An animal and plant census is a systematic survey method used to quantify the abundance, distribution, and composition of faunal and floral populations within a defined area and time frame. It typically involves standardized sampling protocols such as transects, quadrats, point counts, or capture–recapture techniques, with effort and spatial coverage designed to achieve statistically robust estimates. Data collected include species identity, counts or density estimates, life stage or size class, and habitat parameters. These censuses underpin population monitoring, biodiversity assessment, and ecological modeling, providing baseline metrics for detecting temporal trends, evaluating management interventions, and informing conservation and land-use planning.
Gray whales migrate from Arctic waters full of food to the lagoons of Baja Mexico—but as the climate crisis gathers pace, they have been sighted foraging in unexpected places. Recently, some have begun to explore the dangerously ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 13, 2026
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59
Over the past few decades, a collaboration of St. Louis regional groups have partnered to be good stewards of Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks and wildlife areas in the country. Organizations such as Forest Park ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 10, 2026
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26
Urban stormwater ponds provide important habitats for birds, including both resident and migrating species, according to research led by the University of Toronto. For the study, researchers placed audio recorders at 16 stormwater ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 24, 2026
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10
A comprehensive study has revealed substantial declines in many of South Africa's birds of prey (raptors) over the past 16 years, raising fresh concerns about the conservation status of several iconic and threatened species. ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2026
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34
Scientists have discovered mosquitoes can act like tiny "flying wildlife surveyors," helping researchers detect elusive and endangered animals in Australia's national parks. A team from Macquarie University and the Department ...
Ecology
Mar 19, 2026
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17
Cameras that photograph insects overnight and AI that identifies them are among a new generation of tools that could finally allow scientists to track whether the world's plan to save nature is working for its most overlooked ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 18, 2026
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41
The first camera survey ever conducted on Truwana/Cape Barren Island off Tasmania has recorded two rarely seen animals—white-footed dunnarts and blonde echidnas. A vulnerable shorebird—the Latham's snipe—was also photographed.
Plants & Animals
Mar 11, 2026
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21
Polar bear encounters with humans are a regular concern for scientists and communities near polar bear habitats, but new research is showing the bears' reasons for coming in contact with humans might not be what was initially ...
Ecology
Mar 10, 2026
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26
A Purdue University digital forestry team has created a computational tool to obtain and analyze urban tree inventories on public and private lands with record-breaking speed at an unprecedented scale. The team accomplished ...
Ecology
Feb 18, 2026
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24
For blackberry breeders, white and pink flowers on blackberry plants are more than something to admire; they are a key early measure of the season's productivity.
Biotechnology
Feb 11, 2026
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16
