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Categories: Ecology: Nature, Environmental: Biodiversity
Published How does one species become many?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A global team of biologists has compiled nearly two decades of field data -- representing the study of more than 3,400 Darwin's finches in the Galapagos Islands -- to identify the relationship between beak traits and the longevity of individual finches from four different species.
Published Sea otters helped prevent widespread California kelp forest declines over the past century
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study reveals dramatic regional kelp canopy changes along the California coast over a 100-year period. During this time there was a significant increase in kelp forest canopy along the central coast, the only region of California where southern sea otters survived after being hunted nearly to extinction for their fur in the 1800s. Contrastingly, kelp canopy decreased in northern and southern regions. At the century scale, the species' favorable impact on kelp forests along the central coast nearly compensated for the kelp losses along both northern and southern California resulting in only a slight overall decline statewide during this period.
Published Scientists, farmers and managers work together to avoid the decline of the little bustard, an endangered steppe bird
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The collaboration between scientists, farmers and managers is crucial to improve the protection of the little bustard, an endangered steppe-land bird in Spain due to human activity. The reduction of natural habitats, the increase in irrigation and the urbanization of the land have led to having less surface areas that guarantee the survival of this vulnerable species.
Published Researchers pump brakes on 'blue acceleration' harming the world ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Protecting the world ocean against accelerating damage from human activities could be cheaper and take up less space than previously thought, new research has found.
Published Why animals shrink over time explained with new evolution theory
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The new theoretical research proposes that animal size over time depends on two key ecological factors.
Published The heat is on: Scientists discover southern Africa's temps will rise past the rhinos' tolerance
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Southern Africa contains the vast majority of the world's remaining populations of both black and white rhinoceroses (80% and 92%, respectively). The region's climate is changing rapidly as a result global warming. Traditional conservation efforts aimed at protecting rhinos have focused on poaching, but until now, there has been no analysis of the impact that climate change may have on the animals. A research team has recently reported that, though the area will be affected by both higher temperatures and changing precipitation, the rhinos are more sensitive to rising temperatures, which will quickly increase above the animals' acceptable maximum threshold.
Published Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change is causing Western U.S. forests to be less effective carbon sinks, even as it boosts the productivity of forests in the Eastern U.S., according to new research.
Published Key moment in the evolution of life on Earth captured in fossils
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has precisely dated some of the oldest fossils of complex multicellular life in the world, helping to track a pivotal moment in the history of Earth when the seas began teeming with new lifeforms -- after four billion years of containing only single-celled microbes.
Published Scientists uncover ocean's intricate web of microbial interactions across depths
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists has uncovered the ocean's intricate web of microbial interactions across depths. Their research provides crucial insights into the functioning of ocean ecosystems.
Published Are bugs bugging humans or the other way around? Study reveals a few surprises
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has determined key factors that impact biodiversity among spiders and insects in urban areas. The response of specific groups varied significantly, surprising the researchers. The study findings can help urban planners, landscapers, builders and homeowners make choices that increase biodiversity. Dozens of species previously unknown to science came to light through the study.
Published Human activity facilitates invasive plants' colonization in Mediterranean ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some invasive plants can form persistent banks of seeds that remain under the soil for years, and this makes their eradication practically impossible. Over time, this invisible population of large quantities of living, buried plants -- in seed form -- will reoccupy ecosystems and displace the typical flora of the natural environment.
Published Beaches and dunes globally squeezed by roads and buildings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Beaches and dunes globally squeezed by roads and buildings. Beaches and dunes are becoming increasingly trapped between rising sea levels and infrastructure. Researchers found that today, when dropped on a random beach anywhere in the world, you only need to walk 390 meters (on average) to find the nearest road or building. And while that short walking distance may seem convenient if you want a day at the beach, it's bad news for our protection against rising sea levels, drinking water supplies and biodiversity.
Published Thermal vision shows endangered numbats feel the heat of warming climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research using thermal imaging of numbats in Western Australia has found that during hot weather the endangered animals are limited to as little as ten minutes of activity in the sun before they overheat to a body temperature of greater than 40 C.
Published Ancient cities provide key datasets for urban planning, policy and predictions in the Anthropocene
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows how state-of-the-art methods and perspectives from archaeology, history, and palaeoecology are shedding new light on 5,500 years of urban life.
Published Record heat in 2023 worsened global droughts, floods and wildfires
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Record heat across the world profoundly impacted the global water cycle in 2023, contributing to severe storms, floods, megadroughts and bushfires, new research shows.
Published Red deer populations in Europe: More influenced by humans than by wolves and other predators
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that human hunting and land use have a decisive influence on red deer density in Europe. Red deer density is only reduced when wolves, lynx and bears co-occur at the same site.
Published Focus on biological processes does not capture the whole picture
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ocean plays a crucial role in the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The so-called marine biological carbon pump is an important research topic in this context. However a key component is often overlooked. Colleagues outline why it is insufficient to focus solely on biological processes when investigating the accumulation of CO2 in the ocean by the biological carbon pump.
Published Only 18% of the global land area that is needed for human well-being and biodiversity is currently protected
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international group of researchers finds that conserving about half of global land area could maintain nearly all of nature's contributions to people and still meet biodiversity targets for tens of thousands of species. But the same priority areas are at risk of conflict with human development with only 18% of that land area protected.
Published 'Carbon vault' peat suffers greatly from drought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Peatlands are affected more by drought than expected. This is concerning, as these ecosystems are an important ally in the fight against climate change. Following long periods of drought, peat is able to absorb little to no extra carbon (CO2). Increasing biodiversity also does little to make peat more drought-resilient.
Published Scientists name the most common tropical tree species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found almost identical patterns of tree diversity across the world's tropical forests. The study of over one million trees across 1,568 locations found that just 2.2% of tree species make up 50% of the total number of trees in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent consists of the same proportion of a few common species and many rare species.