Showing 20 articles starting at article 501

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Ecology: Sea Life, Environmental: Wildfires

Return to the site home page

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: General
Published

Whale-like filter-feeding discovered in prehistoric marine reptile      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A remarkable new fossil from China reveals for the first time that a group of reptiles were already using whale-like filter feeding 250 million years ago.

Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Wildfires emit potent climate-warming organic particles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that wildfires are causing a much greater warming effect than has been accounted for by climate scientists. The work, which focuses on the role of 'dark brown carbon' -- an abundant but previously unknown class of particles emitted as part of wildfire smoke -- highlights an urgent need to revise climate models and update approaches for the changing environment.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Nitrogen fixation hotspots in Atlantic seaweed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study examined nitrogen fixation among diazotrophs--microorganisms that can convert nitrogen into usable form for other plants and animals -- living among sargassum. Sargassum, a brown macroalgae in the seaweed family, floats on the surface of the open ocean and provides habitat for a colorful array of marine life such as small fish, brine shrimp and other microorganisms. Previous studies have overlooked diazotrophs associated with sargassum, which could mean a historical underestimation of nitrogen fixation in the Atlantic nitrogen budget. The study found that nitrogen fixation in sargassum communities was significant.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Scientists dig into wildfire predictions, long-term impacts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wildfires are an ancient force shaping the environment, but they have grown in frequency, range and intensity in response to a changing climate. Scientists are working on several fronts to better understand and predict these events and what they mean for the carbon cycle and biodiversity.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Sea urchins are struggling to 'get a grip' as climate change alters ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As global climate change causes weather extremes ranging from heat waves and droughts to heavy rains and flooding, the large amounts of freshwater pouring into nearshore ecosystems are altering habitats. A team of biologists studied the impacts of low salinity and how it alters sea urchins' ability to grip and move within their habitat.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Nature's kitchen: how a chemical reaction used by cooks helped create life on Earth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A chemical process used in the browning of food to give it its distinct smell and taste is probably happening deep in the oceans, where it helped create the conditions necessary for life. Known as the Maillard reaction after the French scientist who discovered it, the process converts small molecules of organic carbon into bigger molecules known as polymers. In the kitchen, it is used to create flavors and aromas out of sugars. But a research team argues that on the sea floor, the process has had a more fundamental effect, where it has helped to raise oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, to create the conditions for complex life forms to emerge and thrive on Earth.

Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Study analyzes nearshore California marine heatwaves and cold spells amid changing climate conditions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Human-caused climate change has also caused extreme ocean temperatures and conditions with detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems and ocean-related ecology.  A new study explores ocean temperature data along California's Coast, finding that certain environmental conditions and the state of the ocean led to an enhanced risk for marine heatwaves and cold spells, conditions that scientists and environmental managers will need to monitor to preserve and protect vital ecosystems critical to the California ocean economy, known as the Blue Economy.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Oldest known species of swimming jellyfish identified      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Royal Ontario Museum announces the oldest swimming jellyfish in the fossil record with the newly named Burgessomedusa phasmiformis. This 505-million-year-old swimming jellyfish from the Burgess Shale highlights diversity in the Cambrian ecosystem.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Sea level rise shifts habitat for endangered Florida Keys species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly published study describes the response to sea level rise by the silver rice rat, an endangered species only found in the Florida Keys.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life
Published

DNA decodes the dining preferences of the shell-shucking whitespotted eagle ray      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With mighty jaws and plate-like teeth, the globally endangered whitespotted eagle ray can pretty much crunch on anything. Yet, little information is available on critical components of their life history in the U.S., such as their diet. A study is the first use DNA barcoding to uncover the finer-scale feeding patterns of this protected species in Florida. The surprising results have important implications for both shellfish enhancement activities and species management.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Researchers find evolutionary adaption in trout of Wyoming's Wind River Mountains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists found that trout from lakes stocked decades ago in the Wind River Mountains have higher numbers of gill rakers, which are bony or cartilage structures in the gullets of fish that act as sieves to retain zooplankton and nourish the trout. The difference is likely a result of the trout adapting to the food sources of the once-fishless high-mountain lakes -- a change that has taken place in a relatively short period of time and at a rate that is generally consistent with the historic timing of stocking for each of the lakes.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Elusive pygmy right whale is a homebody      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The smallest member of the filter-feeding family is one of the only whale species not to embark on seasonal migrations, new research finds.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

New research highlights risks of selective adaptation in extreme coral habitats      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Resilient corals, often referred to as 'super corals', have recently been seen as potential saviours in the face of climate change and its detrimental effects on coral reefs. Now, a team of scientists is working to better understand these corals in order to develop strategies to protect fragile ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef.

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

Arctic terns may navigate climate dangers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Arctic terns -- which fly on the longest migrations of any animal on Earth -- may be able to navigate the dangers posed by climate change, new research suggests.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Research supports use of managed and prescribed fires to reduce fire severity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists found that fires in America's dry conifer forests are burning hotter and killing more trees today than in previous centuries. The main culprit? Paradoxically, a lack of fires.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Scientists discover new isopod species in the Florida Keys      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered a new species of marine cryptofauna in the Florida Keys. Cryptofauna are the tiny, hidden, organisms that make up the majority of biodiversity in the ocean. The tiny crustaceans are the first new gnathiid isopod to be discovered from the Floridian ecoregion in 100 years and are named after singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Artificial 'rocks' from macroplastics threaten ocean health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plastic waste is a problem on our beaches. Hence, it is largely removed in a coordinated manner within a few weeks. However, it can litter other coasts of the world for many months to years due to unregulated waste disposal. Often the garbage on the beach is simply burned and a special form of plastic waste is created: so-called plastiglomerate. This 'rock' is made up of natural components, such as coral fragments, held together by the melted and reconsolidated plastic. A new study has now demonstrated, using field samples from Indonesia, that such rocks pose an increased environmental risk to coastal ecosystems such as seagrass beds, mangroves or coral reefs. The melted plastic decomposes more quickly into microplastics and is also contaminated with organic pollutants.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Shark shock: Scientists discover filter-feeding basking sharks are warm-bodied like great whites      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Approximately 99.9% of fish and shark species are 'cold-blooded', meaning their body tissues generally match the temperature of the water they swim in -- but researchers have just discovered the mighty basking shark is a one-in-a-thousand exception. Instead, these sharks keep the core regions of their bodies warmer than the water like the most athletic swimmers in the sea such as great white sharks, mako sharks and tuna.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Picturing where wildlands and people meet at a global scale      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created the first tool to map and visualize the areas where human settlements and nature meet on a global scale. The tool could improve responses to environmental conflicts like wildfires, the spread of zoonotic diseases and loss of ecosystem biodiversity.

Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Understanding the many different ways animals are evolving in response to fire could help conservation efforts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In our modern era of larger, more destructive, and longer-lasting fires -- called the Pyrocene -- plants and animals are evolving quickly to survive. By synthesizing the wide body of research about rapid animal evolution in response to fire, a multidisciplinary team of ecology experts hopes to leverage what we already know to help foster evolution-informed conservation plans. In this way, they suggest, we can try to harness the ways in which fire impacts animals to protect vulnerable species -- working with evolution instead of against it.