http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A comprehensive five-year study by University of Calgary ecologists – which included monitoring the activity of wolves, elks, cattle and humans – indicates that two accepted principles of how ecosystems naturally operate could be overshadowed by the importance of human activity. http://phys.org/news287249077.html Biology Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:02 EST news287249077 (Phys.org) —That human land use destroys natural ecosystems is an oft-cited assumption in conservation, but ecologists have discovered that instead, traditional ranching techniques in the African savanna enhance the local abundance of wild, native animals. These results offer a new perspective on the roles humans play in natural systems, and inform ongoing discussions about land management and biodiversity conservation. http://phys.org/news286630009.html Biology Wed, 01 May 2013 12:26:57 EST news286630009 Australian citizens can become more involved in planning their cities with wildlife in mind thanks to a new tool developed by researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED). http://phys.org/news286438562.html Space & Earth Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:16:12 EST news286438562 The Orinoco River flows from the Andes in Colombia to the Atlantic in Venezuela. The area of the basin includes landscapes of the Andes, plains of the Llanos and the Guiana shield. Orinoco's tributary rivers form a basin considered to be the 3rd most important river system on the planet, and one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world. http://phys.org/news282323321.html Biology Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:08:47 EST news282323321 (Phys.org)—How can a square meter of meadow contain tens of species of plants? And what factors determine the number of species that live in an ecosystem? Science journal has defined this as one of the 25 most important unresolved questions in science, both for its importance in understanding nature and due to the value of natural ecosystems for mankind. The value of goods and services provided by natural ecosystems is estimated to exceed the GDP of our planet. http://phys.org/news275813089.html Biology Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:00:01 EST news275813089 University of Leeds-led research has used tree rings from eight cedar trees in Bolivia to unlock a 100-year history of rainfall across the Amazon basin, which contains the world's largest river system. http://phys.org/news268309145.html Space & Earth Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:00:20 EST news268309145 Ice covering the Arctic Ocean melted to the smallest areal extent ever recorded this year, falling to 1.3 million square miles at its lowest point on Sept. 16, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. That's less than half of the normal area covered by ice at summer's end. http://phys.org/news267691528.html Space & Earth Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:45:37 EST news267691528 Earth's oceans, forests and other ecosystems continue to soak up about half the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by human activities, even as those emissions have increased, according to a study by University of Colorado and NOAA scientists to be published August 2 in the journal Nature. http://phys.org/news263040793.html Space & Earth Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:00:17 EST news263040793 A prestigious group of scientists from around the world is warning that population growth, widespread destruction of natural ecosystems, and climate change may be driving Earth toward an irreversible change in the biosphere, a planet-wide tipping point that would have destructive consequences absent adequate preparation and mitigation. http://phys.org/news258206302.html Space & Earth Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:58:44 EST news258206302 For the first time, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have demonstrated that forest trees have the ability to tap into nitrogen found in rocks, boosting the trees' growth and their ability to pull more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. http://phys.org/news234015670.html Space & Earth Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:21:24 EST news234015670 When natural ecosystems are replaced by roads, homes, and commercial structures, soil is negatively impacted. Studies have shown that, among other issues, distressed urban soils are often significantly compacted, may have alkaline pH, and may contain low amounts of essential organic matter and nutrients. This altered soil is typically not conducive to healthy plant root growth and establishment, leading to challenges for urban landscapes and home gardens. http://phys.org/news228067741.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:09:16 EST news228067741 Scotland's first fully protected marine reserve, and only the second in the UK, is already providing commercial and conservation benefits, according to new research. http://phys.org/news222662387.html Biology Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:40:04 EST news222662387 Researchers developed a comprehensive technique to monitor changes in organic carbon found in soil over large areas of land. The team of scientists, including Cesar Izaurralde and Tristram West at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL's) Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), are confident that spatial and temporal estimates of changes in organic carbon found in soil spanning vast areas can be drastically improved using a combination of satellite remote sensing, ground observations, and computer models. http://phys.org/news219061061.html Space & Earth Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:17:56 EST news219061061 North and South Carolina have seen a steady increase in swine production over the last 15 years. In North Carolina alone, swine production generates approximately a quarter of the state's gross farm receipts. The presence of so many large-scale pig farms leads to the problem of proper animal waste disposal. http://phys.org/news218482414.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:33:47 EST news218482414 (PhysOrg.com) -- A large-scale UC Davis experiment with ants, lizards and seaweed on a dozen Caribbean islands shows that predicting the effects of environmental change on complex natural ecosystems requires a large laboratory. http://phys.org/news215673359.html Biology Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:16:18 EST news215673359 Children aren't the only youngsters who are picky eaters: More than half of all species are believed to change their diets -- sometimes more than once -- between birth and adulthood. And a new study by ecologists at Rice University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, finds this pattern has major implications for the survival of threatened species and the stability of natural ecosystems. http://phys.org/news210345056.html Biology Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:50:01 EST news210345056 New hemlock hybrids that are tolerant to the invasive insect known as hemlock woolly adelgid have been created by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. http://phys.org/news208621026.html Biology Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:17:39 EST news208621026 Climate change is rapidly expanding the size of the world's tropical zone, threatening to bring disease and drought to heavily populated areas, an Australian study has found. http://phys.org/news166081900.html Space & Earth Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:52:09 EST news166081900 Failing to see the forest for the trees may be causing us to overlook the declining health of Wisconsin's forest ecosystems. http://phys.org/news163779836.html Biology Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:24:21 EST news163779836