Science tells us invasive species — like the spotted tilapia — are always on the move, making it difficult for scientists to simulate their spread and predict where they will go next. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences took a deep dive to understand why certain locations are more…
For generations, Lars Miguel Utsi’s family has lived in the small town of Jokkmokk in northern Sweden, where reindeer husbandry is a way of life. In a part of the world where most of us would see just an endless expanse of white snow, Utsi perceives the landscape in intricate detail, recognizing subtle features of…
How fruit flies mate may hold a key to limiting the spread of diseases by mosquitoes. In a new study, University of Iowa researchers found a gene that orchestrates the antenna movements of female fruit flies, which is central for them to detect the unique sound produced by prospective male mates. That gene, the Iowa…
130 years after a fungus-eating plant received its name, a Kobe University researcher has uncovered the purpose of the structure that inspired its name — revealing a novel mechanism by which plants ensure reproduction. MAKINO Tomitaro, a towering figure in Japanese botany, named around 1,000 species and discovered about 600 new plants between 1887 and…
New research has revealed less than a quarter of the remaining tropical rainforests around the globe can safeguard thousands of threatened species from extinction. The research, co-authored by The University of Queensland’s Professor James Watson, evaluated the global availability of structurally intact, minimally disturbed tropical rainforests for more than 16,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles,…
Connectivity and maintenance measures support wild bees in limestone quarries A research team at the University of Göttingen, Germany’s Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) in Rhede, and the Thünen Institute in Braunschweig has investigated the importance of limestone quarries for wild bee conservation. Diverse landscapes with good connectivity between quarries and calcareous grasslands proved…
Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith has devoted his career to examining how animal minds evolved. He blends formidable analytical skills with a deep curiosity about the natural world, mostly experienced at first hand in his native Australia. While writing his latest book, Living on Earth, he spent many hours scrutinizing noisy parrots and cockatoos in his back…
A new study suggests that a more complex understanding of how wealth and biodiversity are linked may help communities with little wealth achieve the levels of diversity typically associated with more affluent areas. Researchers have long understood that areas with more wealth tend to have higher biodiversity, a phenomenon known as the “luxury effect.” However,…
Alcohol isn’t solely a human construct. Ethanol, a type of alcohol, naturally occurs across ecosystems. From jungles to deserts, wherever sugary foods ferment, ethanol is found. So, behavioral ecologist Kimberley Hockings from the University of Exeter challenges the traditionally human-centered view of ethanol, suggesting it has a broader ecological role. “We’re moving away from this…
Fire behaviour in the Mediterranean region has been altered by climate change. In the last decade, not only has the occurrence of fires increased but also their virulence. This is primarily due to higher temperatures and the decrease in the rainfall, which have made forest ecosystems less able to withstand fires. It has also been…