Ecology Research News

December 1, 2023

Top Headlines

Rare Ant Species Rediscovered in North Carolina Trees

Nov. 30, 2023 — There's a species of ant that is so rare, only a handful of records exist from across the entire eastern United States. North Carolina State University researcher Michelle Kirchner not only found these ants in the Triangle region of North Carolina, ...

How Far Can the Wind Can Carry a Plant's Seeds? New Model

Nov. 30, 2023 — Playing an essential foundational role in an ecosystem, plants contribute to the well-being of human health by helping create resources like food and medicine. Therefore, to better understand how plants can maintain resiliency in the face of ...

Deoxygenation Levels Similar to Today's Played a Major Role in Marine Extinctions During Major Past Climate Change Event

Nov. 27, 2023 — Scientists have made a surprising discovery that sheds new light on the role that oceanic deoxygenation (anoxia) played in one of the most devastating extinction events in Earth's history. Their ...

How Shipwrecks Are Providing a Refuge for Marine Life

Nov. 23, 2023 — New research has highlighted how the estimated 50,000 wrecks around the UK coastline are protecting the seabed, and the species inhabiting it, in areas still open to bottom-towed ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:08pm EST

Snake Skulls Show How Species Adapt to Prey

Nov. 30, 2023 — By studying the skull shapes of dipsadine snakes, researchers have found how these species of snakes in Central and South America have evolved and adapted to meet the demands of their habitats and ...

Deep-Sea Mining and Warming Trigger Stress in a Midwater Jellies

Nov. 21, 2023 — The deep sea is home to one of the largest animal communities on earth which is increasingly exposed to environmental pressures. However, our knowledge of its inhabitants and their response to ...

Protect Delicate Polar Ecosystems by Mapping Biodiversity

Nov. 20, 2023 — Concerted action is required to mitigate the impact of warming on polar ecosystems and sustainably manage these unique habitats. ...

Idai Vs. Impalas: New Study Shows in Real-Time What Helps Mammals Survive a Natural Disaster

Nov. 17, 2023 — After a massive cyclone transformed the ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park, researchers studied the immediate and knock-on impacts to ...

Nature Photographers Posting to Social Media Help With Protecting Biodiversity

Nov. 17, 2023 — Nature photographers posting to social media are helping improve biodiversity conservation mapping in South Asia, and the method could go ...

Naturally Regrowing Forests Are Helping to Protect the Remaining Old Forests in the Amazon

Nov. 13, 2023 — Secondary forests that have regrown naturally on land abandoned from agriculture are important in counteracting the effects of forest fragmentation ...

New Study Reveals Huge Potential for Future Waves of Invasive Species

Nov. 16, 2023 — Human trade and transport have led to the intentional and accidental introductions of non-native species outside of their natural range globally. These biological invasions can cause extinctions, ...

Plants That Survived Dinosaur Extinction Pulled Nitrogen from Air

Nov. 16, 2023 — Ancient cycad lineages that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs may have done so by relying on symbiotic bacteria in their roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The finding came from an effort to ...

Forget Social Distancing: House Finches Become More Social When Sick

Nov. 16, 2023 — Social distancing when sick has become second nature to many of us in the past few years, but some sick animals appear to take a different approach. A new study of house finches uncovered a ...

Forecasting Microbiomes for Sustainability and Health

Nov. 14, 2023 — Microbial communities, or microbiomes, are essential for safeguarding human and environmental health through the most widely used biotechnological process on our planet: biological wastewater ...

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Summaries
Headlines

New Scientific Study Reveals the Crucial Role of Herbivorous Fishes and Sea Urchins in Restoring Caribbean Coral Reefs

Nov. 15, 2023 — A new study presents crucial findings on the feeding preferences of herbivorous fishes and the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in Little Cayman. The study sheds new light on the dynamics of these ...

Diverse Forests Hold Huge Carbon Potential, as Long as We Cut Emissions

Nov. 13, 2023 — New study estimates that natural forest recovery could capture approximately 226 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon, but only if we also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving these results requires ...

Previously Unknown Luminescence Revealed in Ten Deep Sea Species and an Order of Sea Cucumbers

Nov. 14, 2023 — Researchers present evidence of previously unknown luminosity in 10 deep-sea species, suggesting underestimated diversity. These new discoveries include a member of the order Molpadia, which was ...

A Fifth of European Red List Flora and Fauna Species May Be at Risk of Extinction

Nov. 8, 2023 — A new analysis of 14,669 threatened species of plants and animals found in Europe reveals that about one fifth face the risk of extinction, and that agricultural land-use change poses a significant ...

First Evidence of How the Asian Malaria Mosquito Is Spreading Drug-Resistant Malaria in Africa

Nov. 8, 2023 — Research has led to the discovery of the role played by the Asian malaria mosquito (Anopheles stephensi) in the spread of drug and diagnosis-resistant malaria in Africa. Malaria is caused by a ...

Device 'Smells' Seawater to Discover, Detect Novel Molecules

Nov. 8, 2023 — Under the ocean's surface, marine organisms are constantly releasing invisible molecules. Some of the chemical clues reveal which creatures are nearby, while others could be used someday as ...

Southern Alaska's National Forests Key to Meeting Climate, Conservation Goals

Nov. 8, 2023 — Analyses of U.S. national forests shows that increased protections for two Alaskan forests is a key to meeting climate and biodiversity ...

Experts Predict 'Catastrophic Ecosystem Collapse' of UK Forests Within the Next 50 Years If Action Not Taken

Nov. 8, 2023 — Experts predict 'catastrophic ecosystem collapse' of UK forests within the next 50 years if action not taken. Other threats to UK forests include competition with society for water, viral ...

'Biodiversity Time Machine' Provides Insights Into a Century of Loss

Nov. 7, 2023 — AI analysis shows pollution levels, extreme weather events and increasing temperatures devastates biodiversity in freshwater ...

City and Highway Lights Threaten Mountain Lion Habitats

Nov. 6, 2023 — Artificial light pollution at night threatens mountain lion habitat, making it a factor to consider for wildlife crossings and land use, finds a new ...

The Fascinating Relationship Between Mice and a Plant That Flowers Once a Century in Terms of Seed Dispersal

Nov. 6, 2023 — Researchers have discovered several factors that affect field mouse behavior using seeds from dwarf bamboo plants, a plant that flowers once in a century. Their findings not only suggest the ...

New Algae Species Rewrites Understanding of Reef Systems

Nov. 6, 2023 — An international team of marine scientists has identified and officially named four species of algae new to science, challenging previous taxonomical assumptions within the Porolithon genus. The ...

Threatened Sharks and Rays Caught Off Cyprus

Nov. 6, 2023 — Sharks and rays from threatened species are being caught off northern Cyprus, according to a new study by scientists who are working with local authorities and fishers to protect the ...

Crust-Forming Algae Are Displacing Corals in Tropical Waters Worldwide

Nov. 6, 2023 — Over the past few decades, algae have been slowly edging corals out of their native reefs across the globe by blocking sunlight, wearing the corals down physically, and producing harmful chemicals. ...

Large Herbivores Such as Elephants, Bison and Moose Contribute to Tree Diversity

Nov. 3, 2023 — Using global satellite data, a research team has mapped the tree cover of the world's protected areas. The study shows that regions with abundant large herbivores in many settings have a more ...

To Restore Ecosystems, Think About Thwarting Hungry Herbivores

Nov. 2, 2023 — Re-establishing plantings of trees, grasses and other vegetation is essential for restoring degraded ecosystems, but a new survey of almost 2,600 restoration projects from nearly every type of ...

Investigators Examine Shifts in Coral Microbiome Under Hypoxia

Nov. 2, 2023 — A new study provides the first characterization of the coral microbiome under hypoxia, insufficient oxygen in the ...

Amazon Deforestation Linked to Long Distance Climate Warming

Oct. 30, 2023 — Deforestation in the Amazon causes land surfaces up to 100 kilometers away to get warmer, suggests a new study. The research suggests that tropical forests play a critical role in cooling the ...

'Robin Hood' Approach for Tracking Biodiversity

Oct. 26, 2023 — Researchers have developed a framework that can help scientists understand trends in biodiversity by using data from well-characterized species to provide insights on data-deficient species. The ...

UK Air Pollution Regulations Will Reduce Deaths, but Do Little to Protect Ecosystems

Oct. 25, 2023 — Existing air pollution regulations will reduce thousands of premature adult deaths in the UK, but even the most effective technically feasible actions, which will save thousands more lives, will do ...

Wednesday, November 15, 2023