http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/ecosystems/ Ecology news. Learn about ecosystems at risk. Read current events articles on fragile ecosystems and what can be done to protect them. en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/ecosystems/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111130952.htm The global ocean covering the Earth 3.4 billion years ago was far cooler than has been thought, according to researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in rocks formed on that ancient ocean floor. Instead of a hot primordial soup, much more tepid temperatures prevailed. Cooler temperatures may have had effects on the evolution of the early atmosphere and could have opened the door to an earlier spread of photosynthetic life forms across the planet. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111130952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110141842.htm New data show that the balance between the airborne and the absorbed fraction of carbon dioxide has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of CO₂ having risen from about 2 billion tons a year in 1850 to 35 billion tons a year now. This suggests that terrestrial ecosystems and the oceans have a much greater capacity to absorb CO₂ than had been previously expected. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110141842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121117.htm Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonization is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092049.htm The kelp forests off southern California are considered to be some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, yet a new study indicates that today's kelp beds are less extensive and lush than those in the recent past. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111092049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091107115833.htm Tree-dwelling ants generally live in harmony with their arboreal hosts. But new research suggests that when they run out of space in their trees of choice, the ants can get destructive to neighboring trees. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091107115833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145308.htm As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106111214.htm Predictions made over the last decade about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity may be exaggerated, according to a paper published in the journal Science. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106111214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143821.htm One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human use versus environmental conservation -- their stunning beauty is so extraordinary that almost everyone wants them protected in perpetuity. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105143821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112249.htm Researchers found that removing all of the trees from a section of the forest had a negative effect on amphibians during their later life cycles, but had some positive effects during amphibians' aquatic larva stages at the beginning of their lives. To lessen the negative effects during the later life stage, scientists recommend partial or selection cuts to forests rather than completely removing trees from an area. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103112249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172247.htm About half of 36 fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the last four decades, with some stocks nearly disappearing from US waters as they move farther offshore, according to a new study. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171559.htm Deep-sea ecosystems occupying 60 percent of the Earth's surface could be vulnerable to the effects of global warming, warn scientists. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171559.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085819.htm Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity? A large and unexpected one, say wildlife biologists. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102212153.htm An ancient South American civilisation which disappeared around 1,500 years ago helped to cause its own demise by damaging the fragile ecosystem that held it in place, a study has found. Archaeologists examining the remains of the Nasca, who once flourished in the valleys of south coastal Peru, have uncovered a sequence of human-induced events which led to their "catastrophic" collapse around 500 AD. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102212153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121456.htm A recent assessment finds some positive trends among indicators of biodiversity loss in China -- notably, growth in forest coverage and improvements in marine ecosystems. However, other indicators, such as the rate of discovery of invasive species, are worsening. Many animals are under growing threat. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102121456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085825.htm Nature inspires technology as an engineer and an ecologist have teamed to develop robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments. Robotic fish -- perhaps schools of them operating autonomously for months -- could give researchers far more precise data on aquatic conditions, deepening our knowledge of critical water supplies and habitats. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028090528.htm Marine biologists examined whether Laysan albatrosses nesting on Kure Atoll and Oahu, Hawaii, 2,150 km away, ingested different amounts of plastic by putting miniaturized tracking devices on birds to follow them at sea and examining their regurgitated stomach contents. Surprisingly, birds from Kure Atoll ingested almost ten times the amount of plastic compared to birds from Oahu. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028090528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028192613.htm Fire is often thought of something that trees should be protected from, but a new study suggests that some trees may themselves contribute to the likelihood of wildfires in order to promote their own abundance at the expense of their competitors. The study says that positive feedback loops between fire and trees associated with savannas can make fires more likely in these ecosystems. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028192613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101411.htm Researchers have developed an 'ecological risk assessment' a three-step method that considers targeted and incidentally caught species, as well as threatened, endangered and protected species. Ongoing research is further developing the method for habitats and ecological communities. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027101411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016093913.htm Experts have revealed jaw-dropping dollar values of the "ecosystem services" of biomes like forests and coral reefs -- including food, pollution treatment and climate regulation. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016093913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162929.htm An analysis of sediment cores indicates that biological and chemical changes occurring at a remote Arctic lake are unprecedented over the past 200,000 years and likely are the result of human-caused climate change, according to a new study. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019162929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114357.htm With technology similar to that used by physicians to perform magnetic resonance imaging scans, researchers are studying the metabolic activity of a pathogen shown to cause coral bleaching, a serious threat to undersea reef ecosystems worldwide. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016094045.htm A new study sheds light on oil and gas development potential in the US Intermountain West. Maps accompanying the study show the impacts to greater sage-grouse populations in relation to potential energy development. If business as usual continues and more forward-thinking development strategies are not considered, sage-grouse populations will decline an additional 7 to 19 percent, the study's authors predict. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091016094045.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142508.htm Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is among the healthiest coral reef ecosystems in the tropical Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, according to NOAA researchers. Their report offers insights into the coral and fish communities within the sanctuary based on data collected in 2006 and 2007. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111420.htm Researchers are building the environmental equivalent of the ASX200 as a means of monitoring the health of Australian marine ecosystems. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023163513.htm The possibility that climate change might simply be a natural variation like others that have occurred throughout geologic time is dimming, according to new evidence. The research reveals that sediments retrieved by geologists from a remote Arctic lake are unlike those seen during previous warming episodes. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091023163513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022182412.htm Thirty million years ago, Ethiopia had warmer soil temperatures, higher rainfall and different atmospheric circulation patterns than it does today, according to new research of fossil soils found in that central African nation. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022182412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141121.htm The expansion of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) affects the processes by which carbon is captured and sequestered on the seafloor. Researchers describe the metagenome of an abundant but uncultivated microbe from a fjord on the coast of British Columbia, Canada that is silently helping to shape the ecology of OMZs worldwide. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022141121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013132127.htm Urban grasslands are an extremely common, but poorly studied ecosystem type. Many receive high rates of fertilizer, creating concerns about nutrient runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. Recent research has been focused on long-term study plots to evaluate multiple ecological variables in different components of the urban landscape. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013132127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094054.htm Logged rainforests can support as much plant, animal and insect life as virgin forest within 15 years if properly managed, new research has found. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134716.htm Supervolcanoes and cosmic impacts get all the terrible glory for causing mass extinctions, but a new theory suggests lowly algae may be the killer behind the world's great species annihilations. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064444.htm Discovered only in 1992, the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) that inhabit remote valleys along the border of Lao PDR and Vietnam are fast approaching the point of extinction. An emergency meeting of wildlife biologists, government agencies and other key organizations from four countries in Lao PDR urged prompt action to save the rare Asian animal. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903064444.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151437.htm Viruses of soil bacteria (phages) evolve to improve their ability to infect the bacterial hosts that surround them. This is shown in a new study. Phages appear to be better able to infect bacteria from the same small soil sample than bacteria from just a few centimeters away. Evolution can therefore restructure ecosystems on a very small scale. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029151437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930165036.htm NOAA and Norwegian researchers recently completed a comparative analysis of marine ecosystems in the North Atlantic and North Pacific to see what factors support fisheries production, leading to new insights that could improve fishery management plans and the ecosystems. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930165036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908103623.htm Peat has been used in container plant production since the 1960s. Highly porous and able to hold water, peat makes an ideal rooting and growing medium. But harvesting peat (and draining valuable peatlands in the process) releases carbon stored in peat into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Researchers have worked for years to find alternative organic materials that can be used as partial or complete substitutes for peat and are now testing composted dairy manure. Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908103623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015203837.htm The Arctic Ocean sea ice is thinning, new data show, supporting the emerging thinking that the Ocean will be largely ice-free during summer within a decade. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015203837.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012100825.htm On-farm water management could increase global crop production by about one fifth, a modeling study by German and Swedish researchers indicates. However, even intensive water management on present cropland will not be sufficient to accommodate the food demands of a growing population in a warming world, the scientists report. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012100825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184419.htm The world will miss its agreed target to stem biodiversity loss by next year, according to experts convening in Cape Town for a landmark conference devoted to biodiversity science. Growing water needs and mismanagement are leading to 'catastrophic decline' in freshwater biodiversity, according to experts. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091011184419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013201754.htm After 15 years of research in the waters of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, scientists have unveiled the largest genetic study of humpback whale populations ever conducted in the Southern Hemisphere. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013201754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013132129.htm Five giant non-native snake species would pose high risks to the health of ecosystems in the United States should they become established here, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013132129.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012230441.htm Researchers working in Colombia's Cerrejón coal mine have unearthed the first megafossil evidence of a neotropical rainforest. Titanoboa, the world's biggest snake, lived in this forest 58 million years ago at temperatures 3-5 C warmer than in rainforests today, indicating that rainforests flourished during warm periods. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091012230441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007091752.htm The many environmental issues facing our society are prevalent in the media lately. Our ecosystem is composed of a very delicate network of interactions among all species and the non-living environment. Predicting how each component of this complex system will respond to the many environmental changes sweeping the globe is a challenging problem today's scientists face. This study explores how increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be affecting trees and, ultimately, affecting water and carbon cycles. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007091752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008073314.htm Major shifts in fisheries distribution due to climate change will affect food security in tropical regions most adversely, according to a new study. Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008073314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007103059.htm The role of the forests is assumed to increase in the future, as an important buffer of climate change and increasing carbon dioxide concentrations. So-called Earth system models, computer systems making predictions for the globe, estimate that this effect can be very large. However, new research results, based on measurements at hundreds of European forests, indicate that predicted effects by these models are overestimated because they ignore the limitation of nitrogen. It makes the current predictions by Earth system models more than twice as high as they most likely will be. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007103059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001081307.htm One of the unintended consequences of crop-based biofuels may be the loss of wildlife habitat, particularly the birds who call this country's grasslands home. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001081307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124729.htm A team of Spanish scientists from a variety of fields has analyzed the effects of human activity on the peridunal lagoons in the Doñana National Park. Results show that the lagoons are in the process of regressing, largely due to the extraction of underground water for the Matalascañas tourist resort (Huelva). Moreover, the natural effects of the ecosystem itself are further aggravating the situation. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164102.htm The catastrophic decline around the world of "apex" predators such as wolves, cougars, lions or sharks has led to a huge increase in smaller "mesopredators" that are causing major economic and ecological disruptions, a new study concludes. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002120412.htm Researchers have done the most detailed analysis ever of a layer of sediments deposited during and immediately after the asteroid impact 65 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs and 80 percent of Earth's marine life. They found that at least some forms of microscopic marine life -- the so-called "primary producers," or photosynthetic organisms such as algae and cyanobacteria in the ocean -- had recovered within about a century after the mass extinction. Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002120412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164058.htm Mass coral bleaching has devastated coral colonies around the world for almost three decades. Now scientists have found that bleaching can make corals more susceptible to disease and, in turn, coral disease can exacerbate the negative effects of bleaching. A new article shows that when they occur together, this combination of afflictions causes greater harm to corals than either does on its own. Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001164058.htm