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Categories: Ecology: General, Paleontology: Fossils

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Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Carbon-capture tree plantations threaten tropical biodiversity for little gain, ecologists say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The increasingly urgent climate crisis has led to a boom in commercial tree plantations in an attempt to offset excess carbon emissions. However, authors argue that these carbon-offset plantations might come with costs for biodiversity and other ecosystem functions. Instead, the authors say we should prioritize conserving and restoring intact ecosystems.

Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
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Improved mangrove conservation could yield cash, carbon, coastal benefits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A shift in the way we think about the benefits mangroves provide to coastal regions could yield significant economic and biodiversity gains and protect millions from flooding, research has revealed.

Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Viruses dynamic and changing after dry soils are watered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Viruses in soil may not be as destructive to bacteria as once thought and could instead act like lawnmowers, culling older cells and giving space for new growth, according to research.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Study on mysterious Amazon porcupine can help its protection      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study sheds new light on the elusive Roosmalens' dwarf porcupine, a poorly understood neotropical species. After 22 years of relative obscurity, this research uncovers vital information about its distribution, phylogenetics, and potential conservation threats, not only revealing its endemic presence in the Madeira biogeographical province but also expanding its known range in the southern Amazon.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Ecology: General Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate
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Climate and human land use both play roles in Pacific island wildfires past and present      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It’s long been understood that human settlement contributes to conditions that make Pacific Islands more susceptible to wildfires, such as the devastating Aug. 8 event that destroyed the Maui community of Lahaina. But a new study from fire scientist shows that climate is an undervalued part of the equation.

Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Insights into early snake evolution through brain analysis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Recent study sheds new light on the enigmatic early evolution of snakes by examining an unexpected source: their brains. The results emphasize the significance of studying both the soft parts of animals’ bodies and their bones for understanding how animals evolved.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Protecting lands slows biodiversity loss among vertebrates by five times      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Protecting large swaths of Earth's land can help stem the tide of biodiversity loss -- especially when those protected areas are in less disturbed landscapes and in countries with effective national governance. A new study looked at how amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds fared in protected versus unprotected areas worldwide. Vertebrate abundance decreased five times more slowly inside protected areas, offering much-needed support for the United Nations' '30 by 30' conservation initiative.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

How to save plants from climate change? Just ask them      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Climate change and a range of human-caused factors have disrupted the habitats of many California native trees and other plant species. Efforts to protect or relocate plant species would be bolstered by understanding which habitats are best suited for each species. A new study identified a range of characteristics from more than 100 types of plants that can be analyzed to determine each species' preferred temperature and rainfall amount.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water
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Theories about the natural world may need to change to reflect human impact      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has validated at scale, one of the theories that has underpinned ecology for over half a century. In doing so, the findings raise further questions about whether models should be revised to capture human impacts on natural systems.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Despite being properly treated and highly diluted, wastewater still impacts on the river ecosystem      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An experiment using water from a large wastewater treatment plant has shown that this water continues to affect river diversity and the trophic web (food web) despite being properly treated and highly diluted before discharge. The study shows that the limits currently in place and the procedures used to treat wastewater may not be sufficient to protect the natural properties of food webs.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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By air, rain and land: How microbes return after a wildfire      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Ecological disturbances like wildfires disrupt microbial communities. Researchers found that dispersal played a pivotal role in re-establishing surface-level communities.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Pollen analysis suggests peopling of Siberia and Europe by modern humans occurred during a major Pleistocene warming spell      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study appearing in Science Advances compares Pleistocene vegetation communities around Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, to the oldest archeological traces of Homo sapiens in the region. The researchers use the 'remarkable evidence' to tell a compelling story from 45,000-50,000 years ago with new detail: how the first humans migrated across Europe and Asia.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
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New study reveals a long history of violence in ancient hunter-gatherer societies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Violence was a consistent part of life among ancient communities of hunter-gatherers, according to a new study that looked for signs of trauma on 10,000-year-old skeletal remains from burial sites in northern Chile.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

How climate warming could disrupt a deep-rooted relationship      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Trees depend on fungi for their well-being. As climate change and global warming cause higher temperatures and amplified drought, little is known about how these important fungi will respond. To investigate this issue, a research team conducted a climate change experiment where they exposed boreal and temperate tree species to warming and drought treatments to better understand how fungi and their tree hosts respond to environmental changes. Their findings revealed that the combined effects of warming and water stress will likely result in major disturbances of ectomycorrhizal networks and may harm forest resilience and function.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Slow growth in crocodile ancestors pre-dated their semi-aquatic lifestyle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking study is reshaping our understanding of crocodile evolution by pinpointing the onset of slow growth rates to the Late Triassic period, much earlier than the previously assumed Early Jurassic timeline. The research highlights newly discovered fossil crocodile ancestors (known as crocodylomorphs) that exhibited slow growth rates, similar to modern-day crocodilians. Intriguingly, these early crocodylomorphs were not the lethargic, semi-aquatic creatures we are familiar with today; they were small, active, and fully terrestrial. The study also suggests that this slow-growth strategy was not a mere evolutionary quirk but a survival mechanism, as only the slow-growing crocodylomorphs managed to survive the End-Triassic mass extinction. This stands in stark contrast to the fast-growing dinosaurs of the same era, setting the stage for the divergent evolutionary paths that would later define their modern descendants.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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RNA for the first time recovered from an extinct species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows the isolation and sequencing of more than a century-old RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger specimen preserved at room temperature in a museum collection. This resulted in the reconstruction of skin and skeletal muscle transcriptomes from an extinct species for the first time. The researchers note that their findings have relevant implications for international efforts to resurrect extinct species, including both the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth, as well as for studying pandemic RNA viruses.