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Categories: Ecology: General, Geoscience: Earthquakes

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Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Exact magma locations may improve volcanic eruption forecasts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cornell University researchers have unearthed precise, microscopic clues to where magma is stored, offering a way to better assess the risk of volcanic eruptions.

Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Oceanography
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Marine reserves unlikely to restore marine ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Protected marine areas are one of the essential tools for the conservation of natural resources affected by human impact -- mainly fishing --, but, are they enough to recover the functioning of these systems? A study now highlights the limitations of marine reserves in restoring food webs to their pristine state prior to the impact of intensive fishing.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Long-term restoration of a biodiversity hotspot hinges on getting seeds to the right place at the right time      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research shows that degraded savanna ecosystems can reap lasting benefits from a single seeding of native understory plants. Once a diverse understory of savanna plants became established, its long-term persistence was relatively unaffected by environmental factors -- with one exception. Higher temperatures during the height of the growing season were associated with poorer long-term survival among some species, indicating one threat posed by a warming climate.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research
Published

Loss of reptiles poses threat for small islands where humans may have caused extinctions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new examination of ancient and current species of reptiles conducted by paleobiologists reveals the serious impact of the disappearance of even a few species of reptiles in some island areas. The study has startling conclusions about how, on smaller islands in the Caribbean where human impact was greatest, extinctions have led to the loss of up to two-thirds of the supports for the ecosystem that native reptile species once provided there.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Scientists detect molten rock layer hidden under Earth's tectonic plates      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have discovered a new layer of partly molten rock under the Earth's crust that might help settle a long-standing debate about how tectonic plates move. The molten layer is located about 100 miles from the surface and is part of the asthenosphere, which is important for plate tectonics because it forms a relatively soft boundary that lets tectonic plates move through the mantle. The researchers found, however that the melt does not appear to notably influence the flow of mantle rocks. Instead, they say, the discovery confirms that the convection of heat and rock in the mantle are the prevailing influence on the motion of the plates.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Deer browsing is just one of many factors shaping North American forests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a new study, a research team discovered evidence that browsing by white-tailed deer had relatively little long-term impact on two tree species in a northern forest.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

UK's Overseas Territories at ongoing risk from wide range of invasive species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has for the first time predicted which invasive species could pose a future threat to the UK's ecologically unique Overseas Territories.

Biology: Botany Biology: Developmental Ecology: General Ecology: Research
Published

New species of microalgae discovered      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new species of microalgae was found in water from a home aquarium. While analyzing DNA samples taken from the algae, researchers discovered Medakamo hakoo, whose DNA sequence didn't match any on record. This new species is the smallest known freshwater green algae, with inherent qualities which enable it to be cultured stably at high density, meaning it could be effectively used to produce useful products for food and industry.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Looking back at the Tonga eruption      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A 'back-projection' technique reveals new details of the volcanic eruption in Tonga that literally shook the world.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Ancestral variation guides future environmental adaptations      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The speed of environmental change is very challenging for wild organisms. When exposed to a new environment individual plants and animals can potentially adjust their biology to better cope with new pressures they are exposed to -- this is known as phenotypic plasticity. New research shows that early plasticity can influence the ability to subsequently evolve genetic adaptations to conquer new habitats.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Rapid plant evolution may make coastal regions more susceptible to flooding and sea level rise, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Evolution has occurred more rapidly than previously thought in the Chesapeake Bay wetlands, which may decrease the chance that coastal marshes can withstand future sea level rise, researchers at the University of Notre Dame and collaborators demonstrated in a recent publication in Science.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research
Published

How salmon feed flowers and flourishing ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Nutrients from salmon carcasses can substantively alter the growth and reproduction of plant species in the surrounding habitat, and even cause some flowers to grow bigger and more plentiful, researchers have found.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research
Published

Economics trump environment to save big cats, say ecologists      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Rapid economic growth has pushed rare species of big carnivores to the brink of extinction, but ecologists have suggested our appetite to once again live alongside big cats is increasing.

Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Research Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Immense diversity and interdependence in high temp deep-sea microorganism communities      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study finds that microorganisms live in richly diverse and interdependent communities in high-temperature geothermal environments in the deep sea. By constructing genomes of 3,635 Bacteria and Archaea from 40 different rock communities, researchers discovered at least 500 new genera and have evidence for two new phyla. Samples from the deep-sea Brothers volcano were especially enriched with different kinds of microorganisms, many endemic to the volcano. The genomic data from this study also showed that many of these organisms depend on one another for survival. Some microorganisms cannot metabolize all of the nutrients they need to survive so they rely on nutrients created by other species in a process known as a 'metabolic handoff.'

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Can elephants save the planet?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report that elephants play a key role in creating forests which store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of forests in Africa. If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

New discovery: Endangered Amami rabbit disperses seeds for non-photosynthetic plant      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Seed dispersal is an essential process for the evolution and ecology of terrestrial plants, making discoveries of uncommon seed dispersal agents particularly interesting. Scientists now reveal that the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) is a major seed dispersal agent for the non-photosynthetic plant Balanophora yuwanensis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known instance of rabbits serving as seed dispersal agents in Asia.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Unprecedented levels of high-severity fire burn in Sierra Nevada      (via sciencedaily.com) 

High-severity wildfire in California's Sierra Nevada forests has nearly quintupled compared to before Euro-American settlement, rising from less than 10% per year then to up to 43% today, a new study finds.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Forests face fierce threats from multiple industries, not just agricultural expansion      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Intact forests are important climate regulators and harbors of biodiversity, but they are rapidly disappearing. Agriculture is commonly considered to be the major culprit behind forest loss, but the authors of a new article show that agriculture isn't solely to blame. For forest loss associated with the 2014 world economy, over 60% was related to final consumption of non-agricultural products, such as minerals, metals and wood-related goods, and the authors argue that we must consider international trade markets when designing conservation strategies.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Rare opportunity to study short-lived volcanic island reveals sulfur-metabolizing microbes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

On the short-lived island of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai, researchers discovered a unique microbial community that metabolizes sulfur and atmospheric gases, similar to organisms found in deep sea vents or hot springs.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Researchers uncover secrets on how Alaska's Denali Fault formed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New findings begin to fill major gaps in understanding about how geological faults behave and appear as they deepen, and they could eventually help lead future researchers to develop better earthquake models on strike-slip faults, regions with frequent and major earthquakes.