https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals From coral reefs in Papua New Guinea to chimpanzees in West Africa, grizzly bears in Canada and albatross colonies off Tasmania, some ecosystems are thriving despite climate change, habitat loss and other environmental pressures. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-odds-ecosystems.html Plants & Animals Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:40:10 EDT news710587380 Some insects, including honeybees and ants, live in highly organized colonies where individuals take on specific roles. In many ant societies, young adult workers typically care for developing young inside the nest before beginning to forage, or search for food, outside it. Some ant species, however, start hunting for food as soon as they reach adulthood, without undergoing a transition period. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-young-ants-early.html Plants & Animals Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:00:06 EDT news710584123 Drought is written into trees, appearing as narrow bands in their annual growth rings. But aspen may go farther, creating "functional memories" of previous dry years reflected in the chemistry of their leaves, according to new research by University of Utah biologists. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-aspens-drought-year.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:40:06 EDT news710773921 A new study led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, in collaboration with Ricardo F.H. Giehl at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben, revealed how Arabidopsis plants adapt their chemical communication with the bacterial root microbiota to maximize the acquisition of bio-unavailable iron from acidic or calcareous soils. The study is now published in Cell. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bacteria-partnership-reveals-roots-access.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:20:07 EDT news710772482 The fact that ecosystems change is nothing new. What is new, however, is the speed and scale at which new species communities are emerging as a result of climate change. Processes that once unfolded over centuries or even millennia are now being observed within just a few decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-climate-species-combinations-prompting-rethink.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:40:01 EDT news710768941 The European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) is a nocturnal migratory bird that travels between Europe and southern Africa each year. However, its wings are not only used for long-distance journeys. When hunting insects, the nightjar must be able to slow down, turn sharply and fly at low speeds. Researchers at Lund University have now shown how this trade-off is reflected in the bird's flight mechanics. The study is published in the journal PLOS Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nightjar-wings-reveal-slowly.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:40:14 EDT news710767261 Majestic African antelopes known as gemsbok have been roaming the U.S. Southwest since their introduction in the 1960s and 1970s. Brought to New Mexico as a game species for hunting, gemsbok quickly settled in, expanding more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from their introduction point. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say that's due to their exceptional adaptations to arid conditions, which they predict will dramatically expand under climate change. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-african-antelopes-mexico-climate.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:20:17 EDT news710765761 Many naturally occurring molecules such as menthol or limonene exist in two mirror-image forms, known as enantiomers, that look almost identical but can differ greatly in smell, taste or effect on the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-enzymes-mirror-image-molecules.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:20:01 EDT news710759952 Scientists in Australia trained sea lions and seals to respond to a hearing test for research into how the marine mammals are affected by human-made noise. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sea-lions-australia-zoo.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:40:01 EDT news710738314 Blue damselfish, with their striking blue hue, are easy to spot, even along Okinawa's heavily urbanized coastlines. But while abundant, their gene activity reveals a hidden cost to living in human-impacted environments. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-fish-fine-urban-genes-story.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:00:24 EDT news710610481 Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, collectively known as coleoid cephalopods, have evolved exceptionally large and elaborately structured nervous systems capable of complex behaviors such as problem-solving and rapid camouflage. A new study by scientists at the University of Vienna suggests that the origins of this complexity may lie not just in the genes themselves, but in how the genome is organized in 3D. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-3d-genome-entanglement-cephalopods-evolved.html Plants & Animals Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:00:12 EDT news710674442 Many insects see the world through hundreds of tiny lenses that are grouped together in a visual organ known as the compound eye. Behind each lens sits a cluster of eight light-detecting cells arranged in a pattern that scientists believe has existed for hundreds of millions of years. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-genetic-butterfly-visual-world.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:40:09 EDT news710691721 A new paper published in the journal Phytotaxa describes a new species in the genus Victoria, the Colombian giant water lily (Victoria colombiana). With only three other known species in the genus, V. colombiana joins the pantheon of nature's giants with pads measuring up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) across. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-chance-instagram-sighting-discovery-rare.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:10:06 EDT news710667361 Bees, moths and other pollinating insects have a harder time smelling flowers in polluted air, according to research led by the University of Reading. Scientists analyzed 22 experimental studies on how the air pollutants ozone and nitrogen oxides (NOx) affect pollinators. Both pollutants make it harder for pollinators to find flowers by breaking down or altering the scents that flowers give off. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-bees-struggle-air-pollutants-combine.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:10:02 EDT news710667001 Curtin University and Taronga Conservation Society Australia researchers have conducted the first hearing tests on Australian sea lions and long-nosed fur seals, revealing what sounds these marine mammals can hear and helping assess how human-made noise could affect them. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-reveal-sea-lions-fur-human.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:40:06 EDT news710679241 Wild African savanna elephants use a wide range of gestures when competing with other elephants, according to research from an international group of scientists, including researchers from the University of Portsmouth, University of Vienna and University of St Andrews. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wild-elephants-rich-gestural-repertoire.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:40:18 EDT news710677584 A new study of sperm whales highlights the need for ocean conservation that covers large areas—with boundaries redrawn as our climate changes. The research team, led by the University of Exeter, combined sperm whale surveys in the southwest Indian Ocean with predictions of how climate change will shift where the whales are found in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sperm-whale-highlights-extensive-dynamic.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:00:38 EDT news710673962 A team led by a Penn State professor and doctoral student has compiled a checklist documenting the bee species in Colombia—the first of its kind for any country in the Western Hemisphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-colombia-bee-checklist-documents-species.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:17 EDT news710672163 Identifying the favorite snacks of one of Australia's cutest animals no longer needs to rely on guesswork or picking apart their poop, according to University of the Sunshine Coast research. Although the shortened title of her latest paper is "The future is faeces," associate professor Dominique Potvin and colleagues want to make the task less of a hands-on, hit-and-miss job. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-dna-fecal-samples-reveals-greater.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:40:01 EDT news710664122 Coral reefs are renowned for their visual beauty, but for the marine life they support, their sounds may be just as enticing. Two new studies led by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography reveal how underwater acoustic enrichment—the playback of sounds from healthy reefs—can help spur the recovery of degraded coral reefs and their fish communities. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-healthy-reef-boost-coral-fish.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 05:00:14 EDT news710587621 The palm-sized green turtle hatchling flailing through the sand on a Malaysian island may seem vulnerable, but its species has emerged as a symbol of hope for wildlife conservation. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-species-decline-green-turtles-glimmer.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:37:58 EDT news710652976 When wildfire smoke fills the air, most people can go inside to avoid it. Wildlife does not have that option, and little is known about how animals living in remote areas respond to wildfires and smoke exposure. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-collar-sensor-reveal-wildfire-affects.html Plants & Animals Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:10:01 EDT news710610722 At the University of Missouri, plant scientist Ron Mittler is rewriting the playbook for how scientists study life by asking what happens when living organisms face multiple stresses at once. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-approach-stress-yield-hardier-crops.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:20:06 EDT news710595001 A landmark survey of the world's largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has revealed that the once-endangered species is thriving and stable in the Seychelles. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-giant-tortoises-outnumber-people-seychelles.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:50:01 EDT news710606101 Monitoring biological indicators plays a crucial role in forest management, which requires finding a delicate balance between timber use and biodiversity conservation. Across forests and species, responses to forestry operations that alter habitat conditions vary, so repeatable surveys of biological indicators like ground-dwelling beetles can capture spatial variation in forests and changes over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-honey-female-baited-beetle-reveal.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:20:09 EDT news710590321 A new study has revealed how some plants pack the same structures as larger species into a tiny space, making them promising candidates for future crops. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-scientists-uncover-world-smallest-tiny.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:20:01 EDT news710593921 Researchers studying a giant tortoise named Jonathan say it's not just good genes but a lack of genetic wear and tear that has kept him going for nearly two centuries. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-year-tortoise-reveals-stable-gene.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:00:45 EDT news710588462 For decades, paleontologists have held up uintatheres as a prime illustration of sexual dimorphism, or the tendency for males and females of a species to be physically different. Notable for their large size, prominent horns and canine teeth, uintatheres emerged about 58 million years ago, fewer than 10 million years after a space rock killed the dinosaurs, and show up in the fossil record for the next 20 million years or so. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-classic-sexual-dimorphism-fossil-nuance.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:00:12 EDT news710519881 Playing with peers is a crucial part of growing up—so crucial that orangutan mothers will go out of their way to arrange playdates for their young, according to a 15-year study of wild Bornean orangutans. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-orangutan-mothers-playmates-young.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:07 EDT news710590501 New analysis of traces of radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing trapped in the teeth of stranded whales has helped scientists reconstruct their life stories. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-nuclear-whales-teeth-scientists-reconstruct.html Plants & Animals Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:20:06 EDT news710586721