~ecology-news-biolog | Bookmarks (431)

Courtship and procreative behavior in many species of elasmobranchs—cartilaginous fish including rays, sawfish, sharks, and skates—may include following and biting. However, there has been little research on procreative behavior specific to whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). Now a multi-institutional research team from Australia has observed a sexually mature male whale shark following and biting a smaller female in the wild.

A new biological pest control method that targets the lifespan of female insects could significantly reduce the threat of insect pests such as disease-carrying mosquitoes by offering faster and more effective results than current methods.

Is walking on water possible for frogs? Several species have fascinated observers with their abilities to skip side-to-side and leap into the air from the surface of a pond as if the water were land. One such breed native to Virginia and North Carolina is the cricket frog. The way these frogs move in the water could bring insights to tools for the future...

The tiny particles that are shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products are winding up in the fish that people eat, according to a new study from Portland State researchers, highlighting a need for technologies and strategies to reduce microfiber pollution entering the environment.

When a new species is introduced into an ecosystem, it may succeed in establishing itself, or it may fail to gain a foothold and die out. Physicists at MIT have now devised a formula that can predict which of those outcomes is most likely.

One of the hardest-working organisms in the ocean is the tiny, emerald-tinged Prochlorococcus marinus. These single-celled "picoplankton," which are smaller than a human red blood cell, can be found in staggering numbers throughout the ocean's surface waters, making Prochlorococcus the most abundant photosynthesizing organism on the planet. (Collectively, Prochlorococcus fix as much carbon as all the crops on land.) Scientists continue to find new...

Some of the most productive apple regions in America are facing big challenges from a changing climate, according to a Washington State University study.

Pollination by animals contributes to a third of global food production, but little research has been done into the extent to which the identity of pollinators, pollen and crop varieties influence fruit quality when it comes to the nutritional, sensory and commercial value of crops. Pollinators influence the quality of crops through their movement patterns on the plantations and through the plant variety they...

Birds are the undisputed champions of epic travel, but they are not the only long-haul fliers. A handful of bats are known to travel thousands of kilometers in continental migrations across North America, Europe, and Africa. The behavior is rare and difficult to observe, which is why long-distance bat migration has remained an enigma.

Growers and conservationists have a new weapon to detect invasive spotted lanternflies early and limit their spread: dogs trained to sniff out egg masses that overwinter in vineyards and forests.

When it comes to deciding where they're going to get their next meal, different species of bees may be attracted to different flower traits, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and published in PNAS Nexus.

The Hades' snake moray (Uropterygius hades), a dark brown, slender snake moray eel, has chosen the road less traveled, thriving in dim and muddy river mouths, unlike most of its marine moray eel relatives. It is widely distributed across the Central Indo-Pacific, and has been found in southern Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, southern Java, and Fiji. This new moray eel was named after Hades,...

The University of Cape Town, along with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, have conducted a large-scale study identifying significant cranial shape differences between four genetically distinct giraffe species. The findings suggest that these species exhibit unique developmental and morphological characteristics, which have implications for conservation efforts.

Dr. Nobuyuki Kawai from Nagoya University in Japan has found that the rapid detection of snakes by monkeys is because of the presence of snake scales as a visual cue. His findings highlight an evolutionary adaptation of primates to identify snakes based on specific visual characteristics.

A team of anthropologists at the University of Oxford's School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, working with a colleague from Chubu Gakuin University, in Japan, has found that some chimpanzees are better at cracking nuts than others in their same group.

A team of botanists at Malaysia's Sabah Forestry Department's Forest Research Centre, working with a pair of colleagues from Australia, has identified a new species of giant pitcher plant growing on the ultramafic mountains in central Sabah, Borneo. In their paper published in the Australian Journal of Botany, the group describes how they came to know of the plant and what they found when...

Anyone who has dealt with ants in the kitchen knows that ants are highly social creatures; it's rare to see one alone. Humans are social creatures too, even if some of us enjoy solitude. Ants and humans are also the only creatures in nature that consistently cooperate while transporting large loads that greatly exceed their own dimensions.

The endangered Geoffrey's spider monkeys that dangle high in the rainforest canopy are elusive and hard for scientists to track.

Each leopard has its own unique roar through which it can be identified, a new study finds. In the first large-scale paired camera trap and autonomous recording survey for large African carnivores, researchers were able to identify individual leopards by their vocalizations with 93% accuracy. It has been hailed as an important first step towards using bioacoustics in the conservation of leopards.

In the vast, open ocean with no place to hide, sardines group together for protection. When they cannot rely on speed to escape, the sardines' best chance is to outmaneuver the predator altogether. However, predators also seek ways to find weak spots in the group's defense.

Atlantic and Baltic herring are typical plankton-eating fish of central importance for the northern Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea ecosystems. A new study published in Nature Communications led by scientists from Uppsala University (Sweden) documents the discovery of the evolution of genetically distinct, fish-eating herring in the Baltic Sea, a young water body that has only existed since the end of the last glaciation.

New research published in Science Advances reveals that right whales can survive for more than 130 years—almost twice as long as previously understood.

Scientists have suggested an updated framework for the role of ferns in environmental recovery from disaster. Instead of competing with other organisms, ferns may act as facilitators that ease the way for other plants and animals to re-establish themselves in a damaged landscape.