Ecology News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

New Model Can Help Understand Coexistence in Nature

Nov. 18, 2024 — Different species of seabirds can coexist on small, isolated islands despite eating the same kind of fish. A researcher has been involved in developing a mathematical model that can be used to better understand how this ecosystem ...

Tree Islands Restore Nature in Oil Palm Plantations

Nov. 18, 2024 — Southeast Asia's tropical forests are renowned for their biodiversity, but at the same time face significant threats from the expansion of oil palm plantations. With global demand for palm oil rising, the urgency for effective restoration strategies ...

Biodiversity in the City: Designing Urban Spaces for Humans and Animals

Nov. 15, 2024 — Animals and plants also live and thrive on public squares. This creates opportunities for greater biodiversity and well-being for the human population. Researchers have studied at 103 locations in Munich how various factors affect flora and fauna. ...

Diverse and Diverging Demands on Forests in Germany

Nov. 14, 2024 — Forests provide biodiversity, ecosystem functions, income and much more. How can these diverse and seemingly diverging demands be met? An international research team addressed this question by analyzing the effects of enriching beech forests in ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:24pm EST

New Study Reveals Half a Century of Change on Britain's Iconic Limestone Pavements

Nov. 14, 2024 — Fifty years of change on iconic limestone pavements has revealed mixed fortunes for one of the most distinctive landscapes in the UK. The findings, ...

Pioneering Research Shows Sea Life Will Struggle to Survive Future Global Warming

Nov. 13, 2024 — A new study highlights how some marine life could face extinction over the next century, if human-induced global warming ...

More Evidence That Europe's Ancient Landscapes Were Open Woodlands: Oak, Hazel and Yew Were Abundant

Nov. 12, 2024 — A new study finds that the disturbance-demanding plant species oak, hazel and yew were abundant in Europe's forests before modern humans arrived, ...

Domino Effect in the Amazon Region

Nov. 4, 2024 — The Amazon region is a global hotspot of biodiversity and plays a key role in the climate system because of its ability to store large amounts of carbon and its influence on the global water cycle. ...

Global Ocean Oscillations and Climate Change Affect Weather Patterns in the Serengeti

Oct. 31, 2024 — The interactions between global climate change and ocean oscillations -- fluctuating cycles in wind and ocean temperatures -- are impacting weather ...

New Genetic Web Tool to Help Restore Climate-Resilient Marine Ecosystems

Oct. 30, 2024 — In the face of increased human pressures and climate change, a team of scientists have launched a new online tool to assist marine managers and restoration experts to bolster the resilience of marine ...

Alcohol Consumption Among Non-Human Animals May Not Be as Rare as Previously Thought, Say Ecologists

Oct. 30, 2024 — Anecdotes abound of wildlife behaving 'drunk' after eating fermented fruits, but despite this, nonhuman consumption of ethanol has been assumed to be ...

Companies and Investors Can Now Get Smarter When It Comes to Nature

Oct. 28, 2024 — Amid growing pressure to report on nature-related risks and impacts, an open-source footprinting tool offers a scientific and transparent ...

Invasive Plants Drive Homogenization of Soil Microbial Communities Across U.S.

Oct. 28, 2024 — A new study reveals that invasive plants are reshaping soil microbial communities across the U.S., making them more uniform and altering how ...

Climate Scientist Identifying Water Requirements for Climate Mitigation Through Ecosystem Restoration

Oct. 25, 2024 — Worldwide, deforestation and farming practices are responsible for the degradation of vital ecosystems. While there is a significant amount of ...

Power of Aesthetic Species on Social Media Boosts Wildlife Conservation Efforts, Say Experts

Nov. 8, 2024 — Facebook and Instagram can boost wildlife conservation efforts through public awareness and engagement, according to a new ...

Marri Trees a Lifeline for Many Native Bee Species in Biodiversity Hotspot

Oct. 24, 2024 — New research has revealed Marri trees are critical to the survival of more than 80 species of native bee in Western Australia's South West region, which is one of the world's most ...

Invasive Flathead Catfish Impacting Susquehanna's Food Chain

Oct. 22, 2024 — Flathead catfish -- native to the Mississippi River basin -- were first detected in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania in 2002, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In the two decades since ...

Loss of 'Nitrogen Fixers' Threatens Biodiversity, Ecosystems

Oct. 18, 2024 — New research shows how human activities, like fertilizer use and polluting, are impacting nitrogen-fixing plants which are crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems by adding nitrogen to the ...

Better Ocean Connectivity Boosts Reef Fish Populations

Oct. 18, 2024 — A new study has found that oceanographic connectivity (the movement and exchange of water between different parts of the ocean) is a key influence for fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean ...

Soil's Secret Language: Researchers Decode Plant-to-Fungi Communication

Oct. 17, 2024 — Researchers have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication in a new study. Using baker's yeast, the researchers discovered that the plant hormone strigolactone (SL) activates fungal genes ...

Grasslands Live in the Climate Change Fast Lane

Oct. 16, 2024 — Grasslands are responding to climate change almost in real time, according to new ...

Plastic Pollution Harms Bees, Review Finds

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new review systematically shows the harmful effects of nano- and microplastics on bees and other beneficial insects. Their function as pollinators is impaired by the plastic particles. This harbors ...

Nitrogen Pollution and Rising Carbon Dioxide: A Joint Threat to Grassland Biodiversity?

Oct. 16, 2024 — An ecologically realistic 24-year field study of grasslands showed that elevated levels of carbon dioxide nearly tripled species losses attributed to nitrogen ...

Severe Cold-Water Bleaching and Mortality of Deep-Water Reef Observed in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Oct. 11, 2024 — New study documents a severe coral bleaching event occurring in a deep coral reef that resulted in high rates of coral mortality. Unlike many bleaching events, this was driven by the presence of ...

Declines in Plant Resilience Threaten Carbon Storage in the Arctic

Oct. 10, 2024 — Rapid warming has impacted the northern ecosystem so significantly that scientists are concerned the region's vegetation is losing the ability to recover from climate shocks, suggests a new ...

Loss of Lake Ice Has Wide-Ranging Environmental and Societal Consequences

Oct. 10, 2024 — The world's freshwater lakes are freezing over for shorter periods of time due to climate change. This shift has major implications for human safety, as well as water quality, biodiversity, and ...

Low Stream Diatom Biodiversity Potentially Decreasing Stream Oxygen Production in Remote Islands

Oct. 7, 2024 — Benthic diatoms are the most important and biodiverse primary producers in streams and comprise the basis for the food webs, fueling animals such as insects and stream fishes including ...

The True Global Impact of Species-Loss Caused by Humans Is Far Greater Than Expected

Oct. 3, 2024 — The extinction of hundreds of bird species caused by humans over the last 130,000 years has led to substantial reductions in avian functional diversity -- a measure of the range of different roles ...

Decades-Long Research Reveals New Understanding of How Climate Change May Impact Caches of Arctic Soil Carbon

Oct. 3, 2024 — Utilizing one of the longest-running ecosystem experiments in the Arctic, researchers have developed a better understanding of the interplay among plants, microbes and soil nutrients -- findings that ...

Megadiverse Flowering Plant Family on Isolated Islands

Sep. 30, 2024 — Asteraceae, a family of flowering plants which includes daisies, sunflowers and asters, are the most diverse group of flowering plants in the world. This plant family comprises around 34,000 species, ...

Return of the Elephants Seals: From a Few to Thousands

Sep. 27, 2024 — A new international study has revealed the genetic impact of hunting in northern elephant seals. The research shows that this species narrowly escaped extinction by hunting, resulting in lasting ...

Dead Coral Skeletons Hinder Reef Regeneration by Sheltering Seaweed

Sep. 26, 2024 — The structural complexity of coral reefs creates a vibrant underwater city populated by a diverse assortment of characters. Ironically, this same complexity can impede coral recovery after ...

Grazing Zooplankton Severely Impacted by Nanoplastic Particles

Sep. 26, 2024 — Researchers have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, ...

These Tadpoles Have Discovered a Unique Way of Not Contaminating Their Water Supply: Not Pooping

Sep. 25, 2024 — The Eiffinger's tree frog found in Japan has a unique biological adaptation: its tadpoles do not defecate during their early developmental stages to reduce the risk of contaminating their small ...