A novel paper led by Dr Ulrich Brose of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena is widening understanding of how species interact within ecosystems via the so-called “Internet of Nature.” Published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the paper reveals that species not only exchange matter and energy…
Bird species that do well in urban areas are more colourful and less brown Urbanization has a huge impact on the ecosystem and poses enormous challenges to animals and plants. The ongoing, worldwide increase in urbanization is considered one of the main causes of the steady decline in biodiversity. Urban ecology is the field of…
A team of ecologists from The University of Hong Kong (HKU) are leading an international initiative to investigate the decline of insect populations in the world’s tropical forests. Insects, the most abundant and diverse group of animals on Earth, are experiencing alarming declines, prompting this research effort. The team’s work has earned them an invitation…
The spatial configuration of urban landscapes, characterized by complex mosaics of fragmented patches subjected to different land uses, shapes biodiversity and, therefore, affects ecosystem stability and functioning. The present study focuses on evaluating the small scale variations of vegetation structural and functional biodiversity in Mediterranean urban ecosystems, in relation to land use and fragmentation. For…
The Mediterranean Basin is a critical biodiversity hotspot hosting numerous bird species that are likely to be sensitive to climatic changes. This study integrates ecological niche modeling and Bayesian skyline plot analyses to assess the historical, current, and future geographic distributions, and population dynamics of 45 endemic bird species in the region. Using occurrence data…
Several ornamental species have demonstrated adaptive features that could increase their resilience to the current climate emergency but could also be linked to invasiveness in non-native environments. The present review examines the responses of ornamental plants’ grown in the Mediterranean region to relevant abiotic stress conditions such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, heavy metal toxicity,…
This chapter explores the growing threats faced by top predators in the Mediterranean Sea. Climate change, overfishing, and plastic pollution may affect their migration patterns and lead them to abandon established reproduction areas. For instance, tuna might not find its spawning grounds due to warmer water, sea turtles might fight against plastic debris to lay…
This summer, I spent two months on the island of Lesvos, Greece, the setting of the National Science Foundation-sponsored Pollinators, Climate Change, and the Aegean Archipelago Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Our team of seven students and four senior researchers from various backgrounds in the U.S. worked to untangle the interacting stressors impacting bees in…
In this work, combined efforts by Greek and Turkish scientists produced an updated validated NIS inventory of the Aegean ecoregion, covering 120 years of records up to August 2024. Of the 342 NIS currently present in the Aegean Sea, the majority (281 species) have invaded the South Aegean, followed by the North Aegean (128 species…
Fire regime is predicted to change, particularly in Mediterranean climate regions, towards more severe and frequent fire events. From a predictive perspective, trait-based ecology offers a comprehensive framework to characterize vegetation responses to fire. Since fires induce erosion and decrease soil nutrients, species’ functional traits and their distribution at community level should reflect these changes….