https://phys.org/biology-news/ecology/ en-us The latest science and research news on ecology When she was a kid in the 1970s, Karen Terio wasn't allowed to watch much television, but wildlife specials were permitted. That was how she learned about the work of Jane Goodall, who was studying the behavior of wild chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, on the western edge of Tanzania. Watching National Geographic documentaries about Goodall's fearless and pioneering work with wild chimpanzees thrilled and inspired the young girl. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-footsteps-jane-goodall-wildlife-pathologist.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:00:01 EDT news695375478 Researchers at the University of New England have identified two fly species as promising pollinators for berry crops, offering a vital alternative to European honey bees in protected cropping systems. The results of their study are published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-flies-effective-pollinators-berry-crops.html Ecology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:00:01 EDT news695384402 New research from the UBC-based Mother Tree Project is shedding light on how forests respond to harvesting and climate stress, including practices aimed at reducing wildfire risk. The work is published in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research. Dr. Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist who leads the project, has spent more than a decade studying how Douglas fir forests recover after disturbance. The Mother Tree Project has produced multiple peer-reviewed studies, with more findings to come as the long-term research continues. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-qa-smarter-forest-british-columbia.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:20:02 EDT news695399161 Oceans absorb roughly 25% to 30% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere. When this CO2 dissolves in seawater, it forms carbonic acid, making the water more acidic and altering its chemistry. Elevated levels of acidity are harmful to marine life like corals, oysters, and certain plankton that rely on calcium carbonate to build shells and skeletons. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-carbon-maine-blue-economy-broader.html Ecology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:00:07 EDT news695384581 Hidden among the red sandstone escarpments of Mutawintji National Park in western New South Wales lives a rare lizard, long isolated in this arid landscape. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-kungaka-hidden-ancient-lizard-rarest.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:00:08 EDT news695384624 Rice has historically been a heat-loving plant. In fact, the wild ancestor of cultivated rice once grew primarily on the sweltering, rain-swept Malay and Indochina peninsulas as well as the islands of Southeast Asia. It wasn't until Earth's climate warmed after the last ice age that wild rice substantially spread into central China and South Asia, where it was independently domesticated by humans in two events that arguably rank among the most important in the history of our species. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-years-cultivation-rice-thermal-limit.html Ecology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:50:01 EDT news695403721 At first glance, the world of ants may seem far removed from our everyday lives. Yet, on closer inspection, they often face surprisingly similar challenges. They live in complex societies where the functioning of a colony relies on tightly organized logistical networks. These networks are structured around key resources and must be both efficient and resilient to disturbances. Wood ants (Formica lugubris) are particularly fascinating in this respect, as they operate genuine transport networks in forest ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-key-resource-wood-ant-networks.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:20:01 EDT news695397183 Research by microbiologists Reinier Egas and Cornelia Welte of Radboud University shows that many methane-consuming microorganisms actually prefer carbon monoxide over methane. When carbon monoxide is present, they consume far less methane. This suggests that in carbon monoxide–rich environments, more methane may be released from the soil into the atmosphere. The paper is published in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-picky-methane-consuming-microorganisms-carbon.html Ecology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:00:05 EDT news695388781 Florida's coral reefs are under siege. Since 2014, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) has spread rapidly across the Florida Reef Tract and Caribbean, killing vast numbers of reef-building corals and leaving behind dead skeletons where once-thriving reefs supported diverse marine life. Despite the severity of the crisis, little is known about how these diseases affect the microscopic structure of coral skeletons—the pores, densities and thicknesses that give reefs their strength and resilience. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hidden-stony-corals-revealed-3d.html Ecology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:00:01 EDT news695391121 Whether it is the climate, beaches, or simply being away from the hustle and bustle, island cultures around the world often do things differently to the mainland. It turns out this phenomenon isn't unique to humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-island-songbirds-music-culture.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:40:02 EDT news695385543 Bonobos are often described as gentle apes, generally calm primates that are seen as peacemakers in the animal kingdom. But this reputation may be coming under attack as a new study published in Scientific Reports reveals that wild bonobos may engage in group aggression that is more dangerous than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bonobos-peaceful-reputation-rival-group.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:50:02 EDT news695381629 UK researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind bespoke AI system designed to assess coral health and detect early stress, helping to prevent restoration projects from failing. Led by PhD research student at the University of Derby, Nicole Yeomans, and marine scientist Professor Michael Sweet at the University of Derby, the system, named BlueBiome, is reimagining coral reef care by applying the same principles of preventive, precision health commonly used in human gut health. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-unveil-ai-driven-coral-reef.html Ecology Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:20:06 EDT news695378942 What do bats do at night when they're not hunting? Using tiny GPS trackers, Leiden researchers discovered that pond bats spend a substantial portion of the night resting—often outdoors. This surprising insight could change the way we protect them. "To rest or to roam: Functional habitat use of an insectivorous bat species during active and resting behavior" is published in Biological Conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tracking-secret-life-pond.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:20:04 EDT news695374561 A new study has shown that whale calls are reduced by as much as 50% in response to seismic surveys, which are commonly used to find oil and gas reserves. Researchers are worried that such surveys could impact vulnerable marine species, which rely on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging. The paper, published in Scientific Reports, reveals how fin whale calls dropped dramatically along a key migratory corridor off northwestern Spain during seismic surveying. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-whales-quiet-noisy-underwater-surveys.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news695374441 Like a naughty pet Labrador, the Australian lungfish has little restraint when it comes to food. "We had 360 sqm of aquatic plants growing inside enclosures; but, once the fences were removed, lungfish and other aquatic animals feasted on the plants, and most of the vegetation was gone within 21 days." https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ungrateful-lungfish-focuses-sustainable-food.html Plants & Animals Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:00:02 EDT news695363402 At least six gray whales have died in San Francisco Bay from mid-March to early April 2026. These deaths follow a pattern over the past few years, and they are raising concerns among marine biologists like us that 2026 is becoming another dangerous year for a struggling population. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gray-whales-dying-san-francisco.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:40:05 EDT news695307302 To save money, Rachel Fordyce parked her car for free at Ithaca's East Hill Plaza and walked through East Lawn Cemetery to her job as a technician in an entomology lab on Cornell's campus. One spring day in 2022, she walked in to work with a jar full of bees. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-beneath-cemetery-million-wild-bees.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:20:03 EDT news695305361 Plankton are tiny, microscopic marine organisms that represent the very bottom of the food chain. Some are photosynthetic and others graze on bacteria and other plankton, but no plankton species can move against ocean currents. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-longer-term-plankton-species-diversity.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:20:01 EDT news695305152 Over the past 20 years, nearly half of commercially important Mediterranean fish species have shifted their distribution due to climate change, causing marine species to move away from their historical locations. These significant changes in fish habits are expected to have a major impact on biodiversity, ecosystems and fishing opportunities. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fish-redistribution-mediterranean-species-climate.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:40:03 EDT news695303822 Ecologists have long seen a strong connection between biodiversity and pollinators—the butterflies, birds, bats, bees, and other insects that help the flowers they snack on fertilize by transferring pollen from male anthers to female stigma. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-link-pollinators-diverse-landscapes-street.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:00:04 EDT news695301842 Decomposition of dead leaves in Veluwe forests has declined by tens of percent since the turn of the century. Meteorologists from Wageningen University & Research discovered this in an analysis of long-term measurements. The cause appears to lie in soil acidity. This is noteworthy because nitrogen deposition in the area has actually decreased over the same period. The effects of nitrogen entering the ecosystem in the past may still be lingering. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dead-linger-longer-veluwe-forests.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:40:01 EDT news695299921 Ants are known for many things. They fight, bite and sometimes compete for every crumb. We can now possibly add cleaning services to that list, according to a study published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-arizona-tiny-ants-hygienists-climbing.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news695296823 Common human painkillers also work on Norway lobsters, according to research from the University of Gothenburg. This is further evidence that crustaceans may feel pain and that more humane methods of killing them need to be developed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-painkillers-pain-responses-norway-lobsters.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:20:02 EDT news695289050 Beans of the cacao plant, Theobroma cacao, are used in chocolates, pharmaceuticals and other products, but they're under threat. Increased drought associated with climate change has already begun to stress cacao-growing regions of Colombia and other countries, and models predict it will get worse. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-cacti-fungal-endophytes-cacao-tolerate.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:00:05 EDT news695030941 A large-scale experiment shows that warmth brings bees and wasps out of hibernation earlier—leaving some of them with poorer starting conditions. This is particularly true for species in cooler regions that emerge during spring. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-global-hatching-bees-wasps.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news695288341 Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, World Forest ID, University of Sheffield and international collaborators have developed a new technique that can identify where soybeans—the third largest driver of tropical deforestation—are grown to within roughly 200 kilometers, a breakthrough that could transform efforts to stop deforestation linked to global food supply chains. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-unveil-breakthrough-tool-world.html Ecology Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:01 EDT news694950624 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 busy waters of San Francisco Bay. Scientists at the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences investigating an unexpectedly high death toll among gray whales have found that almost 20% of individuals seen entering the Bay died there, in large part due to boat strikes. The team's study appears in Frontiers in Marine Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gray-whales-san-francisco-bay.html Plants & Animals Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:04 EDT news694964761 As the West faces increasingly destructive wildfires, land managers rely on mechanical thinning to reduce hazardous fuels and restore forest health. But one obstacle continues to slow this work down: Thinning costs are notoriously difficult to estimate from one project to the next. Uncertainty around those numbers raises concerns that outdated cost estimates may be holding critical restoration projects back. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hurdles-forest.html Ecology Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:00:04 EDT news694777871 Mississippi State researchers have developed an updated version of a widely used forestry decision-making tool, improving accessibility and usability while maintaining its analytical strength. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-forestry-decision-software.html Ecology Sat, 11 Apr 2026 06:31:24 EDT news695107861 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 Forever have restored habitat, while scientists with the Saint Louis Zoo have partnered with conservation groups and universities, including WashU, to monitor wildlife populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-habitat-paid-forest-st-louis.html Plants & Animals Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:20:01 EDT news695017701