Science & Environment

One Species at a Time

00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9ad70000with Ari DanielThe story of Earth's biodiversity from the Encylopedia of Life.One Species at a Time is heard every second Monday on WCAI: during Morning Edition at 8:30 and afternoons during All Things Considered at 5:30.Discover the wonders of nature—right outside your back door and halfway around the world. In our new season of audio broadcasts, we’ll be learning about life as small as yeast and as big as a bowhead whale. Hear people's stories about nature and hone your backyard observation skills. We’ll be exploring the diversity of life—five minutes and One Species at a Time. Listen to us online, or download us and take us with you on your own exploration of the world around you. Brought to you by the Encyclopedia of Life and Atlantic Public Media.The host and producer is Ari Daniel. Jay Allison and Viki Merrick edit.Visit the Encyclopedia of Life and explore their full catalog of podcasts.For archives of One Species at a Time, including episodes dating from before October 2012, go to the One Species at a Time Archives.

Born to Invade: Bittersweet Nightshade

CAI

Published August 12, 2013 at 10:00 AM EDT

Some species are born invaders, like bittersweet nightshade, a non-native vine with purple flowers and red berries. So what makes it such a successful space invader while other foreign plants never make it? It turns out the answer may be right underfoot. Ecologists Jean Burns and Angela Brandt have devised clever experiments to get to the root of the matter.