Ecology Topics

How Fractals (and a Tree) Help Me Navigate Academic Life

Pursuing an academic career can be challenging, frustrating, and stressful… especially for young researchers. The pressure to publish, the competitive environment, and the constant push for productivity mean that not every day is a good one. And for neurodivergent researchers like me, the challenges can be even more intense, since we do not only need Read more
If nothing else matters

In the past two decades, the concept of ecosystem services has gained prominence in ecology. Since ecosystem services are all the material goods and intangible benefits that the ecosystems offer to humans for their survival and well-being, the research on them has found favor at the intersection of ecology, economics, and social sciences, all disciplines Read more
A BOY, A REED, AND TWO PONDS

A few days ago, I was walking with my family in a park, that was created along the old riverbed of the Sile-Piave river by converting some patches of agricultural land into a green area integrated into the urban fabric of Jesolo – a coastal city in northern Italy. The park now connects the city’s Read more
Ecological Niche and Umwelt – intersections beyond the surface

Lately, I’ve been enjoying a truly enlightening book: “An Immense World” by Ed Yong. With his masterful prose, Yong, perhaps one of the best science communicators of our time, explores the incredible diversity of animal senses and the richness of the world when viewed through the lens of these varied sensory abilities. This book has Read more
Even just one counts

One, typically, is considered a small quantity. One more or one less doesn’t seem to make much of a difference, it seems. However, there are moments when life vividly explains that even just one counts. For example, one person can make the difference. For better, or sometimes for worse. And one morning, amidst a flurry Read more
Dog domestication: an ecological tale?

Some days ago, I went for a walk with my dog along our favorite trail in the countryside. In silence, we passed between two plots of cultivated land, and then we followed the path on its curve on the right, which leads into a vineyard. My dog is rather playful and, I must say, a Read more