it so far, and more research is needed,” Kendall said.
The study, “Pollination Across the Diel Cycle: A Global Meta-Analysis,” was published in the journal Ecology Letters.
The post Pollination ‘Magic’ Happens at Night Too, First-of-Its-Kind Study Finds appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/pollination-nocturnal-success.html
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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