Animal-plant interactions in the Amazon, which is home to 25% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, play a significant role in the resilience of the tropical forests.
Plant-Animal Impact on Amazon's Degrading Forests
In the agricultural frontier between Amazonia, which covers about 40% of the South American continent, and Cerrado in the South American savannas, climate change, defaunation, and fragmentation are degrading forests. One factor in the types of forests that will survive these threats is the interaction between animals and plants. A YSE-led team of scientists was awarded a $2.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study to these critical plant-animal interactions and how they impact the resilience of tropical forests.
As part of the study, the team, which includes Paulo Brando, associate professor of ecosystem carbon capture; Liza Comita, professor of Tropical Forest Ecology and co-director of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture; Craig Brodersen, professor of plant physiological ecology; and scientists from 13 institutions, will produce Amazon-wide modeling projections of how fragmentation and defaunation may impact the future trajectory of forests in the region.
The Amazon, home to 25% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, has already lost about 20% of its original area.
“If the animals were to disappear from tropical forests, how would that shape the future of those forests, as well as their capacity to provide key ecosystem services such as carbon storage and water cycling?” Brando said.
The findings of the study will have broader implications, including better quantification of the services that animal species provide in keeping forests healthy; the consequences of forest collapse on forest-dependent peoples; and how future development in the region may impact the biodiversity of Amazonian forests, Brando said.
February 06, 2024
Paulo Brando
Associate Professor of Ecosystem Carbon Capture
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UK Lawmakers Visit Yale to Explore Nature-Based Climate Solutions Up Close
The Yale Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability recently hosted a delegation of Members of the British Parliament as part of a four-day Connecticut visit organized by the British American Parliamentary Group. The six MPs met with Karen Seto, the Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science, to discuss climate policy, urbanization, and the role of cities in addressing climate change.
The visit included a tour of New Haven’s bioswales. Bioswales are a landscaping feature designed to slow, filter, and redirect stormwater runoff, slowly filtering it through sediment into the groundwater or allowing it to be absorbed by native plants. They help prevent flooding and reduce pollution that would otherwise flow into rivers and streams. The Urban Resources Initiative has partnered with the city to help lead the construction and management of the bioswales. Approximately 200 bioswales have been installed across downtown New Haven through this broader effort, with about 50 adjacent to Yale’s campus.
“Seeing the bioswale presented me with a simple and effective option I want to take back and suggest to my local authority. Not only would it alleviate flooding problems, but it could also be an attractive green feature that could enhance areas, " said Christine Jardine, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West.
The visit also provided an opportunity to explore collaboration between UK policymakers, the City of New Haven, and YSE on sustainability and climate resilience initiatives.
March 27, 2026
Karen Seto
Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science; Director of the Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability; Co-Director of the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions
Colleen Murphy-Dunning
Program Director, Hixon Center for Urban Sustainability, Urban Resources Initiative (URI); Lecturer in Urban and Community Forestry
YSE Doctoral Candidate Honored with ESA Policy Award
Jonathan Gewirtzman, a doctoral candidate in ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, has received the 2026 Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award from the Ecological Society of America. He is one of 20 students from universities across the U.S. to be honored with the award.
Recipients of the award travel to Washington, D.C. for policy, communication and career training and they meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Gewirtzman, a National Science Foundation Research Fellow, investigates greenhouse gas cycling in forests and wetlands aimed at informing strategies for mitigating natural emissions and enhancing nature-based climate solutions.
“ESA has been an important community for me throughout my graduate career — a place to connect with ecologists across subfields and to build leadership experience as an officer of the Biogeosciences Section. I'm excited for the opportunity to learn firsthand from scientists and policymakers working at that interface,” Gewirtzman said.
February 19, 2026
Scientists Map Long-Term Water Contamination Risks at Ohio Train Derailment Site
Yale scientists are leading a research project on the long-term environmental effects of the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that released hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, into the air and water.
Michelle Bell, the Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health, James Saiers, the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Hydrology, and Nicole Deziel, associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, are simulating groundwater flow patterns to pinpoint the direction in which the contaminates are like to migrate. The information will be used to determine locations that should receive priority for drinking water quality testing.
“Water-related concerns were top of mind for many residents, and we hope that our project’s state-of-the-art hydrologic model can inform the situation in East Palestine as well as preparation and response for future issues,” said Bell.
The work is part of a collaboration with the University of Kentucky, and the University of Pittsburg, and is supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.
February 19, 2026
Cleanup efforts continue on a stretch of track in East Palestine, Ohio where a Norfolk Southern train derailed in 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Michelle Bell
Senior Associate Dean of Research and Director of Doctoral Studies; Mary E. Pinchot Professor of Environmental Health
James Saiers
Clifton R. Musser Professor of Hydrology
Nicole Deziel
Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health