http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/ecology/ Learn about recent research into biodiversity reduction and how it affects ecosystems. Read news articles on coral bleaching, deforestation and wetland ecology. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 09:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 09:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/ecology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508142820.htm An endangered species of flora or fauna ups the risk of the extinction of the other species in its ecological community. Trophically unique species are more vulnerable for cascading extinction, according to studies of a team of theoretical biologists. Sun, 11 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508142820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm Walking through the last rainforests on the volcanic island of Mauritius, located some 800 km east of Madagascar, one is surrounded by ghosts. Since human colonisation in the 17th century, the island has lost most of its unique animals. The litany includes the famous flightless dodo, giant tortoises, parrots, pigeons, fruitbats, and giant lizards. It is comparatively easy to notice the los­­s of a species, but much more difficult to realise how many interactions have been lost as a result. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509171616.htm Reducing the spread of some invasive species into our lakes could be as simple as asking boaters and fishers to dry out their equipment, says one biology professor studying invasive species in Lake Ontario. When anchor rope, fishing line and the boats themselves are thoroughly dried, the invasive species and their eggs will die, rather than spreading to another location, she explains. "It's such a simple thing for the general public to do, and yet it could make a big difference in the way that our lake ecosystems function." Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509171616.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm The Amazon rainforest, so crucial to the Earth's climate system, is coming under threat from cleaner air say prominent climate scientists. The new study identifies a link between reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from burning coal and increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical north Atlantic, resulting in a heightened risk of drought in the Amazon rainforest. Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211806.htm The quality of pollen a plant produces is closely tied to its sexual habits, ecologists have discovered. As well as helping explain the evolution of such intimate relationships between plants and pollinators, the study also helps explain the recent dramatic decline in certain bumblebee species found in the shrinking areas of species-rich chalk grasslands and hay meadows across Northern Europe. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125429.htm Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have identified a potential "red tide killer." Red tides and related phenomena in which microscopic algae accumulate rapidly in dense concentrations have been on the rise in recent years, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide losses to fisheries and beach tourism activities. Despite their wide-ranging impacts, such phenomena, more broadly referred to as "harmful algal blooms," remain unpredictable in not only where they appear, but how long they persist. Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm Fire-derived charcoal is thought to be an important carbon sink. However, a new article in Science shows that charcoal promotes soil microbes and causes a large loss of soil carbon. There has been greatly increasing attention given to the potential of ‘biochar’, or charcoal made from biological tissues (e.g., wood) to serve as a long term sink of carbon in the soil. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428200309.htm Similarities between half-billion-year-old and recent food webs point to deep principles underpinning the structure of ecological relationships, as shown by researchers from the Santa Fe Institute, Microsoft Research Cambridge and elsewhere. Analyses of food-web data suggest that most, but not all, aspects of the trophic structure of modern ecosystems were in place over a half-billion years ago. Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428200309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424115706.htm In less than three decades the round goby has become one of the most colorful features of the southern Baltic. The fish, which comes from the Black Sea, has rapidly adapted to Baltic conditions and can locally dominate coastal fish populations. This has led to competition with indigenous fish species, such as the flounder, but it has also become a significant contribution to the diet of important predatory fishes, such as cod and perch. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424115706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101813.htm Ecologists have discovered that subterranean and aboveground herbivorous insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals via the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are alerted that the plant is already "occupied." Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112451.htm In the first experiment in a natural environment, scientists have shown that greater plant diversity significantly enhances an ecosystem's productivity. The finding underscores the importance of biodiversity to an ecosystem's value, such as capturing the global warming gas carbon dioxide. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416091012.htm Deep-sea sharks have been tagged and tracked and their habitats precisely mapped in world-first research to test the conservation value of areas closed to commercial fishing. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416091012.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416165732.htm Scientists have developed a new model that accurately maps where coral reefs are in the most trouble, and identifies regions where reefs can be protected best. The model is being applied in areas throughout the Indian Ocean. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416165732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417175221.htm Songbirds feeding near the contaminated South River are showing high levels of mercury, even though they aren't eating food from the river itself, according to a new article in Science. Mercury is one of the world's most troublesome pollutants, especially in water. "The birds eat a lot of spiders... The spiders have a lot of mercury in them and are delivering the mercury to these songbirds," one of the researchers said. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417175221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415210623.htm One of Hawaii's most dominant plants, Metrosideros, has been a resident of the islands far longer than previously believed. Metrosideros, commonly called "ohi'a" in the Hawaiian Islands, has puzzled researchers for years. Although previously thought to be a newcomer to the islands, these plants are well integrated into the islands' ecosystems. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415210623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409205136.htm When Charles Darwin first set foot on Patagonia, he was a fresh-faced 22-year old yet to finesse his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection. But traveling around the tip of South America aboard the HMS Beagle--part of an epic, five-year scientific expedition--the young naturalist had his eyes opened to the immense diversity of species and landscapes. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409205136.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414082525.htm The hunter-versus-hunted phenomenon exemplified by a pack of lionesses chasing down a lonely gazelle has been recreated in a Petri dish with lowly bacteria. Researchers have developed a living system using genetically altered bacteria that he believes can provide new insights into how the population levels of prey influence the levels of predators, and vice-versa. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414082525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408202041.htm Scientists have rediscovered a fly living in the mouth of land crabs. One of the more bizarre choices of breeding substrates comes from Drosophila endobranchia. This species is one out of three known fruit flies that have found a home on (and inside) land-crabs. Although frequently mentioned in biology textbooks, the crab flies have somewhat surprisingly been neglected in active research since their description. The fly has actually not even been seen since its initial discovery in 1966. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408202041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404131211.htm The discovery of a new genus of a tiny booklouse from a northern Arizona cave may lead to further protection for cave ecosystems. This is the third new genus of invertebrates found by the same two scientists since 2006. They discovered a new cricket genus and a new millipede genus in Grand Canyon region caves. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404131211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131936.htm Enormous numbers of migratory moths that fly high above our heads throughout the night aren't at the mercy of the winds that propel them toward their final destinations. Rather, they rely on sophisticated behaviors to control their flight direction. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403104353.htm Millions of people tend birdfeeders in their backyards each year, often out of a desire to help the animals. But a new survey of research on the topic finds that feeding may not always bring a positive outcome for the birds. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403104353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402114825.htm Modern agriculture and land-use practices may lead to major disruptions of the world's water flows, with potentially sudden and dire consequences for regions least able to cope with them researchers have warned. Recent outbreaks of toxic algae blooms in Quebec lakes and off Sweden's Baltic Sea coast are prime examples of ecosystem flips, the consequence of nutrients from fertilizers permeating the soil and running off into streams, lakes and oceans. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402114825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331222115.htm New research finds fresh evidence that urbanization in the United States threatens the populations of some species of migratory birds. But the six-year study also refutes one of the most widely accepted explanations of why urban areas are so hostile to some kinds of birds. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331222115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330214448.htm More than two million trees belonging to nearly 5000 species, growing in tropical forests spread over 12 sites and three continents, have been monitored since the 1980s. The aims of this major study were to analyze the carbon storage capacity of tropical forests and measure the effects of climate change on how they function. Researchers found that tropical forests did indeed act as carbon sinks, but appeared to react principally to intrinsic phenomena rather than climate change. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330214448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172055.htm A tiny beetle is wreaking catastrophic action on the deteriorating Chihuahuan desert. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327093626.htm US Forest Service scientists with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry have completed a study on ways to make high-value koa trees grow faster, while increasing biodiversity, carbon sequestration, scenic beauty and recreation opportunities in native Hawaiían forests. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327093626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rainforests were cut down, researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute took on a project that many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rainforest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle fields in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees, native species began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rainforests can one day be replaced. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326093056.htm Scientists have made the first global-scale analysis of the processes leading to freshwater fish invasion in river basins. This phenomenon affects most river ecosystems of countries of the Northern hemisphere. However, in the context of economic growth developing countries are now experiencing, their river basins, home to the greater part of freshwater fish biodiversity, are at risk of the same fate unless vigilance is applied. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326093056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203442.htm Evidence shows that a new logging road in Riau Province is cutting into the heart of Sumatra's largest contiguous peatland forest, a rare hydrological ecosystem that acts as one of the planet's biggest carbon stores. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324203807.htm A decline by more than 70 percent of several North American shorebird species since the early 1970s has brought state, federal and international concern about conservation efforts for these birds and their wetland habitat. Wildlife ecologists are particularly interested in conservation measures aimed at slowing the decline. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324203807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320150025.htm Paleontologists studying ancient fossils they excavated in the South Australian outback argue that Earth's ecosystem has been complex for hundreds of millions of years -- at least since around 565 million years ago. In describing Funisia dorothea, a tubular organism seen in the fossils, the researchers found that the organism had multiple means of growing and propagating -- similar to strategies used by most invertebrate organisms for propagation today. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320150025.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318084337.htm Some 15 chimpanzees facing extinction in an isolated Rwandan forest have a greater chance for survival thanks to one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration efforts ever. A 30-mile (50km) tree corridor will be planted to connect the Gishwati Forest Reserve, the chimpanzees' home range, to Nyungwe National Park. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318084337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317124005.htm Viruses and bacterial viruses are among the planet's most abundant life forms. Two recent Nature papers analyse the geographical distribution of viral communities in modern organosedimentary structures known as microbialites, living analogues of oldest fossils on Earth, and come up with surprising nuggets of information. Modern Microbialites May Be Endemic Remnants Of Ancient Ecosystems Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317124005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318094616.htm Current classifications of IUCN protected areas are based on management objectives. Fully revising the category system to reflect each category's contributions to biodiversity would greatly enhance their value as effective tools for conserving biodiversity. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318094616.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311160514.htm After 14 years without having been seen, several young scientists have rediscovered the Carrikeri harlequin frog in a remote mountainous region in Colombia. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311160514.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311093341.htm The number of amphibians drastically decreases in forest areas that are clearcut, according to previous studies. However, some animals may not be dying. Instead, a biologist says some animals may be moving away (possibly to return later) or retreating underground. The finding could have major implications for both the timber industry and the survival of amphibians. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311093341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124419.htm Nowhere is the principle of "strength in numbers" more apparent than in the collective power of microbes: despite their simplicity, these one-cell organisms -- which number about 5 million trillion trillion strong (no, that is not a typo) on Earth -- affect virtually every ecological process, from the decay of organic material to the production of oxygen. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141228.htm The productivity and biodiversity of an ecosystem is significantly affected by the rate at which organisms move between different parts of the ecosystem. When there is little or no dispersal, populations of species that remain in harsh areas of an ecosystem are unable to adapt to their environment due to a low population size and lack of genetic variation. Conversely, when there is too much dispersal in an ecosystem, species evolve to be 'generalists' that can survive in many habitats, but fail to thrive in any given one. The scientific team behind this new research found that both the biodiversity and productivity of an ecosystem are at a peak when there is an intermediate rate of dispersal of species - not too little and not too much - between different parts of the ecosystem. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310174132.htm New satellite imaging research may help save the dwindling lemur population in the African nation of Madagascar. Using satellite imagery, GIS and ecological and demographic data from the field, researchers have studied the effects of deforestation on the ringtailed lemur population in Madagascar during the last forty years. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310174132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306183149.htm An ocean odor that affects global climate also gathers reef fish to feed as they "eavesdrop" on events that might lead them to food. DMSP is given off by algae and phytoplankton, microscopic one-celled plants that float in the ocean. Release of DMSP usually indicates either that tiny animals in the plankton are feeding on the algae, or that massive growth of algae -- an algal bloom -- has occurred. Once released from the ocean into the atmosphere, derivatives of DMSP promote cloud formation, so clouds reflect more sunlight back into space and cool the Earth. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306183149.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305194942.htm What looks at first to be a slimy mess in a Petri dish represents a highly-significant advance in conservation and restoration ecology. Ecologists are celebrating the arrival of the first Maud Island frogs (Leiopelma pakeka) to hatch on mainland New Zealand for many years. No larger than a human adult's little fingernail, the Maud Island froglets differ from most frog species in that they hatch from the egg as fully-formed froglets without going through the usual tadpole stage. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305194942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304101433.htm Bacterial communities endemic to healthy corals could change depending on the amount and type of natural and man-made dissolved organic matter in seawater. Healthy corals naturally exude a surrounding mucous layer in which a complex population of bacteria exists. Recent studies have indicated that some coral diseases may be linked to community shifts in this bacterial population. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304101433.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303190645.htm To the list of threats to tropical rainforests you can add a new one -- trees. It might seem that for a rainforest the more trees the merrier, but a new study warns that non-native trees invading a rainforest can change its basic ecological structure -- rendering it less hospitable to the myriad plant and animal species that depend on its resources. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303190645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144228.htm Plants gained their ancestral toehold on dry land with considerable help from their fungal friends. Now, millennia later, that partnership is being exploited as a strategy to bolster biomass production for next generation biofuels. The genetic mechanism of this kind of symbiosis, which contributes to the delicate ecological balance in healthy forests, also provides insights into plant health that may enable more efficient carbon sequestration and enhanced phytoremediation, using plants to clean up environmental contaminants. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305105157.htm Spring in the Rockies begins when the snowpack melts. But with the advent of global climate change, the snow is gone sooner. Some of the region's wildflowers are blooming less because of it. Three flowers found in the Rockies are far more susceptible to late frost damage when the snow melts more quickly. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305105157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144224.htm The midges that periodically swarm by the billions from Iceland's Lake Myvatn are a force of nature. At their peak, it is difficult to breathe without inhaling the bugs, which hatch and emerge from the lake in blizzard-like proportions. After their short adult life, their carcasses blanket the lake, and the dead flies confer so much nutrient on the surrounding landscape that the enhanced productivity can be measured by Earth-observing satellites. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080302211819.htm Ski tourism is raising stress levels among capercaillie the largest member of the grouse family of birds, which could harm the birds' fitness and ability to breed successfully, ecologists have found. Researchers warn that forests should be kept free from tourism infrastructure if they are inhabited by capercaillie - a rare species whose numbers are declining markedly across central Europe. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080302211819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303145300.htm As western states debate removing the gray wolf from protection under the Endangered Species Act, a new study cautions that doing so may result in an unintended decline in another species: the pronghorn, a uniquely North American animal that resembles an African antelope. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303145300.htm