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Video: Predator Prey Plant Connection
Predators have considerably more influence than plants over how an ecosystem functions, according to a Yale study published in Science. The findings, according to the author, Oswald Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, are a “revolutionary” shift in thinking on the subject. Ecosystem ecologists have long held that plants and their interaction with the soil determine the type and abundance of herbivores and carnivores in an ecosystem. Schmitz’s paper, “Effects of Predator Hunting Mode on Grassland Ecosystem Function,” shows that the opposite is true. “Most ecosystem ecologists think that the supply of nutrients in plants determines who can live up in higher trophic (feeding) levels,” said Schmitz. “This study shows that it’s the top trophic levels determining how the plants interact with the soil.”

Video: Calculating the Costs of Climate Change
A national policy to cut carbon emissions by as much as 40 percent over the next 20 years could still result in increased economic growth, according to an interactive website reviewing 25 of the leading economic models being used to predict the economic impacts of reducing emissions. Robert Repetto, an economics professor at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies who created the site, said, “As Congress prepares to debate new legislation to address the threat of climate change, opponents claim that the costs of adopting the leading proposals would be ruinous to the U.S. economy,” he said. “The world’s leading economists who have studied the issue say that’s wrong. And you can find out for yourself.”

"Burn Trees, Save Energy" - mp3 (8.4MB)
Lloyd Irland, an F&ES expert on the Northern Forest, contends that unused wood from harvested trees at home could help reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Other Episodes
"Poor Countries Pay the Price for Global Warming" - mp3 (8.4MB)
If you believe that global warming will be bad for everyone, think again. Robert Mendelsohn, an economist and a professor of forest policy, says poor countries will be hit hardest and that wealthier countries might even benefit.
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"Industrial Ecology: Why Waste Waste?" - mp3 (8.1MB)
Professor Marian Chertow discusses how the new field of industrial ecology is helping China and India find ways to grow sustainably.
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"Global Warming and Species Distribution" - mp3 (9.3MB)
Oswald Schmitz, professor of population and community ecology, is researching global warming's impact on predators and their prey.
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"Green to Gold" - mp3 (15MB)
In Green to Gold, Dan Esty, director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale, discusses how smart companies are incorporating environmental concerns into their business strategies. Leading companies worldwide have discovered that thinking green can generate value for their brands and do wonders for the bottom line.
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"Biophilic Design: Opening the door to nature" - mp3 (7 MB)
Stephen Kellert, Tweedy Ordway Professor of Social Ecology, explains the concept of biophilia, which is the inherent human affinity for the natural environment, and how it relates to built environment. According to Professor Kellert, isolation and alienation from the natural world in urban areas threatens both human health and development. He is currently advocating for a new model of green architecture, biophilic design, which promises to reconnect people and nature.
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“It’s not easy being a frog” - mp3 (8 MB)
David Skelly, professor of ecology, describes his research on amphibian deformities that have begun appearing in New England over the last few decades. Professor Skelly's laboratory initially assumed a parasite was responsible for the frog deformities. However, after years of searching, they found no evidence for parasites causing the problems. Listen to find out what probable causes Skelly has discovered.
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"The Heart of the Matter" - mp3 (32Mb)
Dean Gus Speth on why environmental management is the most important job in the world.
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