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Ecology news
How bird movements are helping researchers track a global virus
While the highly virulent avian influenza strain has only recently been discovered on Australian shores, researchers at Deakin University have been working behind the scenes for years, anticipating what an outbreak might ...
Plants & Animals
16 hours ago
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How much clearcutting can nature sustain? A study determines the ecological limit for boreal forest birds
A study led by the University of Jyväskylä in Finland evaluated, for the first time, an ecological threshold for the amount of clearcutting in boreal forests. According to the results, maintaining populations of bird species ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 5, 2026
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Tree species diversity protects forests from climate extremes, study finds
New research has found that tree species diversity can play a crucial role in protecting forests from the growing threat of extreme climate events. The study analyzed data from 88,116 separate forest plots across the United ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 5, 2026
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In ant nervous systems, gene expression may drive rescue behavior
Why do some ants help nestmates in distress while others don't? A research team from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Tel Aviv University addressed this question in a new study. The researchers examined worker ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2026
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Periodical cicadas may be doomed to extinction
Every 13 or 17 years, swarms of cicadas emerge from the ground, their black bodies, orange-tinged wings and ruby-red eyes enveloping trees and forests. It is a biological marvel unique in the insect world, and when it happens, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2026
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Food and water stations for wild birds are contributing to spread of deadly diseases, study finds
Feeding stations providing food and water for wild birds are contributing to the spread of disease-causing parasites among farmland birds, researchers have said, with birds three times more likely to catch a parasite from ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2026
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Archaea as 'flexitarians': Ammonia-oxidizing microbes also feed on amino acids
Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists but true "flexitarians." A team led by microbiologists Bettina Glasl and Katharina Kitzinger from the University of Vienna, in collaboration ...
Ecology
Sep 4, 2026
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Bats show promise as a form of biological pest control in South African macadamia plantations
Labor-intensive harvesting and complex processing make macadamias among the most expensive nuts in the world. This makes it all the more important to protect the trees from pests.
Ecology
Sep 4, 2026
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Since the 1980s, climate change has increasingly altered European bumblebee habitats
Global biodiversity loss is occurring at a rapid pace, driven by multiple human-caused factors, including overexploitation, pollution, invasive species and climate change. Despite increasing research on the impact of climate ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2026
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Critically endangered pygmy raccoons observed making their own paper toys
Some of the most intriguing scientific breakthroughs happen when researchers aren't explicitly looking for them. Take, for example, the pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), a critically endangered species that lives only on ...
Brainless sea sponges use sunset to prepare for metamorphosis—and attach in 30 minutes
Well before I start collecting coats, keys or shoes, my dog always knows when we're about to leave. By picking up on subtle cues, he anticipates our next movements, reminding me he's smarter than he often shows. But anticipation ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2026
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Your house may be a haven for wildlife. It's time we design homes with nature in mind
Ever found a bare-nosed wombat napping under your house or heard a possum thumping around in your attic?
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Warming seas could shrink most mollusks by 2100, but some may grow
Research led by scientists at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette challenges a long-held assumption about the effects of climate change on marine life: Warmer oceans won't simply make animals smaller.
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Chimpanzees have accents too, study finds
A study has found that young chimpanzees develop distinct population-specific vocal patterns as they mature (ontogeny), challenging the long-held assumption that their calls are inflexible and determined solely by genetics. ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Satellite images show how penguins' diets are changing in response to Antarctic climate change
The color of penguin poop, as seen from space, is offering a new window into how Antarctica's ecology and environment are changing over time.
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Rising species numbers on Europe's mountaintops may mask increasing losses of high-elevation plant specialists
Decades of warming have relaxed cold-temperature constraints on mountain plant distribution and increased species numbers on mountaintops. An international research team led by scientists from the University of Vienna, together ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Researchers develop precise new method to analyze secretions from individual salmon lice
A University of Stirling study could pave the way for more efficient study of the secretions that salmon lice use to avoid fish defenses, potentially enabling the development of new strategies to protect salmon from infestations.
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Gharial pop patterns and gecko calls uncover reptiles' overlooked social communication
Along the sandy banks of northern India's Chambal River, crocodile-like gharials glide silently through the water—but if a gharial spots a stranger, the quiet may be punctuated by a series of explosive pops.
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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21
Probiotic and postbiotic treatments revive heat-stressed corals in field experiment
Climate change continues to threaten the world's coral reefs, which support at least a quarter of all marine life. Though probiotics have been shown to rehabilitate corals in aquarium experiments, demonstrating the efficacy ...
Ecology
Sep 3, 2026
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Farewell black spruce? How climate change and pests are reshaping North America's forests
More than 80% of North American forests could face greater threats from pests and diseases by midcentury, a University of British Columbia-led study finds. If global emissions continue unchecked, rising temperatures and shifting ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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More news
In Chile, injured penguins sport copper vests to help them heal
Looking back to forecast the future of lobster
New 'devil flower' species discovered in Thai national park
Scientists discover the key ingredients that make birdsong pretty
Tracking emperor penguins from space
Dolphin-feeding tourism contributes to predicted dolphin decline
Bees see the world in more ways than previously thought
Other news
New method predicts where massive earthquakes will strike
A new type of LED light could bring significant efficiency gains
Marmite lures discovery from lake depths
Drone laser scans map more than 1,000 trees across 90-acre campus
Even small amounts of ocean plastic can affect petrel chicks
The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug
How Mercury formed its graphite crust and core
Virus-like particles enable gene activity tracking over time in the same cells
