Herbivores are organisms that obtain the majority of their energy and nutrients by consuming autotrophic plant material or algae, forming a critical trophic level in ecological and biogeochemical systems. They exhibit diverse morphological and physiological adaptations for processing cellulose-rich diets, including specialized dentition, elongated and compartmentalized gastrointestinal tracts, and symbiotic microbiota enabling fermentation and volatile fatty acid production. Herbivory influences plant population dynamics, community composition, and primary productivity, mediating top-down and bottom-up interactions and driving coevolutionary arms races such as chemical defenses and counteradaptations. In ecosystem and food-web models, herbivores are central to energy transfer from primary producers to higher trophic levels and to nutrient cycling through excretion and biomass turnover.
Living among large predatory carnivores could actually make you safer. A study published in the journal Current Biology found that pumas—wild cats also known as mountain lions, cougars or panthers—change deer behavior, leading ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 5, 2026
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What happens after death? An international study led by the University of Granada (UGR), involving Ana Mateos and Jesús Rodríguez, researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), argues ...
Evolution
Jul 29, 2026
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Drought creates increasing challenges for agriculture. As well as affecting crop growth, it also affects interactions with pests. A research team at the University of Göttingen investigated how different levels of drought ...
Ecology
Jul 29, 2026
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Feeding wild animals is a popular activity at tourist destinations. While these interactions often appear harmless, scientists are recognizing how supplemental feeding of wild animals can alter ecosystems in unexpected ways.
Plants & Animals
Jul 29, 2026
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The need for a national deer management strategy to manage the decline of native forests is highlighted in a new research paper published today in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology. Led by Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University ...
Ecology
Jul 27, 2026
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Ecologists have long understood that biodiversity is paramount to ecosystem stability. Until now, however, most ecological research has focused on a single layer of ecological life at a time—for example, plant or animal communities. ...
Ecology
Jul 25, 2026
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Plant diversity has long been regarded as key to stable and resilient ecosystems. However, until now, little has been understood about why it has different effects in agricultural areas than in grasslands or forests. An international ...
Ecology
Jul 23, 2026
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Plants often grow spines, thorns and prickles to defend against animals that feed on them, but why this happens in some places more than others has remained a mystery. Research in New Phytologist shows that plant spininess ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 22, 2026
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Maize (corn) is a major dietary staple in Maya communities past and present because of its reliability, potential for surplus, and suitability as both food and fodder. It became so important to ancient Mesoamerican communities ...
Ecology
Jul 8, 2026
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Ongoing research reveals how the aroma of cannabis is influenced not only by the chosen cultivar, but also by different drying and storage methods. Through a combination of high-resolution chromatography and human-perception ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 7, 2026
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