Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Effort to help pollinators shows successes, limitations      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A three-year effort to conserve bee populations by introducing pollinator habitat in North Carolina agricultural areas showed some positive effects, as bee abundance and diversity increased in the studied areas. But results of a study examining the program's effectiveness also showed that the quality of the habitat played a key role in these positive effects, and that habitat quality could be impacted by the way the areas are maintained over time.

Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Malaria infection harms wild African apes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists conducted a study that reveals the first evidence of harm caused by malaria infection among wild African apes. They discovered that bonobo populations differ in a key immune trait depending on the presence of malaria infection. Infected populations have a higher frequency of an immune variant that protects against developing severe disease, a pattern that mirrors what is observed among human populations.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

A labyrinth lake provides surprising benefits for an endangered seal      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The endangered Saimaa ringed seal is an Ice Age relict living in the highly labyrinthine Lake Saimaa, Finland. The newly published work shows that although individual seals have greatly reduced genetic variation, the loss of variation has been complementary, preserving the adaptive potential of the whole population.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Urban ponds require attention to ensure biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research suggests aquatic plants can be utilized as a tool to enhance the co-existence between aquatic invertebrates and their fish predators in urban ponds.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Sea stars able to consume kelp-eating urchins fast enough to protect kelp forests, research shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America's Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are adjusting their migration patterns      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are staying north of the Bering Strait more frequently, a shift that could affect the long-term health of the bowhead population and impact the Indigenous communities that rely on the whales, a new study shows.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Researchers put plant protein mechanism into bacteria to help move forward 50 years of effort      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have added components of plant chloroplasts to bacteria. This feat, 50 years in the making, allows them to analyze the proteins in greater detail in order to improve Rubisco, and eventually photosynthesis.

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

Climate 'spiral' threatens land carbon stores      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The world's forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon due to increasingly 'unstable' conditions caused by humans, a landmark study has found.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

New research reveals 12 ways aquaculture can benefit the environment      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Aquaculture, or the farming of aquatic plants and animals, contributes to biodiversity and habitat loss in freshwater and marine ecosystems globally, but when used wisely, it can also be part of the solution, new research shows.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Detecting the impact of drought on plants with user-friendly and inexpensive techniques      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Climate change is aggravating the impact of droughts -- one of the factors that only affect plant physiology -- on all plant ecosystems worldwide. Although new tools have been developed to detect and assess drought stress in plants -- transcriptomic or metabolomic technologies, etc. -- they are still difficult to apply in natural ecosystems, especially in remote areas and developing countries.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Food quality matters for southern resident killer whales      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Not all Chinook salmon are created equal, and this has a major impact on the energetics for southern resident killer whales. A recent study quantified the lipid content in Fraser River Chinook salmon -- the southern resident's preferred meal -- and found that spring-run Chinook salmon, the earliest to arrive to the Salish Sea are lipid-rich and energy dense; a critical factor for the killer whales who prey on them. Fraser River Chinook salmon that come later in the season have lower energy density.

Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Canine distemper now threatens big cats in Nepal      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have confirmed the first cases of canine distemper virus (CDV), which can cause fatal neurological disease, in tigers and leopards in Nepal.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Urban gardens are good for ecosystems and humans      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem. A new study defies this assumption, showing that community gardens and urban farms positively affect biodiversity, local ecosystems and the well-being of humans that work in them.

Computer Science: Encryption Computer Science: General Engineering: Nanotechnology Mathematics: Puzzles Offbeat: Computers and Math Physics: Optics
Published

Chromo-encryption method encodes secrets with color      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a new approach to security that unites technology and art, E researchers have combined silver nanostructures with polarized light to yield a range of brilliant colors, which can be used to encode messages.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Endangered Bahamas bird may be lost from island following hurricane      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The endangered Bahama Warbler may be surviving on just one island following Hurricane Dorian's devastation in 2019, according to researchers. A new study shows the bird's distribution and ecology on Grand Bahama before the hurricane struck. But the team says that the warbler may now only survive on neighboring Abaco island, after hurricane Dorian destroyed the bird's forest habitat on Grand Bahama. The research comes from the same team that found what is thought to have been the last living Bahama Nuthatch, previously thought to have been extinct.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction
Published

Roads, pet dogs and more may pose hidden threat to Africa's primates      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Simple solutions, such as not leaving out food at night, could help to protect non-human primates in Sub-Saharan Africa -- some of which are already struggling because of threats like climate change and habitat loss.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Reducing pesticide pollution and the intensity of harvesting can increase crop yield and contribute to climate change mitigation      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have found that carbon sequestration and plant resilience as well as forage pasture yield can be increased through key adjustments in agricultural management. The results provide a roadmap for reducing pesticide loads in soils and the first steps towards increasing climate change mitigation while improving crop yield in grasslands.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Killer whale moms forgo future offspring for benefit of full-grown sons      (via sciencedaily.com) 

It's not unusual for parents and especially mothers to sacrifice their own future success for the sake of their offspring. Now a new study shows that killer whale mothers take this to a surprising extreme. They sacrifice their own reproductive success to care for their sons, even after those sons are full-fledged adults.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Surprises in sea turtle genes could help them adapt to a rapidly changing world      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Around 100 million years ago, a group of land-dwelling turtles took to the oceans, eventually evolving into the sea turtles that we know today. However, the genetic foundations that have enabled them to thrive in oceans throughout the world have remained largely unknown.