https://phys.org/biology-news/ecology/ en-us The latest science and research news on ecology For Dr. Jamaluddin Jompa, the ocean has never been simply a subject of scientific study. He was born in Takalar, a coastal region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and his connection with the sea was forged early. Witnessing the degradation of Indonesia's coastal waters made him wonder: What happens when the ecological relationships that sustain marine ecosystems begin to break down and, more importantly, can they be restored? https://phys.org/news/2026-10-coral-reef-climate-resilience-indonesia.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:00:01 EDT news710518325 Why do the gut microbiomes of people from industrialized and nonindustrialized regions differ? A study by the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the University of Trento (Italy) and the University of Tübingen shows that diet alone does not explain these differences. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-diet-differences-gut-bacterial-communities.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:00:02 EDT news710506681 Mākaka (native broom) and kōwhai seeds might be able to survive the heat of fires, new research shows. Scientists heated native and exotic seeds in a lab oven to temperatures they may face in the soil during a fire, expecting only the exotics—which often experience fires in their homelands—to survive. However, mākaka and kōwhai seeds survived up to 80°C, and mākaka seeds even sprouted in response. Māhoe, tī kōuka (cabbage tree) and matagouri seeds died after heating, while invasive gorse survived 100°C and sprouted. As fires get more common in NZ, it's important to understand if any native seeds could survive and grow back, the researchers say. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-zealand-native-seeds-survive-wildfires.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:40:01 EDT news710512202 A new study seeks to challenge the conventional view of a honey bee colony. Viewing colonies as superorganisms redefines the fundamental biology of the honey bee colony. These insights may have implications for modern beekeeping. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-viewing-honey-bee-colonies-superorganisms.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:30:01 EDT news710516041 Thousands of meters below the waves off Australia's east coast, far beyond where sunlight can reach, a stunning light show takes place in the dark. The cause? Two species of long-legged creatures emitting a blue glow. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-legged-giants-deep-ocean.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:20:21 EDT news710495756 The Egyptian goose, native to Africa, is considered an invasive species of Europe-wide significance. Researchers from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center and Goethe University Frankfurt spent four years investigating the ecological and economic impacts of its expansion. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-invasive-egyptian-geese-exploit-food.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:40:15 EDT news710509921 The short-legged horned toad (Boulenophrys brachykolos), listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, is the only known small frog species in Hong Kong belonging to the genus Boulenophrys of the family Megophryidae. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-endangered-lantau-toads-genetic-differences.html Evolution Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:20:05 EDT news710501641 The world is changing. As humans, we tend to focus on what happens on land, but the planet's food systems depend on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-oceans-reshape-plankton-potentially-fish.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:20:11 EDT news710498761 A typical scene at a local farmers market: Various stalls offer fruit, vegetables and much more. Every customer has their favorite stalls, though these may change occasionally. Some symbiotic relationships seem to work just like that, a study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology reveals in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-symbiotic-marketplace-gutless-worms-swap.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:20:02 EDT news710497081 Small, hairy and cheekily charismatic. Those words sprang to mind when I first met a Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) after traversing the maze of wooden slat paths at the conservation center in the dense, humid forests of Malaysian Borneo. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-africa-rhinos-spotlight-indonesia-rhino.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:20:05 EDT news710488682 Researchers at Colorado State University are leading an attempt to restore Yosemite National Park's iconic meadows before it's too late by reintroducing native plants that once covered the landscape. Results are published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-yosemite-meadows-effort.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:00:04 EDT news710162641 Extreme heat can have a profound impact on wild animals, causing their death in the most extreme cases and leaving less visible marks in others. Understanding the effects of temperature changes on specific species could inform conservation efforts and other initiatives aimed at protecting natural ecosystems from climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-linked-faster-telomere-loss-wild.html Ecology Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news709985845 Seagrasses are flowering plants that thrive in marine environments and form extensive meadows along the tropical Queensland coast. New James Cook University research shows the seagrass meadows of Trinity Inlet in Cairns Harbor have recovered after severe cyclones and flooding nearly wiped them out—but with a new mix of fish species. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-seagrass-meadows-fish-communities.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 07:40:02 EDT news710486462 The idea that ecosystems carry plenty of backup, so if a small number of species become extinct there is little harm, has been greatly overestimated, according to the largest global study of its kind. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nature-capacity-species-lost-vastly.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news710437081 For decades, fisheries managers have struggled to restore recruitment in wild lake trout populations across the Great Lakes region, with limited success. Returning this species to its former abundance is hampered by overfishing, sea lamprey predation, invasive species and habitat alterations. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-vitamin-b1-gains-wild-lake.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 22:00:01 EDT news710434081 The Surinam toad is one of the strangest frogs on Earth. Flat-bodied, tiny-eyed and adapted to the murky waters of the Amazon basin, it hunts well despite having very poor vision. When a fish swims close, the frog suddenly opens its mouth and sucks the prey inside in a fraction of a second. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-unusual-secret-superpowers-amphibians-reptiles.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:00:02 EDT news710426461 Moving large animals around is a seductive idea in conservation. If there are plenty of animals in one place and too few in another, moving some between the two seems an obvious solution. Sometimes it is. But with animals as large, mobile and socially complicated as elephants and rhinos, the move itself can turn out to be the straightforward part. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rhinos-elephants-huge-problems-reintroduced.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:40:01 EDT news710426402 Municipalities are increasingly mowing dikes and verges in stages, so that insects can make longer use of the plants growing there. Mowing is essential to keep a dike strong, explains ecologist Constant Swinkels of Radboud University. "If you don't mow, trees or sturdy shrubs such as blackberries may start to grow. You don't want that, because their roots are so thick that they can cause dikes to collapse." https://phys.org/news/2026-10-unmowed-insects-abandon-partially-dikes.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:00:06 EDT news710422081 Disease and heat pose a deadly combination for coral reefs, according to a new University of Georgia study published in the journal Coral Reefs. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-florida-keys-reveals-fourfold-death.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:20:17 EDT news710424301 Building with nature is an important concept in our coastal defense. After all, by harnessing natural processes, we are more resilient to sea level rise. A good understanding of these processes is therefore indispensable. Ecologist Paul Berghuis, affiliated with Utrecht University and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), delved into the world of dune formation and discovered that within young dune landscapes, dunes and grasses do not arrange themselves randomly but follow a fixed pattern. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-local-dune-landscapes.html Ecology Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:00:20 EDT news710162521 A new study of shark anatomy suggests the shape of their inner ears is far more variable than expected, and this variation could have more to do with their evolutionary history than where they live or what they eat. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sharks-ears-reveal-diversity-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:20:09 EDT news710421722 Scientists used machine learning and super-resolution microscopy to overcome a challenge that has stymied research into the natural history of grasses for decades. Their method allowed them to detect subtle differences among grass pollen grains and trace changes in grass diversity and the proportions of the two main photosynthetic types of grasses at one site over a period of 25,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pollen-reveals-hidden-history-grasses.html Ecology Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:40:16 EDT news710421361 One of the hardest challenges in wildlife conservation arises when the habitat of a species in need of protection overlaps with land used by humans. Wolves and bears can kill livestock, elephants can damage homes and other property and wild boar can damage crops. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-farmer-macaque-conflict-algeria-poses.html Ecology Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:20:18 EDT news710419081 As they fly about their usual business of pollinating flowers, bumblebees could help protect fruit trees from disease by carrying a natural treatment directly to where it is needed. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bumblebees-bacteria-viruses-cherry-blossoms.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:06 EDT news710407502 Zebras grazing in a UK park might sound like the stuff of a high-budget Hollywood blockbuster, but new research suggests it could one day be vital in the fight against climate change, and that the British public might not mind as much as you'd think. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tortoises-hyenas-survey-adding-exotic.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:40:02 EDT news710414222 For decades, scientists have regarded phosphorus as the main nutrient limiting biological production in the Gulf of Bothnia. Now, a new study led by researchers at Umeå University shows that a fundamental change is underway. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-decades-reveal-major-ecological-shift.html Ecology Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:40:15 EDT news710412782 Pinyon pines and juniper trees spread across the mid-elevation slopes of the American West, including California's Eastern Sierra. These hardy, short-statured trees are one of the most widespread vegetation types on federal lands, covering more than 100 million acres (405,000 square kilometers) across 10 Western states. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-tribal-members-pinyon-juniper-woodlands.html Plants & Animals Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:00:01 EDT news710407082 Researchers at the University of Galway in Ireland have found that venomous snakes are significantly more likely than nonvenomous species to have colors that stand out against their natural surroundings. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-danger-venomous-snakes.html Evolution Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:30:01 EDT news710409782 In front of most Australian houses, between the sidewalk and the road, runs a strip of land most people never really think about. In Australia, it's called the nature strip, but it goes by other names in other regions, including a verge, parkway or tree lawn. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nature-gardens-paradise-pollinators-street.html Ecology Sun, 04 Oct 2026 20:30:01 EDT news709888570 If you've ever felt overwhelmed by menu options at a restaurant, cereal varieties at the grocery store or potential partners while scrolling through dating apps, you've experienced choice overload. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-males-overwhelm-female-frogs.html Plants & Animals Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:20:01 EDT news710072966