Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Agriculture study delivers unexpected results: Cover crops and roots      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Farmers usually plant so-called cover crops after harvesting their main crop in the Fall. This prevents erosion of the soil and nutrient leaching. The roots of these crops also stabilize the structure of the soil. It had been assumed up to now that a mixture of different cover crops would result in particularly intensive rooting. However, a recent study found only limited evidence that this is the case. Instead, mixed cover crops grow thinner roots than when just one single type of cover crop is planted. This result was unexpected. It documents how little is currently understood about the interactions between plant roots.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil spines reveal deep sea's past      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Right at the bottom of the deep sea, the first very simple forms of life on earth probably emerged a long time ago. Today, the deep sea is known for its bizarre fauna. Intensive research is being conducted into how the number of species living on the sea floor have changed in the meantime. Some theories say that the ecosystems of the deep sea have emerged again and again after multiple mass extinctions and oceanic upheavals. Today's life in the deep sea would thus be comparatively young in the history of the Earth. But there is increasing evidence that parts of this world are much older than previously thought.

Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Balancing biodiversity, climate change, food for a trifecta      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists identify ways landowners in rural Brazil can find win-win situations with biodiversity and farming.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Three out of four populations of rare butterflies have been lost      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In just 26 years, the distribution of rare butterflies has plummeted by 72% in Eastern Denmark. Several species are threatened with extinction, yet the conservation actions aiming to safeguard species have proved unsuccessful.

Biology: Botany Chemistry: Biochemistry Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Trees Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Wood modification boosts biomass conversion      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By adding a naturally-occurring polymer that makes wood more porous, scientists have engineered trees easier to disassemble into simpler building blocks.

Anthropology: General Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Pioneering research sheds surprising new light on evolution of plant kingdom      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the evolution of plant biology, effectively rewriting the history of how they evolved over the past billion years.

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

Large herbivores keep invasive plants at bay      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Elephants, buffaloes and other heavy herbivores are effective against invasive plants. This is the conclusion of a new study that used Indian data, including data from the world's largest survey of wildlife based on camera traps. But smaller animals can do the same: you don't need elephants to get the same effect, the researchers point out.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Most species are rare, but not very rare      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

More than 100 years of observations in nature have revealed a universal pattern of species abundances: Most species are rare but not very rare, and only a few species are very common. These so-called global species abundance distributions have become fully unveiled for some well-monitored species groups, such as birds. For other species groups, such as insects, however, the veil remains partially unlifted. A new study demonstrates how important biodiversity monitoring is for detecting species abundances on planet Earth and for understanding how they change.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

A global observatory to monitor Earth's biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

At a time of unparalleled rates of biodiversity loss, a new interconnected system to monitor biodiversity around the world is needed to guide action quickly enough to target conservation efforts to where they are most needed.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

Evolutionary imbalance explains global plant invasions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plant species from certain geographic regions are more successful in spreading outside their native ranges than others -- but why? Ecologists provide answers by exploring how the ecological and evolutionary histories of plants can influence their relationships with humans and their success as invaders.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature
Published

Algae provide clues about 600 million years of plant evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers generated large scale gene expression data to investigate the molecular networks that operate in one of the closest algal relatives of land plants, a humble single-celled alga called Mesotaenium endlicherianum.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Want to fight climate change? Don't poach gorillas (or elephants, hornbills, toucans, etc.)      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article found that overhunting of gorillas, elephants, and other large fruit-eating seed-dispersers make tropical forests less able to store or sequester carbon.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Research
Published

Male crested macaques more likely to respond to offspring screams recruiting support      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When infants are involved in agonistic conflicts, male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to screams from their own offspring. This is the conclusion of a recent study led by behavioral ecologists. The researchers studied the behavior of crested macaques in the Tangkoko Nature Reserve on Sulawesi, Indonesia, over a 24-month period (2008 to 2010).

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Wastewater pipe dig reveals 'fossil treasure trove'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new article describes the 266 fossil species as one of the richest and most diverse groups of three-million-year-old fauna ever found in New Zealand. At least ten previously unknown species will be described and named in future research. Fossils of the world's oldest known flax snails, an extinct sawshark spine, and great white shark teeth have all been found in a mound of sand excavated from beneath Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2020.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Fungi-eating plants and flies team up for reproduction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fungi-eating orchids were found for the first time to offer their flowers to fungi-eating fruit flies in exchange for pollination, which is the first evidence for nursery pollination in orchids. This unique new plant-animal relationship hints at an evolutionary transition towards mutualistic symbiosis.

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

Loss of Antarctic sea ice causes catastrophic breeding failure for emperor penguins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emperor penguin colonies experienced unprecedented breeding failure in a region of Antarctica where there was total sea ice loss in 2022. The discovery supports predictions that over 90% of emperor penguin colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of the century, based on current global warming trends.