strategy
Species richness helps system respond to disturbanceecosystems
Ecosystems survive biotic and abiotic disturbances by having multiple species that respond in different ways.
strategy
Fruiting tree holds key role in forestCaesaria tree
The Caesaria tree helps maintain diversity and prevent extinctions in its forest ecosystem because it produces fruit to sustain several animal species through times of scarcity.
strategy
Microbial biodiversity maintainedheather moorland
The soil microbial community of heather moorlands is kept in balance by above-ground ecosystem engineers.
strategy
Ecosystem has long-term sustainabilitydehesa ecosystem
Dehesas maintain a diversity of products and long-term ecological sustainability by sub-optimization of resources.
strategy
Ecosystems have stability and resiliencysavannas
Savannahs have functional stability and resiliency due to unique properties of species and their interaction at system level.
strategy
Predatory fish maintain ecosystem functionslake ecosystem
Predatory fish maintain lake ecosystems by keeping trophic cascade levels in equilibrium.
strategy
Blades balance drag reduction and solar exposureBull kelp
Blades of bull kelp balance drag reduction and sunlight exposure in different flow environments via changes in width and flatness.
strategy
Stream community depends on ecosystem engineerssediment-processing fish
Andean stream communities depend on detritivorous fish that modify habitat structure and resource availability.
strategy
Enhancing species richnessbeavers
Beavers enhance species richness in their environments by increasing habitat heterogeneity.
idea
The Land Institute permacultureThe Land Institute
Perennial grain cropping mimics natural ecosystem behavior.
strategy
Surviving changing conditionsecosystems
Natural ecosystems survive variable conditions, disease emergence, herbivores, predators, and other environmental changes by having adaptive responses.
strategy
Storage of organic matter plugs carbon "leaks"riparian habitat
Trees along rivers help retain carbon in an ecosystem by adding organic debris and slowing down water.
strategy
Stream remodeling alters ecosystemsAmerican beaver
Beavers alter ecosystems by cutting trees and shrubs and creating mosaics of wetlands, moist meadows, and ponds.
strategy
Nature maintains biodiversityecosystems
Natural ecosystems react to low biodiversity levels by exploiting unused or poorly used resources to increase biodiversity.
strategy
Ecosystems recover from disturbanceforests
Forests and other ecosystems can return to their predisturbance composition and struture through the presence of biological legacies, mobile links, and support areas.
strategy
Canopies enhance species diversitywetland ecosystems
Different kinds of plant canopies in wetlands enable great species diversity by providing a variety of microenvironments.
strategy
Communities recover from floodsriparian habitat
Riparian systems recover from floods by having plant communities that are adapted to the disturbances.
strategy
Microtopographic relief fosters diversitywetland ecosystems
Wetlands create diversity by having microtopographic relief that creates microhabitats for plants and animals.
strategy
Interaction helps retain waterforests
Forests help retain water onsite through interaction of many species.
strategy
Feeding behavior increases nitrogen availabilitynematodes
The feeding behavior of nematodes increases nitrogen availability to plants because they prey on nitrogen-hoarding bacteria and excrete excess nitrogen in a form plants can use.
strategy
Deciduous trees allow higher seasonal water yieldsOaks
Deciduous trees allow more water to reach the soil and seep into streams by seasonally shedding leaves that lose water via evaporation.
strategy
Hydrological regimes maintain organismsstreams
Streams maintain aquatic organisms by maintaining natural hydrological regimes.
strategy
Communities develop and changeriparian habitat
Riparian communities form through a succession of colonizers.
strategy
Fallen trees stabilize, enrich soilDouglas fir forests
Trees in Douglas fir forests provide growing conditions for plants and animals by stabilizing soil and trapping sediment when they fall across a slope.
strategy
Habitat mosaics stop firesbeaver
Beavers reduce fire impacts in spruce stands by creating a mosaic of habitats that act as natural firebreaks.
strategy
Native plants persist in changing conditionswetland ecosystems
Some native plant species in wetlands have long-term persistence despite fluctuating water levels because they have long-lived seeds deposited in the soil seed bank.
strategy
Appendages used for movement and filteringDaphnia
The appendages of Daphnia are used for both paddling movement and filter feeding because they are equipped with bristles, allowing them to operate at different Reynolds numbers for different functions.
strategy
Organisms concentrate carbon dioxidegreen algae
Algae concentrate carbon dioxide to fix CO2 more efficiently, possibly using one or more HCO3- transporter proteins.
strategy
Photosynthesis makes useful organic compounds out of CO2plants
Photosynthesis in plants makes useful organic compounds out of carbon dioxide through carbon-fixation reactions.
idea
Vertical FarmingDick Despommier
3-D agriculture for the modern human
idea
Calera MAP cement-making processCalera
Mineralization via Aqueous Precipitation process sequesters CO2
idea
Artificial Inorganic LeafState Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites at Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China (Tongxiang Fan, Di Zhang, Han Zhou)
A major step toward artificial photosynthesis
idea
Ecovative DesignEcovative Design
Biodegradable, compostable packaging
idea
Synthetic solar storageSun Catalytix
Photosynthetically inspired energy storage & artificial photosynthesis.
idea
Self-repairing ConcreteAdvanced Civil Engineering - Materials Research Lab at the Univeristy of Michigan
Flexible and self-repairing concrete to revolutionize infrastructure
idea
Virus BatteryMassachusetts Institute of Technology (Belcher Lab), University of Maryland
Growing Batteries
idea
Novomer carbon dioxide-based plasticsNovomer, LLC
Polycarbonate plastics made from carbon dioxide
idea
AkerminSaint Louis University's Shelley Minteer, Ph.D.
Bioelectrocatalysis: Batteries that run on sugar.
idea
Polymer-cellulosic batteriesThe Angstrom Laboratory (An interdisciplinary laboratory at Uppsala University, Sweden), Albert Mihrayan.
Algae transform polymer-cellulosic batteries
idea
MicrobatteriesYale Department of Chemical Engineering
Efficient, implantable batteries
idea
Biolytix water filterBiolytix Water Australia Pty Ltd
Water filtering system cleans without chemicals
idea
Waste recycling and upcyclingWaste Management
Garbage collection turns into garbage processing
idea
NanoChem BioPolymersNanoChem Solutions, Inc.
Biodegradable, water-soluble polymers for industrial and consumer applications
idea
Baleen Filters water filtersBaleen Filters
Self-cleaning water filtering system cleans without chemicals
strategy
Food web complexity increases along gradientdune ecosystem
The complexity of food webs in sandy dune ecosystems increases along productivity gradients, with feedback loops governing the stability of the system.
strategy
Tentacles help filter foodburrowing sea cucumber
The tentacles of the burrowing sea cucumber capture floating particulate food matter using on a complex particle trap, mucus, and an oral passageway.
strategy
Photosynthesis in low-light conditionsTaeniophyllum orchid
The green, ribbon-like roots of Taeniophyllum orchids assist in food production because they have been modified to carry out photosynthesis.
strategy
Electron flow generates heatsacred lotus
The sacred lotus attracts pollinators by producing heat through a nonphosphorylating electron transport pathway that releases energy by electron flow through an alternative respiratory pathway.
strategy
Light generated chemicallyfirefly
Fireflies inhale oxygen and exhale light with help from an enzyme.
strategy
Protein channels move water across membranescells
Aquaporin protein channels in cell membranes selectively allow polar water molecules to flow through them because they’re lined with specific, charged chemical groups.
strategy
Pigments cells respond to hormonesAfrican clawed frog
Pigments in frog skin change color in response to hormones by moving melanin grains around cells.
strategy
Limited organic nutrients are recycledbenthic communities
Limited organic nutrients in Antarctica's benthic communities are recycled after the spring and summer seasons by being redistributed through the aquatic food chain.
idea
Eco-Machine wastewater managementJohn Todd Ecological Design, Inc.
Custom-built wastewater treatment system purifies water without chemicals by mimicking a natural ecosystem.
idea
Solar Botanic energy harvesting treesSolarBotanic Ltd
Artificial trees that convert wind energy and electromagnetic waves from the sun via its Nanoleaf technology