【推荐1】When we think of insects that native plants support, we often think of bees and butterflies, but they really support many other insects as well as birds and mammals (哺乳动物). The fact that our native plants and wildlife have developed together means that they rely on each other to survive.

The biggest threat to these insects is the loss of their home. In fact, the insect population has reduced by an alarming 45% since 1974! By bringing native plant species into our gardens, we create natural feeding and nesting sites important to their survival and ours. By creating living areas for our native insects, we help to support native birds and other native wildlife, and thus, increase the natural biodiversity of our ecosystem.

Native plantings also have a positive effect on the overall health of our environment. They are used in bio-filters (生物过滤), and rain gardens. With their deep roots systems, natives are able to hold the soil, take in nutrients, catch and release water, as well as filter pollutants out of the water.

Native plants are the best choice for these situations because they are adapted to our soil, rainfall and climate, and are able to bear brief periods of wet soil and long periods of dryness. In addition to helping clear pollutants from our waterways, native plants, especially long-lived trees, also help our air quality by removing CO² at a higher rate than grasses due to their large root systems.

Besides all the amazing things native plants already do for our environment, having them in your garden will also help you save time and money. Because native plants aren’t as susceptible to pests and bacteria as non-natives are, so they don’t require the use of fungicides or pesticides. Putting in native plants is much easier than you think and extremely beneficial for not only your local environment but also for you. We encourage you to design a small area of your garden for native plants or reconsider whether you can add a few native plants to your existing garden. A little work can go a long way in supporting our local wildlife and ecosystem!

【推荐2】With the help of modern technology, people have killed up to 99 percent of certain types of whales. Some scientists thought this would cause krill (磷虾), tiny shrimp-like animals that many whales eat, to explode in number. But that didn’t happen. Krill numbers in Antarctic waters with of whale hunting have dropped by more than 80 percent. New research suggests a lack of whale poop (粪便) may explain this. A new study finds whales eat more than we thought. Lots more food means lots more poop that is rich in iron. So with fewer whales, ecosystems get less iron and other crucial nutrients that they need to thrive. That hurts other species, including krill.

Figuring out whale diets isn’t easy. In the past, scientists looked at the contents of dead whales’ stomachs to see what they ate. Or they estimated how much food whales should need based on their size. However, the new study, led by Matthew Savoca, a marine biologist at Stanford University, used some different techniques. Savoca’s team put sensors on 321 whales. The sensors tracked when the whales hunted for food.

Using all this information, the scientists found that whales eat about three times as much food as earlier estimates had suggested. The amount of food that whales eat and poop out is astonishing. And it suggests that whales play a bigger role in shaping ocean ecosystems than previously thought.

Whales are nutrient cyclers. If whales and krill returned to their early 1900s numbers, the productivity of the Southern Ocean could be boosted by 11 percent, the researchers calculate. That increased productivity would translate into more carbon-rich life. Together, those creatures would store 215 million tons of carbon each year. The carbon stored in those creatures wouldn’t be able to escape into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.