~ecology-news-biolog | Bookmarks (454)

Ecologists from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) and the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have identified significant ecological risks associated with the release of hybrid groupers into Hong Kong's coastal waters, a practice often linked to religious 'mercy release' rituals.

Smaller fish species are more nutritious, lower in mercury and less susceptible to overfishing, a Cornell-led research team has found.

A new study reported in Current Biology on January 20 is the first to describe a phenomenon researchers refer to as "contagious urinations." The study in 20 captive chimpanzees living at the Kumamoto Sanctuary in Japan shows that, when one chimp pees, others are more likely to follow.

Cetaceans—marine mammals that include dolphins, porpoises, and whales—are crucial to coastal ecology. Their presence fosters carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and redistribution, and control of certain prey species. Moreover, they serve as bioindicators of overall ocean health.

Tropical forests host an estimated 62% of global terrestrial vertebrate species on less than 20% of the Earth's land area and provide resources that directly benefit ~1.5 billion people throughout the world.

Freshwater ecosystems cover less than 1% of Earth's surface, but are vital for life on this planet. New research reveals that damage to these environments is pushing freshwater animals to the edge of extinction, with 24% of species in danger of being wiped out.

Michigan State University researchers—along with colleagues at the University of Florida, citizen scientists and their "truffle dogs"—have discovered two new species of truffle. The research was published in the journal Mycologia and featured on its cover.

They are two of Florida's most iconic waterbirds, who look and behave similarly, but it turns out the anhinga and the double-crested cormorant are quite different, new research from the University of Miami indicates.

How can chimpanzees, so closely related to humans, have almost no sense of rhythm? Behavioral biologist Michelle Spierings and two students demonstrated that chimps can actually drum and move rhythmically—each following their own unique beat.

Desert lizards are facing a 'cost-of-living' squeeze as global temperatures continue to rise, a new study finds. For a lizard, the 'cost-of-living' is tightly linked to its body temperature, which dictates both how much food it needs and whether it can go outside to feed. Desert lizards are especially challenged because food is sparse, and it is often too hot to forage.

Continental European snakes, geckos and Italian wall lizards are making their way to northern Europe undetected among imports of ornamental olive trees destined for gardens and green spaces.

Life isn't always a beach for Phillip Island's beloved penguins, who have been found to divorce their partners and find a new mate if they aren't satisfied with the number of young filling the nest—but it's a risky decision that can lower success in their next breeding attempt.

Our world is warming, and how exactly that will affect our ecosystems is a critical question. As the climate shifts, plants and animals are already responding in some obvious ways—like your daffodils blooming a bit earlier each spring—but the finer details are still unfolding. This timing of natural events, known as phenology, is changing across species and ecosystems as the climate warms, with potentially...

It's all connected: coronaviruses and other emerging infectious diseases, loss of biodiversity, and destruction of the environment by humans. Around the world, pathogens and parasites are responding to the changes in unexpected ways, fueling the rise of pandemics and the extinction of countless plant and animal species.

Shell-dwelling cichlids take intense care of their offspring, which they raise in abandoned snail shells. A team at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence used 3D-printed snail shells to find out what happens inside.

A mussel bed along Northern California's Dillon Beach is as healthy and biodiverse as it was about 80 years ago, when two young students surveyed it shortly before Pearl Harbor was attacked and one was sent to fight in World War II.

A research team from the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) studied the global variability of plant hydraulics in relation to wind speed. Their findings are published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Scientists have developed a new method to monitor the elusive eastern indigo snake, the longest native snake in the United States. This innovative approach looks for traces of environmental DNA in soil samples and can significantly bolster efforts to conserve this threatened species.

Hummingbirds are extremely small but remarkably tough. Some species make migrations of more than 9,000 km (about 5,590 miles) a year. Their journeys are largely fueled by nectar, which is sipped from wildflowers and converted to fat.

Researchers have used dung records to create high-resolution maps of herbivore distribution around the world. Their study, published in Nature Food, reveals a strong positive relationship between dung presence and grazing pressure, meaning the amount of dung found in a particular location could help us understand approximately how many herbivores live there.

While fishing off the coast of Honduras in 2023, a group of anglers stumbled upon a rare sight: a pod of orcas hunting down a sperm whale.

An international team of environmentalists, zoologists and land use specialists has developed an extinction probability metric for land that is converted to agriculture. Their paper is published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Northern pike are moving through salt water to invade freshwater habitats in Southcentral Alaska, according to a recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE.

An international research team led by the University of Konstanz and Oxford Brookes University concludes that gentle touch is not only good for mental health, but also for the evolution of cooperation.