Friday, December 26th, 2008

Shade-Grown Coffee Not Just for the Birds

Shade-grown coffee is sometimes called "bird friendly coffee," but a new paper in the journal Current Biology suggests that the plantations also help maintain the genetic diversity of native tree species. "Shade-grown" refers to the way coffee has been traditionally farmed. On shade-grown plantations, coffee shrubs have been planted in the shade of tall trees, making excellent homes for birds and other forest-dwelling wildlife. Study author Shalene Jha discusses the research and its implications.

Guests

Shalene Jha
PhD student
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Related Links

• Shade Grown Coffee - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

Segment produced by:Christopher Intagliata

Friday, December 26th, 2008

• Keep the Holidays Merry - and Safe
• Making New Year's Resolutions Stick
• Tweets from Frolleagues
• Holiday Birding
• Shade-Grown Coffee Not Just for the Birds
• Birdscapes Pop-up Book

Elsewhere on Sciencefriday.com

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