Population dynamics is a topic in ecology and evolutionary biology that investigates the temporal and spatial variation in population size, structure, and composition, and the processes that drive these changes. It focuses on birth, death, immigration, and emigration rates and their dependence on intrinsic factors (e.g., life-history traits, density dependence, genetic structure) and extrinsic factors (e.g., climate, resources, species interactions). Quantitative population dynamics research employs mathematical and statistical models—such as exponential, logistic, and age-structured models, matrix population models, and stochastic simulations—to analyze stability, persistence, extinction risk, and responses to environmental perturbations or management interventions.
Microbes often display cooperative behavior in which individual cells put in work and sacrifice resources to collectively benefit the group. But sometimes, "cheater" cells in the group may reap the benefits of this cooperation ...
Evolution
Jan 8, 2026
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43
Currently, there are several hypotheses surrounding the disappearance of Neanderthals. While they all have at least some scientific support, researchers can't agree on which—or which combination—is most likely. In a new study, ...
Farm size plays a crucial role in shaping food production systems and environmental outcomes. However, its long-term global trends have remained poorly understood.
Agriculture
Oct 22, 2025
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30
A scaling law relates the expected number of mutants to the total population size of cells in a spatially constrained but growing population, which could help clinicians predict when cancers or bacterial infections might ...
Evolution
Sep 23, 2025
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19
A new study from researchers from the Faculty of Science at Charles University in the Czech Republic shows that microscopic communities of phytoplankton—key primary producers in aquatic ecosystems—can undergo dramatic shifts ...
Ecology
Sep 10, 2025
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16
Marine biologists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have released a new database of size parameters for 1,308 species of Pacific coral reef fishes, advancing scientists' understanding of fish health and ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 27, 2025
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17
The largest-ever study of over 2.6 million zoo birth records reveals skewed sex ratios in endangered species, from lemurs to elephants. The international team of scientists behind the study emphasizes that it is vital that ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 30, 2025
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30
Since 1970, 73% of global wildlife has been lost, while the world's population has doubled to 8 billion. Research shows this isn't a coincidence but that population growth is causing a catastrophic decline in biodiversity.
Plants & Animals
Jul 4, 2025
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376
A Florida State University ecology and evolutionary biologist has discovered that the reproductive methods of individual coral species play a crucial role in their ability to survive, and even thrive, amid a rapidly changing ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 19, 2025
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22
In a unique collaboration between the University of Groningen and the Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, researchers studied population trends across 3,058 populations of various species throughout the entire Wadden ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 18, 2025
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22
