zq12 vol 1 | 2015
The Science of Seeing Stories and Atoms
should not feel beholden to science; our aim is esthetic, moral, synthetic. Anthropomorphic prose can serve our purpose.”
Author: Adelheid Fischer
There are many other examples that may not enjoy such high-profile character rehabilitation in the popular press. Take the case of mistletoe. For years now on my regular hike in the Sonoran DeNow, Raymo is one of my favorite natural history sert, I have passed an ironwood tree that hosted writers, and I would follow his prose to the ends a thick tangle of mistletoe in its branches. One of the earth but the premise of this essay leads day this past summer I noticed that some “Good onto thin, slippery ice that gives me great unSamaritan,” in what appeared to me to be a fit of ease. To look out into the nonhuman world and righteous indignation, had ripped off every stem see it populated with sinners and saints, virgins of mistletoe and left them in a heap at the base and whores, honest wage earners and welfare of the tree. When not in use as a romantic lure cheats, Gandalfs and Darth Vaders, is to deny the during the holidays, mistletoe, like Indian pipe, sovereignty of other beings. As my friend, the is viewed as a freeloader that lives off the honMinnesota plant ecologist Chel Anderson, put it est labor of others. The plant is indeed parasitic bluntly, “Plants are not us.” in that it does derive nutrients and water from Furthermore, seeing other beings as extensions its host plant. The prevailing wisdom, however, of ourselves has, in some cases, led to disastrous is that mistletoe can’t be trusted to dine with ecological consequences. The most egregious polite restraint but instead turns into a greedy example may be the centuries-long persecu- vampire that eventually kills its host. tion of wolves, which stories from the Brothers Results of research published in 2012, however, Grimm and others have helped to legitimize. We show that this narrative may be far more complican thank hard science—and not more stories— cated than previously believed. Indeed, mistlefor revealing a far more profound and truthful toe in the woodlands of Australia may be vital to narrative. Take the recent research to come out forest health, according to ecologist David Watof Yellowstone National Park. The restoration son and Matthew Herring of the Charles Sturt of wolves to the park in 1995 has reintroduced University in Albury, New South Wales. The sciwhat Oregon State University botanist William entists removed mistletoe from 17 study plots. Ripple calls an “ecology of fear,” particularly for Surveys taken three years later showed declines animals such as elk. Wary of the new predator on in reptile species and some mammals. More the block, the elk now redistribute themselves important, though, was the loss of bird spemore widely, allowing vegetation such as wilcies, which had dropped by a third. This was a lows and cottonwoods to regenerate from the critical red flag since bird diversity is used as a pressures of overgrazing. This, in turn, has progauge for ecological diversity overall. Particularvided the suite of animals that rely on them with ly hard hit were animals that rooted for insects greater opportunities for feeding and breeding, on the forest floor. Watson and Herring took a nesting and resting. The ecological resurgence closer look at the dynamics of the forest floor has astounded scientists. and made some surprising discoveries. They found that mistletoe’s host plants, like decidu-
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