When a plant species spreads beyond its habitat, it is usually seen as a threat to native flora and fauna. But what happens when that same species is struggling to survive in its original range? A new study published in New Phytologist and led by researchers at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv),…
In a new study, researchers at the University of Würzburg are investigating the interaction of major global change drivers on insects. The number and diversity of insects is declining worldwide. Some studies suggest that their biomass has almost halved since the 1970s. Among the main reasons for this are habitat loss – for example through…
The Florida Museum of Natural History has partnered with 35 herbarium collections across the United States to create a web portal for ferns. Wait! Hear me out. You’re probably thinking, “Ferns? The plants with the curly leaves that grow in shady places? Why should I care?” I’m glad you asked. Ferns — and a related…
The number of species does not increase evenly when going from local ecosystems to continental scales – a phenomenon ecologists have recognised for decades. Now, an international team of scientists, including researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), has developed a new theory to explain…
Increasing urban vegetation by 30 per cent could save over one-third of all heat related deaths, saving up to 1.16 million lives globally from 2000 to 2019 according to a 20-year modelling study of the impact of increasing greenness in more than 11,000 urban areas. The study, led by Monash University Professor Yuming Guo and…
Insects are disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide, but why? Agricultural intensification tops the list of proposed reasons, but there are many other, interconnected drivers that have an impact, according to new research led by Binghamton University, State University of New York. Research on insect decline has surged in recent years, sparked by an alarming…
This Collective Article compiles information on nineteen (19) species recorded in seven (7) Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Syria, and Türkiye) and across four major sub-basins (Adriatic, Western, Central, and Eastern Mediterranean). The documented taxa represent eight (8) phyla: Annelida (four species), Arthropoda (three), Bryozoa (one), Chordata (two), Cnidaria (two), Mollusca (five), Chlorophyta…
The success of green roofs in Mediterranean areas requires the selection of fast development plant species, able to grow in a shallow soilless substrate also under dry climatic conditions. In this context, the exploitation of native species from marginal sites characterized by limited availability of nutrients and water could be a strategy to select plants….
Mediterranean coastal wetlands account for important biodiversity and ecosystem services. But climate-change induced sea-level rise poses a critical risk to their survival. Here, we assess these risks for Mediterranean coastal marshes, one key type of Mediterranean coastal wetlands, and identify main drivers for future coastal marsh change for the Mediterranean and comparable coastlines. We apply…
Plastic pollution, particularly macro-plastic, poses significant threats to marine ecosystems worldwide, with adverse effects on marine megafauna such as mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles. This study examines the areas of higher risk of megafauna encountering floating macro-plastics in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, semi-enclosed basins with high anthropogenic pressures and plastic densities. Using Lagrangean and…