Declines in the biodiversity of pollinating insects and wild plants have slowed in recent years, according to a new study. Researchers led by the University of Leeds and the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Netherlands ...

Biology - Ecology

7 hours ago 5 / 5 (1) 0

(Phys.org) —Caffeine is the naturally occurring drug most widely used by humans. In nature, though, it is reported to act as a bitter and toxic deterrent to herbivores, preventing leaves and seeds from ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

May 13, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 0 |

(Phys.org) —In a paper published today in the peer-reviewed science journal PLoS ONE, researchers have presented a new model to explore how changes in food availability might influence honeybee colony growth ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

May 08, 2013 not rated yet 0

(Phys.org) —U.S. beekeepers lost nearly one in every three honey bee colonies over the winter of 2012-2013, according to an annual survey conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership and the Apiary Inspec ...

Biology - Ecology

May 08, 2013 4 / 5 (1) 0

It may be easier to show concern about cuddly animals like bees than about some of the millions of indigenous insect and microorganisms found in the European biodiversity.

Biology - Plants & Animals

May 07, 2013 not rated yet 0

A smart combination of different crops, such as beans and maize, can significantly cut the use of crop protection agents and at the same time reduce the need for fertilizers. Integrating ecological knowledge ...

Biology - Ecology

Apr 30, 2013 not rated yet 0

Ivy, often maligned as a garden pest, is vital to honey bees and other pollinators seeking food in autumn, new research from the University of Sussex reveals.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Apr 26, 2013 4.6 / 5 (5) 1

The EU appears set to impose a two-year ban on the use of insecticides blamed for a sharp and worrying decline in bee populations, an EU source said Thursday.

Biology - Ecology

Apr 25, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 0

Ants play a variety of important roles in many ecosystems. As frequent visitors to flowers, they can benefit plants in their role as pollinators when they forage on sugar-rich nectar. However, a new study ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Apr 24, 2013 not rated yet 0 |

A new review of insect pollinators of crops and wild plants has concluded they are under threat globally from a cocktail of multiple pressures, and their decline or loss could have profound environmental, human health and ...

Biology - Ecology

Apr 22, 2013 not rated yet 0

A new international study co-authored by a University of Florida researcher describes one of the most comprehensive analyses of Lepidoptera evolutionary relationships to date, and could have broad implications in the fields ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Apr 15, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 0

Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, performing a variety of essential functions such as DNA replication, catabolizing reactions, and responding to stimuli. The complete set of proteins expressed in an organism at ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Apr 10, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 0

Thousands of pesticides are allowed onto the US market without rigorous safety testing, putting people, animals and crop pollinators like bees at risk, a US environmental group said Wednesday.

Space & Earth - Environment

Mar 27, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 4

Small hive beetles are indigenous to Africa, but have been damaging beehives in the United States and Australia for several years. Rowan Sprague, a University of Virginia fourth-year student, wants to stop ...

Biology - Other

Mar 26, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 0

The European Commission said Tuesday it will try again to get member states to back a two-year ban on insecticides harmful to bees whose numbers have been in sharp and worrying decline.

Biology - Ecology

Mar 19, 2013 not rated yet 0