Ecology Research News

August 25, 2016

Ecology of Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth

Removing Invasive Species Saves Island Animals

Big Fish, and Their Urine: Key to Coral Reefs

Species at Risk from SE Asia Tree Plantations

Latest Headlines

updated 10:53pm EDT

Predicting Plant-Soil Feedbacks from Plant Traits

Aug. 24, 2016 — In nature, plants cannot grow without soil biota like fungi and bacteria. Successful plants are able to harness positive, growth-promoting soil organisms, while avoiding the negative effects of ... read more

Ocean Acidification Threatens Cod Recruitment in the Atlantic

Aug. 24, 2016 — Increasing ocean acidification could double the mortality of newly hatched cod larvae. Researchers quantified mortality rates of cod at conditions which the fish may experience towards the end of the ... read more

Forest and Watercourse Interplay Important for Restorations

Aug. 24, 2016 — Humans utilize forests and watercourses in a way that depletes ecosystem habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Many areas are restored to break the trend, but to ... read more

'Ecosystem Canaries' Provide Early Warning Signs of Catastrophic Changes to Ecosystems

Aug. 18, 2016 — 'Ecosystem canaries' can provide early warning signals of large, potentially catastrophic, changes or tipping points in ... read more

Unexpected Complexity in Coral

Aug. 17, 2016 — Scientists used DNA analysis to explore genetic correlation among Japanese ... read more

Flowering Meadows Benefit Humankind

Aug. 17, 2016 — The more it swarms, crawls, flies the better it is, say scientists. A diverse ecosystem populated by many species from all levels provides higher ecosystem services. Even ... read more

Burning Desire Comes Down to Beetles

Aug. 17, 2016 — Beetles could hold the key to when controlled burns should be lit, ensuring forest ecosystems are not unduly damaged by well-meaning fire minimization ... read more

Biodiversity Begins at Home: Saving Old Villages Helps Save Farmland Birds

Aug. 17, 2016 — Preserving old villages and farm buildings – and being more creative in designing new rural homes – could help halt the decline in European farmland bird populations, ... read more

Reduced Ecosystem Functions in Oil Palm Plantations

Aug. 15, 2016 — Large areas of tropical lowland forests have been replaced by oil palm plantations, with major impact on environment and people. An interdisciplinary team of scientists has ... read more

Caught in the Act: Coral's Bleaching Behavior

Aug. 12, 2016 — Coral researchers have for the first time captured the specific behavior of a coral as it's bleaching. While scientists have known for some time that coral bleaching occurs ... read more

Tiger Sounds Could Help Save Population

Violent Coral Bleaching Caught on Camera

Louisiana Wildlife Hit By Devastating Floods

Fish Urine: Keeping Our Beloved Coral Reefs Alive

Rice Cultivation in Southeast Asia: Five Years of Lessons Learned by LEGATO

Aug. 15, 2016 — Scientists have presented the results from dedicated studies covering a wide range of topics in rice ... read more

Bug Collecting: Mapping North American Groups of Plant-Feeding Insects

Aug. 12, 2016 — Amateur and professional entomologists are experts at their own version of Pokémon Go. After all, part of their job is to search for and collect rare insect species that are stored in the archives ... read more

Ecosystems in the Southeastern US Are Vulnerable to Climate Change

Aug. 11, 2016 — At least several southeastern US ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the impacts of present and future climate change, according to two new reports. At-risk ecosystems occur in states ranging from ... read more

Wildlife-Friendly Farming Shown to Benefit UK Moths

Aug. 11, 2016 — Wildlife-friendly farming schemes can help boost the abundance of many UK moth species, a new study has ... read more

Stowaway Frogs Being Stopped by Border Security

Aug. 10, 2016 — An analysis of stowaway frogs coming into Australia has shown that strict biosecurity measures at borders and within the country are reducing the risk of introduction of new diseases by up to 50 ... read more

Why Are New England's Wild Blue Mussels Disappearing?

Aug. 9, 2016 — The Gulf of Maine coastline, historically home to one of the richest shellfish populations in the US, is undergoing a dramatic change, with once-flourishing wild blue mussels all but disappearing, ... read more

The Six Steps to Extinction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Invasive plants are a problem around the world, but are they just a nuisance or are they killers? So far there are no documented cases of native plants becoming extinct purely because of an alien ... read more

Double Whammy for Important Baltic Seaweed

Aug. 9, 2016 — Rising seawater temperatures and increased nutrient concentrations could lead to a decline of the bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus in the Baltic Sea in the future, according to experiments conducted ... read more

No Major Red Tide Outbreaks on Florida's West Coast This Year, Researchers Predict

Aug. 9, 2016 — New research suggests conditions are such that no major red tide outbreaks should be expected along Florida's west coast this ... read more

Drought Conditions Slow the Growth of Douglas Fir Trees Across the West

Aug. 8, 2016 — Douglas fir trees are consistently sensitive to drought conditions that occur throughout the species' range in the United States, according to a ... read more

Tiger Sharks Opt for Scavenging on Dead and Dying Sea Turtles as a Feeding Strategy

Aug. 8, 2016 — Researchers found behavioral evidence that tiger sharks prefer to opportunistically scavenge on dead or weakened green turtles rather than actively hunting healthy individuals despite more ... read more

Whales' Ultrasonic Hearing Has Surprisingly Ancient History, Fossilized Ear Shows

Aug. 4, 2016 — All living toothed whales rely upon echoes of their own calls to navigate and hunt underwater, a skill that works best in conjunction with high-frequency hearing. Now, researchers who studied one of ... read more

Mystery of Sable Island’s Growing Wild Horse Population

Aug. 4, 2016 — Biologists have made a significant advance in understanding the ecology of Sable Island and its iconic wild horses -- one that underscores how intimately connected living systems ... read more

Desert Elephants Pass on Knowledge -- Not Mutations -- To Survive

Aug. 3, 2016 — Despite reported differences in appearance and behavior, DNA evidence finds that Namibian desert elephants share the same DNA as African savanna elephants. However, Namibian desert-dwelling elephants ... read more

New Genome Reveals How Arctic Microbes Survive in Cold Extreme Habitats

Aug. 3, 2016 — Scientists have revealed how a tiny Arctic microbe, crucial to shaping the surface of glaciers, survives in such extreme ... read more

Creating Bigger, Better and More Joined-Up Habitat Networks

Aug. 2, 2016 — Scientists have developed a new 'route planner' tool that could help conservationists aid the movement of species as they adapt to a changing ... read more

Giant Forest Fires Exterminate Spotted Owls, Long-Term Study Finds

Aug. 2, 2016 — Could periodic forest thinning and prescribed burns intended to prevent dangerous "megafires" help conserve owls in the long run? Or are those benefits outweighed by their short-term harm ... read more

Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Striped Bass

Aug. 2, 2016 — Thanks to global warming, waterways that make up important habitat for fish are likely to experience an increased frequency of such extreme conditions. Researchers wanted to know the impact of severe ... read more

Mountain Environments More Vulnerable to Climate Change Than Previously Reported

Aug. 2, 2016 — New research by a forest landscape ecology professor shows that organisms will face more hardships as they relocate when climate change makes their current homes ... read more

Restoring Prairie and Fighting Wildfire With (Drone Launched) Fire(balls)

Aug. 1, 2016 — One ecologist wants to change the way we think about prescribed burns. The professor says he can harness extreme fire to restore grasslands on the Great Plains -- and he has created a small drone ... read more

Monday, August 15, 2016