Invasive Species News

January 29, 2025

Top Headlines

How Camellias Evolved With the Formation of the Japanese Archipelago?

Jan. 26, 2025 — Japan Sea element plants are generally thought to have evolved from closely related species on the Pacific side. Camellia japonica and Camellia rusticana were also believed to follow this pattern. However, a new study revealed that their origins ...

How Human Activity Has Shaped Brazil Nut Forests' Past and Future

Jan. 24, 2025 — Researchers use genomic data to study the decline in genetic diversity in the Amazon Basin, particularly in Brazil Nut trees. The research uses genomic data to understand this keystone species' genetic health and adaptability, help reconstruct its ...

Mussel Bed Surveyed Before World War II Still Thriving

Jan. 16, 2025 — A mussel bed in Northern California is as healthy and biodiverse as it was about 80 years ago, when two young students surveyed it shortly before one was sent to fight in World War II. Resampling the site reveals a thriving mussel bed community that ...

Route of Entry for Semliki Forest Virus Into the Brain Revealed

Jan. 13, 2025 — Semliki Forest virus was originally isolated from mosquitoes in the Semliki Forest, Uganda, hence the name. Upon systemic infection from mosquito bites, Semliki Forest virus causes mild blood viremia before finding its way to the central nervous ...

Latest Headlines

updated 7:46pm EST

Ecologists Uncover Significant Ecological Impact of Hybrid Grouper Release Through Religious Practices

Jan. 19, 2025 — Ecologists have identified significant ecological risks associated with the release of hybrid groupers into Hong Kong's coastal waters, a practice ...

Researchers (Plus Dogs) Discover New Truffle Species

Jan. 17, 2025 — Researchers, citizen scientists and their 'truffle dogs' -- have discovered two new species of truffle. Tuber canirevelatum, meaning the 'dog-found' truffle, was named in honor of truffle dogs and ...

Invasive Pike Use Marine Corridors to Colonize New Alaska Territory

Jan. 15, 2025 — Northern pike are moving through salt water to invade freshwater habitats in Southcentral Alaska, according to a new study. It's the first known documentation that northern pike are traveling through ...

Calls to Curb Invasive Species Spread Via Untreated Water Transfer

Jan. 15, 2025 — Experts are warning of the risks of spreading invasive and non-native species when moving large volumes of untreated lake, reservoir and river ...

Ash Tree Variability May Offer Restoration Path Post-Beetle Decimation

Jan. 13, 2025 — The invasive emerald ash borer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was first found in the United States in southeast Michigan in 2002. In the decades since, the wood-boring beetle has ...

Don't Write Off Logged Tropical Forests -- Converting to Oil Palm Plantations Has Even Wider Effects on Ecosystems

Jan. 9, 2025 — A research team has carried out the most comprehensive assessment to date of how logging and conversion to oil palm plantations affect tropical ...

Chimpanzees Are Genetically Adapted to Local Habitats and Infections Such as Malaria

Jan. 9, 2025 — Chimpanzees bear genetic adaptations that help them thrive in their different forest and savannah habitats, some of which may protect against ...

Scorching Climate Drove Lampreys Apart During Cretaceous Period

Jan. 8, 2025 — A new study finds that one of the hottest periods in Earth's history may have driven lampreys apart -- genetically speaking. The work could have implications for how aquatic species respond to our ...

Quantity Over Quality? Different Bees Are Attracted to Different Floral Traits

Jan. 2, 2025 — When it comes to deciding where they're going to get their next meal, different species of bees may be attracted to different flower ...

A New Way to Determine Whether a Species Will Successfully Invade an Ecosystem

Jan. 6, 2025 — A formula can be used to predict what happens when a new species is introduced into an ecosystem -- whether it will establish itself in the community ...

Climate Change Is Accelerating Forest Defoliation by Helping Invasive Species Spread

Jan. 6, 2025 — Computer models predict that hotter, drier conditions in North America will limit the growth of a fungus that normally curbs the spread of the spongy moth, an invasive species that has caused ...

Genetics of Alternating Sexes in Walnuts

Jan. 2, 2025 — Biologists have revealed genetics behind the alternating sexes of walnut trees. The research reveals a mechanism that has been stable in walnuts and their ancestors going back 40 million years -- and ...

Striking New Moray Eel Discovered in Central Indo-Pacific River Mouths, Named After God of the Underworld

Dec. 31, 2024 — A new species of black, slender moray eel has chosen the road less traveled, thriving in dim and muddy river mouths, unlike most of its marine relatives. It is found across the Central Indo-Pacific, ...

Six New Tree Species Named: 3 from Panama, 3 from Colombia

Dec. 23, 2024 — Researchers have named six new tree species based on comparisons made among collections of dried plant specimens from across the Neotropics. Of these six, three of the new species have only been ...

An Inexpensive Fix for California's Struggling Wildflowers

Dec. 19, 2024 — California's native wildflowers are being smothered by layers of dead, invasive grasses. A new study shows that simply raking these layers can boost biodiversity and reduce fire ...

Are Particle Emissions from Offshore Wind Farms Harmful for Blue Mussels?

Dec. 19, 2024 — After several years of service under harsh weather conditions, the rotor blades of offshore wind parks are subjected to degradation and surface erosion, releasing sizeable quantities of particle ...

How Loss of Urban Trees Affects Educational Outcomes

Dec. 17, 2024 — Economists looked at test scores and school attendance for Chicago-area kids before and after a bug infestation wiped out the city's ash trees. Education outcomes for low-income students went ...

Shrubs Can Help or Hinder a Forest's Recovery After Wildfire

Dec. 16, 2024 — When and where to plant tree seedlings to restore forests after wildfires has a lot to do with shrubs, finds a new ...

Threat of Abrupt Mortality Events Keeps Endangered Monkey Population at Risk, Despite Decades of Growth

Dec. 16, 2024 — Despite the population being almost four times larger than it was in 1982, a new study published in the journal Ecology suggests the northern muriqui monkeys remain at risk, especially in the face of ...

New Research About Drought Impacts on Wildlife Can Inform Conservation Strategies

Dec. 16, 2024 — New research shows that many wildlife species in the U.S., like the endangered giant kangaroo rat, will face much more frequent and severe droughts in the future. By 2050-2080, year-long droughts ...

Climate and Land Use Change Threaten Traditional Food Sources in Russia's Far East

Dec. 13, 2024 — The distribution of traditional wild food sources in the Republic of Sakha could change significantly, affecting the diets and incomes of Indigenous rural communities who depend on ...

Overfishing Has Halved Shark and Ray Populations Since 1970

Dec. 12, 2024 — A new analysis reveals that overfishing has caused populations of chondrichthyan fishes -- sharks, rays, and chimaeras -- to decline by more than 50 per cent since 1970. To determine the ...

Botanists Name Beautiful New Species of 'Lipstick Vine' from the Philippine Rainforest

Dec. 12, 2024 — Scientists have today announced the discovery of a species of lipstick vine completely new to science, from the depths of the Philippine rainforest. The team of botanists made the discovery during an ...

Australia's Extinction Tally Is Worse Than We Thought

Dec. 11, 2024 — A new study estimates that more than 9000 insects and other native invertebrates have become extinct in Australia since European arrival in 1788 and between 1-3 additional species become extinct ...

Well-Meaning Dogs Led Astray by Rule-Defying Owners

Dec. 11, 2024 — While good dogs never mean harm, they are often directed to remain on-lead in nature reserves to protect wildlife. Research has found that whether dog owners follow this rule is mostly driven by ...

Human Disruption Is Driving 'Winner' and 'Loser' Tree Species Shifts Across Brazilian Forests

Dec. 10, 2024 — Fast-growing and small-seeded tree species are dominating Brazilian forests in regions with high levels of deforestation and degradation, a new study shows. This has potential implications for the ...

Biodiversity at Risk in Most Rainforests

Dec. 9, 2024 — New research has revealed less than a quarter of the remaining tropical rainforests around the globe can safeguard thousands of threatened species from ...

Conservation Paradox: Invasive Species Are Often Threatened in Their Native Range

Dec. 6, 2024 — Non-native species introduced by humans are among the main causes of global species decline -- they were partly responsible for 60 percent of the species that have become extinct worldwide in recent ...

Spotted Lanternflies in the US Are Living Longer--and Cities May Be Helping Them Spread

Dec. 5, 2024 — Spotted lanternflies -- invasive insects that first landed in the United States a decade ago -- are emerging earlier and staying active later each year, according to an analysis of citizen-science ...

After Decades of Plantation Agriculture, Coconut Palms Dominate Over Half of Pacific Atoll Forests

Dec. 4, 2024 — Coconut palms are king throughout the tropics, serving as the foundation for human lives and cultures across the Pacific Ocean for centuries. However, 200 years of planting by colonial interests ...