The viability of all forms of life is highly dependent on the regularity of events such as the daily variations of light and the seasonal changes in climate. The regular variations in the physical phenomena are manifested in regular periodic events in biological life cycles such as the emergence of leaves and flowers, the developmental…
Greece is well used to visitors, whether they are those who come to enjoy a few weeks of sunshine or explore its natural or man-made attractions, or those who are looking for a way to escape from hardships closer to their home and see Greece as a stepping stone to a brighter future. Those in…
The current effects of climate change are characterised by long periods of high temperatures and sudden, short periods of heavy rain but overall reduced annual rainfall. These effects are having a severe impact in all areas of agriculture. On Lesvos, as well as in other areas of the Mediterranean region, this impact is particularly evident…
The caper, or caper bush, (Capparis spinosa) is best known as a source of food. The buds of the flowers are pickled and used in salads and some typical dishes of the Mediterranean region where it is found. The plant itself is somewhat remarkable. The flowers are rather impressive and the plant itself seems to…
A recent news item (in Greek) from a local online newsletter serving the village of Vrisa redirects to a post on alternative approaches to current practices in olive grove and vineyard cultivation. That post in turn refers to an EU funded project being carried out in Spain whose main objective is to halt biodiversity loss….
A recent news item has highlighted once again the problems that small farmers face in a world in which the food supply is becoming more and more consolidated in a small number of large corporations at the expense of independent producers. The issues are complex but one that is fundamental is the loss of plant…
Mycorrhizal networks are underground networks of fungi that stretch over very large areas and interconnect with the root systems of many types of plants. It has been suggested that they are important in inter-plant communication via the so-called Wood Wide Web, although not all workers in this area are entirely convinced by this hypothesis. However,…
Water availability is the key limiting factor for plant productivity in drylands and could be assisted by using plants that have developed strategies to more efficiently utilize moisture resources and improve moisture conditions for neighboring plants. The very deep-rooted Ziziphus lotus, considered an ecosystem engineer, is one such possible example and a recent report describes…
There are many graphical representations of global warming. These from the University of Reading are particularly striking. Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the period as a whole and the trend is clear. Blue stripes represent cooler-than-average years, while red indicates years that were hotter…