Symbiosis is a broad ecological topic encompassing the diverse spectrum of long-term interspecific interactions, including mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism, defined by close physical or functional association between organisms. Research on symbiosis addresses mechanisms of partner recognition, metabolic and genetic integration, coevolutionary dynamics, and the regulation of costs and benefits across environmental gradients. It spans macro- and micro-organism interactions, such as plant-microbe, animal-microbe, and microbial consortia, and is central to understanding community assembly, niche construction, holobiont concepts, and stability–resilience properties of ecosystems, as well as informing models of evolutionary innovation and functional diversification within and across trophic levels.
A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon in which internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females. Surprisingly, this reproductive ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2026
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7
Researchers at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), in collaboration with researchers from The University of Electro-Communications (UEC) and Akita Prefectural University, have discovered ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 2, 2026
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11
The reefs scattered throughout the tropics arose only after algae took up full-time residence in coral cells, supplying corals with abundant food and enabling them to build extensive shallow-water communities. But with warming ...
Ecology
Jul 1, 2026
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45
Plants need nitrogen to grow. Many legumes meet this need through a symbiotic relationship: They harbor bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to the plant. Until now, it was largely unclear how a perennial ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 30, 2026
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10
Certain plants, including legumes, form specialized root organs known as nodules. These plants establish symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and utilize atmospheric nitrogen. This process, termed "root nodule ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 29, 2026
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4
A new study by an international research team led by Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig) has revealed striking similarities in the way humans and dogs interact ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 27, 2026
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413
Some insects and microbes develop symbiotic partnerships that become so interdependent they can no longer survive without each other. But how specific are these heritable symbioses? Is it possible for the same species of ...
Ecology
Jun 23, 2026
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7
An international team of researchers have published a new review in Animal Behavior revealing how communication enables cooperation between different animal species. The review, titled "The ecology and evolution of cues and ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 19, 2026
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250
A publication led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, shows that microscopic partnerships between ciliates and bacteria play a role in the nitrogen cycle of lakes. The ...
Ecology
Jun 17, 2026
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8
Most major crops, such as wheat and corn, require expensive nitrogen fertilizer to flourish. But what if bacteria could help those plants draw nitrogen from the atmosphere, as peas and beans do?
Biotechnology
May 28, 2026
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