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Categories: Ecology: Endangered Species, Energy: Fossil Fuels

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In the far north of the planet, climate change is clearly noticeable. A new study now shows that in parallel there have been dramatic changes in pollinating insects. Researchers have discovered that the network of plants and their pollinators there has changed considerably since the end of the 19th century. Scientists warn this could lead to plants being pollinated less effectively. This, in turn, would adversely affect their reproduction.

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It was thought that there was only one species of the ghost-like Monotropastrum humile plant found in woodlands across East and Southeast Asia. In a major new discovery, botanists reveal that a rosy pink colored variant is actually a distinct new species, shaking up our understanding of this unusual-looking genus of plants. This 20-year study emphasizes the importance of combining various analytical methods to fully understand and protect biodiversity.

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How plants optimize photosynthesis under changing light conditions.

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Climate change could overexpose rare underwater 'marimo' algae balls to sunlight, killing them off according to a new study. Marimo are living fluffy balls of green algae. The world's largest marimo can be found in Lake Akan in Hokkaido, Japan's northern main island. Here they are sheltered from too much winter sunlight by a thick layer of ice and snow, but the ice is thinning due to global warming. Researchers found that the algae could survive bright light for up to four hours and would recover if then placed under a moderate light for 30 minutes. However, the algae died when exposed to bright light for six hours or more. The team hopes this discovery will highlight the threat of climate change to this endangered species and the urgent need to protect their habitat.

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A research group is studying how plants 'breathe'. They have gained new insights into how grasses develop efficient 'breathing pores' on their leaves. If important landmark components in this development process are missing, the gas exchange between plant and atmosphere is impaired. The findings are also important regarding climate change.

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Existing conservation efforts are insufficient to protect Antarctic ecosystems, and population declines are likely for 65% of the continent's plants and wildlife by the year 2100, according to a new study.

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A new study underscores that we still have much to learn regarding how plants will function -- and how nutritious they will be -- as more carbon enters our atmosphere. That same influx of carbon is helping drive climate change, meaning this new work may be revealing an unexpected way this global phenomenon is reshaping nature and our lives.

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For decades, scientists have been stumped by the signals plants send themselves to initiate photosynthesis, the process of turning sunlight into sugars. Researchers have now decoded those previously opaque signals.

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Researchers found that the number of common hippopotamus in the Bui National Park declined by about 70 percent following the construction of a hydroelectric dam in the reserve. From 209 individuals before the dam construction, the number declined to 64. Land cover changes led to severe reduction in forest cover and destruction of riparian areas through flooding. In addition, poaching activities increased during and after the construction period.

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Scientists have discovered that the atmosphere contained far less CO2 than previously thought when forests emerged on our planet, the new study has important implications for understanding how land plants affect the climate.

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Researchers have shown how nitrogen fertilizer could be produced more sustainably. This is necessary not only to protect the climate, but also to reduce dependence on imported natural gas and to increase food security.

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A research team is mapping out new modeling strategies so that proposed energy development and the management of rare plants don't necessarily have to be mutually exclusive endeavors.

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Researchers analyzed the effects of decarbonization strategies by linking global resource inventories with demographic systems to generate a matrix showing the risks and benefits. The research suggests that increased demand for energy transition metals (ETMs) could be more disruptive to some communities than winding back production of thermal coal. The team calculated that while a complete phase-out of coal could disrupt mine-town systems with a minimum of 33.5 million people, an additional 115.7 million would be at risk from disruption by ETMs.

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Analysis of teeth of extinct lemurs has revealed fascinating clues to the evolution of humans, a new study has found.

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While the Diprotodon -- the extinct megafauna species that is distantly related to wombats but was the size of a small car -- is commonly (but incorrectly) thought of as Australia's 'giant wombat', researchers have shed light on a large species that does belong in the modern-day wombat family. The complete skull of this true fossil giant wombat, found in a Rockhampton cave in Queensland, Australia and estimated to be around 80,000 years old, has been described for the first time.

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In its race to advance assisted reproduction and stem cell associated technologies to save the northern white rhinoceros from extinction, researchers announce a major breakthrough: the creation of primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLSs) from induced pluripotent stem cells of the northern white rhino Nabire. Now there is one last step to master for the production of artificial rhino gametes (eggs and sperm) from preserved tissue. If successful, this would boost the availability and genetic diversity of embryos and become a cornerstone for saving the northern white rhinoceros.

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An international collaboration of scientists has created the first inventory of flora introduced to the tropics, filling a knowledge gap about invasive plants in the tropics.

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Two-million-year-old DNA has been identified -- opening a 'game-changing' new chapter in the history of evolution. Microscopic fragments of environmental DNA were found in Ice Age sediment in northern Greenland. Using cutting-edge technology, researchers discovered the fragments are one million years older than the previous record for DNA sampled from a Siberian mammoth bone. The ancient DNA has been used to map a two-million-year-old ecosystem which weathered extreme climate change.

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Dinosaurs dominated the world right up until a deadly asteroid hit the earth, leading to their mass extinction, some 66 million years ago, a landmark study reveals. Fresh insights into dinosaurs' ecosystems -- the habitats and food types that supported their lives -- suggests that their environments were robust and thriving, right up until that fateful day, at the end of the Cretaceous period.

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Efforts to conserve rhinos in Nepal have put a burden on communities, infrastructure and other wildlife in Nepal, a new study warns.