Asian lady beetles use biological weapons against their European relatives
Plants use underground networks to warn of enemy attack
Smoke signals: How burning plants tell seeds to rise from the ashes
In the spring following a forest fire, trees that survived the blaze explode in new growth and plants sprout in abundance from the scorched earth. For centuries, it was a mystery how seeds, some long dormant ...
Apr 29, 2013
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Transistor in the fly antenna: Insect odorant receptors regulate their own sensitivity
Highly developed antennae containing different types of olfactory receptors allow insects to use minute amounts of odors for orientation towards resources like food, oviposition sites or mates. Scientists ...
Mar 18, 2013
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Metal ions regulate terpenoid metabolism in insects
Max Planck scientists in Jena, Germany, have discovered an unusual regulation of enzymes that catalyze chain elongation in an important secondary metabolism, the terpenoid pathway. In the horseradish leaf ...
Feb 28, 2013
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Nothing fishy about swimming with same-sized mates
Have you ever wondered why, and how, shoals of fish are comprised of fish of the same size? According to new research by Ashley Ward, from the University of Sydney in Australia, and Suzanne Currie, from Mount Allison University ...
Feb 06, 2013
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Synchrotron infrared unveils a mysterious microbial community
In the fall of 2010, Hoi-Ying Holman of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) was approached by an international team researching a mysterious microbial community ...
Jan 22, 2013
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Bugs need symbiotic bacteria to exploit plant seeds
Aggregations of the red and black colored firebugs are ubiquitous under linden trees in Central Europe, where the bugs can reach astounding population densities. While these insects have no impact on humans, ...
Jan 09, 2013
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New study sheds light on dinosaur size
Dinosaurs were not only the largest animals to roam the Earth - they also had a greater number of larger species compared to all other back-boned animals - scientists suggest in a new paper published in the journal PLOS ON ...
Dec 19, 2012
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Not without my microbes
After metamorphosis European forest cockchafers benefit from the same bacterial symbionts housed during their larval stage.
Dec 19, 2012
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A direct line through the brain to avoid rotten food—a full STOP signal for Drosophila
Consuming putrid food can be lethal as it allows bacterial pathogens to enter the digestive system. To detect signs of decay and thus allowing us and other animals to avoid such food poisoning is one of the ...
Dec 06, 2012
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Herbivore defence in ferns
(Phys.org)—Unlike flowering plants, bracken ferns do not release any odour signals to attract the enemies of their attackers for their own benefit.
Nov 21, 2012
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Estrogenic plants linked to altered hormones, possible behavior changes in monkeys
Eating certain veggies not only supplies key nutrients, it may also influence hormone levels and behaviors such as aggression and sexual activity, says a new study led by researchers at the University of ...
Nov 19, 2012
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Researchers gain new insights into the behaviour of the coconut crab Birgus latro
(Phys.org)—Researchers from Jena and Greifswald used GPS satellites for a long-term behavioural monitoring of land crab migration on Christmas Island. In cooperation with colleagues from the Zoological ...
Nov 15, 2012
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Green leaf volatiles increase plant fitness via biocontrol
To solve the acute, global problem of securing food resources for a continuously growing population, we must work constantly to increase the sustainability and effectiveness of modern agricultural techniques. ...
Oct 16, 2012
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