Biodiversity, considered as a biological process, encompasses the dynamic mechanisms that generate, maintain, and modify variation in genes, species, and ecosystems through time. It emerges from evolutionary processes such as mutation, recombination, natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow, as well as ecological interactions including competition, predation, mutualism, and succession. These processes interact across spatial and temporal scales to structure community composition, regulate ecosystem functioning, and influence resilience to environmental change. Biodiversity dynamics are further shaped by speciation and extinction processes, dispersal, landscape connectivity, and anthropogenic drivers that alter selective regimes and disturbance patterns.
Brazil has declared the acai berry a national fruit, a move to stamp its ownership on the popular "superfood" as concerns grow about foreign companies staking claims to the Amazon's biological riches.
Plants & Animals
Jan 28, 2026
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18
Research in the Journal of Applied Ecology has identified threats to endangered plants in an urban area, generating information that can be used to guide effective conservation strategies across major cities. Investigators ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 28, 2026
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17
It might be less visible than dwindling lion populations or vanishing pandas, but the quiet crisis of small mammal extinction is arguably worse for biodiversity. These species are crucial indicators of environmental health, ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 27, 2026
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125
Global food trade is essential for food security, but its ecological consequences often remain unseen. A new data paper published in One Ecosystem introduces a global long-term dataset, quantifying biodiversity loss embodied ...
Ecology
Jan 25, 2026
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28
According to a new study by the University of Würzburg, Bavarian meadows are the most monotonous insect habitats. Surprisingly, fields and settlements often offer more diversity than grassland.
Plants & Animals
Jan 22, 2026
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56
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that organized civil society and social mobilization are key, yet often unrecognized, agents of global biodiversity conservation. By analyzing ...
Environment
Jan 19, 2026
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1242
Almost two-thirds of Australia is privately owned. But most of our scientific understanding of how threatened species are faring comes from research done on public lands. Traditional biodiversity surveys by professional scientists ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 19, 2026
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38
Insects are often seen as invaders due to high-profile species like the yellow-legged (Asian) hornet, the harlequin ladybird and fire ant. But new research reveals insects are also major victims of invasive alien species—exacerbating ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 15, 2026
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321
Stretching along the Brazilian coastline, the Atlantic Forest is home to hundreds of species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and fishes. However, due to human expansion, only about a third of the forest's original ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 15, 2026
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104
A new study shows that resilient and remarkably diverse populations of organisms can persist in the soil despite harsh and extremely dry conditions. An international team led by researchers from the University of Cologne, ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 13, 2026
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49
