Evolution too slow to keep up with climate change, study finds
(Phys.org) —A study led by a UA ecologist has found that many species evolve too slowly to adapt to the rapid climate change expected in the next 100 years.
View ArticleBees 'betray' their flowers when pollinator species decline
Remove even one bumblebee species from an ecosystem and the impact is swift and clear: Their floral "sweethearts" produce significantly fewer seeds, a new study finds.
View ArticleNew mathematical theory says small organisms may not form species
A new mathematical theory from the University is challenging one of the most basic ideas of biology – that the concept of a 'species' applies to all creatures.
View ArticleResearchers highlight bears' use of Banff highway crossings
Within sight of the Trans-Canada Highway, a team of ecologists with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University set out on foot for a nearby site where they'd strung wire snags to...
View ArticleOne tree's architecture reveals secrets of a forest, study finds
(Phys.org) —Behind the dazzling variety of shapes and forms found in trees hides a remarkably similar architecture based on fundamental, shared principles, UA ecologists have discovered.
View ArticleMarine life spawns sooner as oceans warm
Warming oceans are impacting the breeding patterns and habitat of marine life, effectively re-arranging the broader marine landscape as species adjust to a changing climate, according to a three-year...
View ArticleDo fish feel pain?
Fish do not feel pain the way humans do. That is the conclusion drawn by an international team of researchers consisting of neurobiologists, behavioural ecologists and fishery scientists. One...
View ArticleEcosystems change long before species are lost
(Phys.org) —Communities in nature are likely to be a lot more sensitive to change than previously thought, according to a new study at Rice University.
View ArticleSquelching Sierra fires left forest ready to burn
Unnaturally long intervals between wildfires and years of drought primed the Sierra Nevada for the explosive conflagration burning the rugged landscape on the edge of Yosemite National Park, forestry...
View ArticleScientists call for religious help to save our wildlife
Leaders of the world's great religions could play a vital role in helping to save the world's dwindling wildlife and wilderness, three eminent ecologists from Sweden and Australia have proposed.
View ArticleYou scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
Suppose you held in your hands a bunch of individuals from different species, sort of like a miniature Jumanji set. You have some cows, some bacteria, some plants, some bugs, and a whole bunch of other...
View ArticleMistletoe birds are 'cheats'
Contrary to popular belief, specialist animals such as the Mistletoe bird from Australia are not vital to the spread of parasitic mistletoes through woodlands and forests but 'cheat' on the efforts of...
View ArticleScientists, practitioners, religious communities urge collaborative action to...
Big global questions face us, among them: How will we feed a growing global population without ruining the soil and polluting freshwater? Or meet our burgeoning energy demands while curbing the...
View ArticleNew research explores theories about aging and death in plants
(Phys.org) —According to Benjamin Franklin, "nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." But what if Franklin had it wrong—at least about death? University of Georgia ecologist Richard...
View ArticleImmune system study could help conserve endangered species
(Phys.org) —A study by University of Georgia ecologists has found that diversity in mammal immune system genes may have more to do with the opportunity to choose a mate than with exposure to parasites.
View ArticleCollision-causing millipedes will eventually abate
An invertebrate ecologist says a recent low-speed train collision in Perth attributed to Portuguese millipedes (Ommatoiulis moreleti) on the tracks is a symptom of growing millipede numbers in WA.
View ArticleThe failing freezer: How soil microbes affect global climate
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $3.9 million to an international collaboration led by University of Arizona ecologists Scott Saleska and Virginia Rich to study how microbes release greenhouse...
View Article220 marine scientists raise alarm about NSW recreational fishing
(Phys.org) —More than 220 marine scientists from across Australia and internationally, including from the University of Sydney, have raised concerns for NSW's marine life if the state government moves...
View ArticleNew scientific field looks at the big picture
Big data is changing the field of ecology. The shift is dramatic enough to warrant the creation of an entirely new field: macrosystems ecology.
View ArticleTracking sperm whales' ecology through stomach contents
In the largest regional study of its type to date, marine ecologist Michelle Staudinger and colleagues offer better understanding of the feeding ecologies of two very rare sperm whale species in waters...
View ArticleDensovirus named top suspect in devastating sea star wasting disease
Since 2013, millions of sea stars native to the Pacific coast of North America from Baja California to southern Alaska have succumbed to a mysterious wasting disease in which their limbs pull away from...
View ArticleResearchers crack the ice to study the Arctic marine food web
Scientists traveled to a town near the top of the world to study a creature at the bottom of the marine food chain—microscopic sea ice algae. Welcome to Barrow, Alaska, where a team of marine...
View Article3-D printing blossoms into powerful new tool for ecologists
3D printing has been used to make everything from cars to medical implants. Now, ecologists are using the technology to make artificial flowers, which they say could revolutionise our understanding of...
View ArticleGrey squirrels' role as hosts of Lyme disease bacteria under the spotlight
Grey squirrels have been described as one of the 'world's worst invasive species' and have caused a decline in indigenous red squirrel populations and damaged forestry in the UK.
View ArticleScientists satisfy our taste for blue mussels and Arctic surfclams
These tiny creatures are Arctic surfclams. They're getting packed up for a trip to the shore. With some help, they're about to take up residence in an intertidal mudflat on the Maine coast, or...
View ArticleGone is the solitary genius – science today is a group effort
Scientific discovery was once a mostly solitary endeavour and a common view was that genius was responsible for significant advances in knowledge.
View ArticleIs intentional extinction ever the right thing?
Consider this. It may be possible to eliminate some of the world's deadliest diseases, save 2.7 million human lives per year, and save millions more from getting sick…all that is needed is to cause the...
View ArticleMussels disappearing from New England waters, scientists say
New England is running out of mussels.
View ArticleIn the wild, biodiversity's power surpasses what experiments predict
Hundreds of experiments have shown biodiversity fosters healthier, more productive ecosystems. But many experts doubted whether these experiments would hold up in the real world. A Smithsonian and...
View ArticleScientists track sharks picking DNA fragments from the sea
Marine ecologists have shown that traces of DNA in the sea can be used to monitor shark populations.
View Article
