Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Wildfire collaborative responds to community concerns about air quality.

A new study assessed air quality impacts of the Jan 2025 #LAwildfires, w/ suggestions on how to improve the accuracy of regulatory monitors by integrating low-cost sensors + satellite data. Led by members of WFFRC, a Cary program. More: caryinstitute.org/news-insight... @UCLA #wildfiresmoke

Calling all community scientists in Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, & Kingston! Cary Institute + @scenichudson.bsky.social are working w/ community-based orgs to study how changing green spaces in cities impact plants, animals, & people. You can help at an upcoming Bioblitz: rb.gy/aiom8g #NatureInCities

It was great to hear Dr. LaDeau speak about this project at our Newburgh Teacher Center course on July 1st!

PNAS Special Features – Timely Collections on Breakthrough Research Across Disciplines Explore PNAS Special Features—rigorously reviewed thematic collections that highlight cross-disciplinary research on urgent scientific challenges and innovations.

Special @pnas.org issue explores how cities can harness nature-based solutions to climate change while advancing equity and public health. Contributors include @timonm.bsky.social‬ and Elizabeth Cook.
www.pnas.org/about/specia...

Nitrogen may limit natural climate solutions Forests, grasslands, and other natural areas around the world have access to about a quarter less nitrogen than previously estimated, according to a new study published today in Nature. Coauthored by ...

New global inventory in @nature.com ‪co-authored by Cary’s @sarahbatterman.bsky.social reveals natural areas receive 25 million tons less nitrogen each year than previously thought — which could limit carbon storage in plants and soils. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests Trees in tropical forests are dying at an increased rate, with consequences for biodiversity, carbon storage, and the global climate. While deforestation is the primary cause of forest loss, intact fo...

Thunderstorms are a major — and growing — threat to tropical trees, reports a new analysis in Ecology Letters led by Cary’s @evangora.bsky.social. Insights are critical to guiding decisions about forest restoration and conservation www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Tammy Wooster, @caryinstitute.bsky.social, contributes to these data sets:

Continuous precip and stream chemistry data 1963 – ongoing: bit.ly/4jn0SKN

Chemistry of Mirror Lake outlet streamwater 1967 – 2021: bit.ly/43Hwczb

Stream bryophytes promote cryptic productivity, 2018-2021: bit.ly/4ky7vLl

Fast start to tick season has doctors preaching preventative measures Hospitals are already seeing an unusually high number of emergency room visits for tick bites, which are raising concerns about tick-borne illnesses.

CBS News reporter Tony Aiello visited Cary's campus and spoke to Rick Ostfeld about this year's surge in emergency room visits for tick bites, and what we can do to be safer while still enjoying the outdoors. See the full story: www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...

Cary partners with Scenic Hudson on project exploring urban biodiversity With more than half of all people living in cities, urban green spaces and the benefits they provide — including cooling, mitigating floods, and filtering water — are increasing in importance. Many ci...

In partnership with Scenic Hudson, Cary's Shannon LaDeau is exploring how the expansion of urban green spaces is impacting #biodiversity and residents in the River Cities of Kingston, Newburgh, and Poughkeepsie, NY. @scenichudson.bsky.social

www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

On Thu, May 15 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @colorado.edu's @lauradee.bsky.social: Causal Inference for Ecology and Conservation. Free + open to all. #ecology #conservation Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/causal-inf...

Replanted rainforests may benefit from termite transplants A new study led by scientists from Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies found that termites are not thriving in replanted rainforests in Australia. Because decomposers like termites are essential for r...

Termite populations are slow to recover in Australia's replanted rainforests, finds a new Journal of Applied Ecology study led by Baptiste Wijas. The research team recommends termite transplants for quicker forest recovery.
@bapswijas.bsky.social @jappliedecology.bsky.social tinyurl.com/yywmd295

‪On Thu, May 8 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @mobotgarden.bsky.social's Kelly M. Anderson: Nutrient Limitation in Tropical Forests. Free + open to all. #ecology #tropicalforests #nutrient_cycling
Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/nutrient-l...

HUGE congratulations to Cary’s @tarasite-ecology.bsky.social + Winslow Hansen, who have been named 2025 Early Career Fellows by @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social for their “outstanding contributions to advancing or applying ecological knowledge”. Read the full press release: www.esa.org/blog/categor...

On Thu, May 1 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @umich.edu's @aclassen.bsky.social: Microbes to Mountains: Interactions and Functions Across Ecosystem Scales. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/microbes-t...

Keeping tabs on ticks in the Hudson Valley This year, Cary's long-term tick monitoring project is expanding in two new directions. Scientists will investigate how the 2024 spongy moth outbreak impacted the survival of  blacklegged ticks, and t...

Two new species of disease-carrying #ticks are invading the Hudson Valley, and @caryinstitute.bsky.social will be keeping an eye out for them. Drs. Rick Ostfeld and Shannon LaDeau hope to monitor their whereabouts and reduce risks to people and animals. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Native soil microbes buffer savanna trees against nutrient limitation but are drought sensitive Below-ground microbial symbionts increased savanna tree growth in limited resource environments and could be critical for plant growth in the field. However, drought substantially affected both tree ...

New A Biro, SA Batterman, @jane-lucas-phd.bsky.social paper finds S African trees grow better w/ native soil microbes than sterile soil but trees + microbes both suffered in drought conditions, w/ implications for savanna carbon sinks.
@yale.edu
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

This Thursday @ 8pm ET (5pm PT), tune into a virtual panel discussion on how science can inform living more sustainably with wildfire. Hosted by the Western Fire & Forest Resilience Collaborative and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; an offering of SF Climate Week. RSVP: tinyurl.com/5hatzvne

On Thu, Apr 24 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with Cary Institute's Dr. Chris Solomon: The Metabolic Regimes of Lake Ecosystems. Free + open to all. #ecology #lakes #ecosystems Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-metabo...

Where Have All the Wildflowers Gone? Restoring Healthy Woodlands Dr. Bernd Blossey explores invasive plants, deer, and the reshaping of our forested landscapes.

On Fri, May 2 @ 7pm ET, join us for an in-person + live stream event. @cornelluniversity.bsky.social's Dr. Bernd Blossey will discuss 'Where Have All the Wildflowers Gone? Restoring Healthy Woodlands'. Free + open to all. For more info + to register: www.caryinstitute.org/events/where...

On Thu, Apr 3 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @maristuniversity.bsky.social's Dr. Katherine Weiss: Human-wildlife Coexistence in the Anthropocene. Free + open to all. #ecology #biodiversity #wildlife #anthropocene Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/human-wild...

Getting hit by lightning is good for some tropical trees Getting zapped with millions of volts of electricity may not sound like a healthy activity, but for some trees, it is, according to a new study. Published in New Phytologist, the study finds that some...

Getting hit by lightning is usually bad news, but a new study led by Cary's Evan Gora reveals a tree species that actually benefits from ⚡️ strikes, and may have evolved to act as a natural lightning rod. @newphyt.bsky.social www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Head shot of Dr. Steward Pickett

1️⃣Steward T.A. Pickett
🌿🏙️ Dr. Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist at @caryinstitute.bsky.social, has spent decades unraveling urban social-ecological dynamics. A pioneer in the field, his recent work explores the ecology of segregation. #IUWC2025

Careers at Cary Opportunities for employment at Cary Institute.

Join our team! We're hiring for several positions including a Director of Major Gifts and Campaigns. To learn more and apply, visit caryinstitute.org/about/careers-cary
#jobopportunity #HiringNow #science

On Thu, Mar 27 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Dr. Scott Yanco: Why Do Species Decline? Free + open to all. #ecology #evolutionaryfitness Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/why-do-spe...

We share our 2,000-acre research campus in NY's Hudson Valley with many wildlife neighbors, among them this bobcat. Photo credit to the talented Loren Merrill.

Responsible logging can help northeastern US forests adapt to climate change Eastern forests are responsible for 85% of all the carbon taken up by US forests. But they are becoming increasingly stressed by warming temperatures, which can slow their growth and reproduction. How...

Recent Cary and U of Wyoming paper in #Ecosystems finds responsible logging allows warm-adapted trees to move into forests, boosting #ClimateResilience and protecting NE carbon storage. But we must preserve native trees in some places, too. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

#TOMORROW Thu, Mar 20 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with
@ethzurich.bsky.social's Dr. Camille Delavaux: The Role of Mutualisms in Structuring Plant Communities in a Changing World. Free + open to all. #ecology #plants Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-role-o...

Salt Influx from Land and Sea Spells ‘Double Trouble’ for Drinking Water | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland New research led by Geology’s Sujay Kaushal reveals that multiple overlapping threats are making fresh water sal

#WaterQuality research from the University of #Maryland.

@caryinstitute.bsky.social founder Gene Likens said research revealed "chemical cocktails packing a one-two punch to water quality along the freshwater-marine continuum with cascading effects on ecosystems, agriculture and infrastructure."

Freshwater faces a warmer and saltier future from headwaters to coasts: climate risks, saltwater intrusion, and biogeochemical chain reactions - Biogeochemistry Alongside global climate change, many freshwater ecosystems are experiencing substantial shifts in the concentrations and compositions of salt ions coming from both land and sea. We synthesize a risk ...

New #Biogeochemistry paper provides a salinization risk framework to predict + manage the impact of salt ion pollution on drinking water, freshwater ecosystems, infrastructure, agriculture, & more. Cary's Gene Likens a co-author; led by @umdgeology’s Sujay Kaushal.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Climate Change, Tree Migration, and the Future of Northeastern Forests Dr. Angelica Patterson, a plant ecophysiologist and science communicator, will explore how climate-induced shifts in tree species in northeastern forests may impact their carbon storage potential.

On Fri, Mar 14 @ 7pm ET, join us for an in-person + live stream event. Mt. Holyoke's Dr. Angelica Patterson will discuss Climate Change, Tree Migration, and the Future of Northeastern Forests. Free + open to all. For more info + to register: www.caryinstitute.org/events/clima...