Farmers plant or preserve riparian buffers for various reasons, such as improving water quality, controlling erosion, or maintaining hunting habitat. Now, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign underscores the benefits of riparian buffers to terrestrial biodiversity, finding that for every 10% increase in forest cover, an additional species is present.

A new study published in New Contaminants reveals that black carbon formed during wheat straw burning can significantly reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil and soybean crops, offering a promising strategy for safer and more sustainable farming in regions burdened by plastic mulch debris.

The rivers, lakes and ponds in cities – urban blue spaces also known as UBS – are increasingly recognised for their ecological and social roles. However, their contributions to sustainable food systems remains understudied. For this reason, an international research team led by Göttingen and Kassel Universities examined the extent and benefits of foraging for food in blue spaces across four major Indian cities. The items collected included fish, crabs, clams and plants as well as berries, mushrooms and flowers. The researchers found that bodies of water in cities played a critical role in food security and social inclusion. The results were published in the journal Nature Cities.

UC Davis researchers analyzed 1.4 million truckloads of tomatoes to find that California’s $1 billion processing tomato industry likely will be able to withstand higher temperatures and traffic congestion.

Nocturnal moths rely on hearing to escape predatory bats, yet how they respond to different bat calls has remained unclear. In a new study, researchers from Japan exposed moths to ultrasonic pulses simulating bat hunting stages and observed their flight and egg-laying behaviors. The study found that moths change how they fly and lay eggs depending on the level of danger, a finding that could help develop ultrasonic methods to protect crops from moth damage.