https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals/ en-us The latest science news on plants and animals Islands are widely recognized as natural laboratories of evolution. The ocean restricts movement among islands, allowing isolated populations to adapt to different environments and, at times, diverge into new species. However, on large islands, geographic distance may restrict movement, while environmental variation may impose divergent selection, thereby promoting adaptive divergence. Does adaptive divergence occur not only among islands but also within islands? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-flightless-beetles-evolved-distinct-snail.html Plants & Animals Sun, 16 Aug 2026 20:10:01 EDT news705927661 A new study from Murdoch University has found that the introduced plant disease Phytophthora dieback is indirectly hindering quendas in Western Australia's jarrah forests by reducing their habitat quality and consequently decreasing their digging activity. The paper, "Exotic Plant Pathogen Reduces Habitat and Foraging Activities of a Digging Mammal," was published in the journal Austral Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-phytophthora-dieback-linked-habitat-loss.html Plants & Animals Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:20:01 EDT news705910139 Prolonged dry spells or droughts can sometimes reduce aquatic diseases, many of which affect people. Yet other times, water scarcity can counterintuitively lead to an uptick in diseases that depend on water. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-bodies-drought-disease-hotspots-dead.html Plants & Animals Sun, 16 Aug 2026 10:40:02 EDT news705752839 More than 40 years after the end of commercial whaling, new research reveals a recent increase in sightings of the world's two largest whale species in the southeastern Atlantic. The findings, published in the African Journal of Marine Science, compiled more than 60 years of confirmed sightings and strandings from Namibia and South Africa's west coast. Although overall numbers remain low, sightings of both species have increased markedly in recent years—with 95% of observations recorded since 2012. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-commercial-whaling-erased-blue-fin.html Plants & Animals Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:00:01 EDT news695381581 On a summer day in Michigan, a tiny Poweshiek skipperling butterfly—smaller than a quarter—takes flight over a restored prairie. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-butterflies-brink-extinction.html Plants & Animals Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:40:02 EDT news705935570 Madison researchers recognize a new species of baobab tree, Adansonia bozy, unique to Madagascar, according to a study published in the journal Taxon. Previously, members of A. bozy were classified within a different species of Malagasy baobab, Adansonia za. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genetic-analysis-reveals-species-endangered.html Plants & Animals Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news705928130 Fields, parks and lawns across Europe have turned to straw this summer. Landscapes thousands of years old have been revealed as green outlines against yellow backgrounds, where ancient underground walls and ditches retain enough water to sustain pockets of grass above them. Lawns and parklands have been especially affected because what water is available is being directed to homes and farms. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-britain-grass-yellow-scientist.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:40:01 EDT news705765107 Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador officially described Pristimantis milpe, an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with another species for more than a century. To solve the mystery, researchers reviewed historical specimens collected in Ecuador during the 19th century and preserved at the Natural History Museum in London. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mystery-london-discovery-ecuadorian-frog.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:20:04 EDT news705846001 Feral cats and foxes now roam across almost all of Australia. These predators are a major reason why many species have been driven to extinction. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-safe-havens-australian-mammals-invasive.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:20:02 EDT news705853982 A new study by Bournemouth University (BU) has found that faster recovery of osprey populations relies on a small number of ospreys that, unlike most, prefer to nest away from others of the same species. These birds have been referred to as "pioneering pairs" and could be key to helping conservationists increase their population spread. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pairs-ospreys-population-recovery.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:10:01 EDT news705670569 Made entirely of muscle, with no rigid skeleton, muscular hydrostats like octopus arms, elephant trunks and human tongues can move in ways traditional mechanical systems cannot. Between crawling across the seafloor, picking up a peanut and enabling speech, scientists have long wondered how soft structures can perform so many different functions without becoming impossible to control. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-soft-bodied-sea-slug-reconfigures.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:20:05 EDT news705841253 Fishing nets remain the most common cause of death among common dolphins that strand on Cornwall's coast, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fishing-nets-main-death-cornwall.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:02 EDT news705839408 The Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a cousin of the North American black widow spider, is known to practice sexual cannibalism, which is somewhat common among spider species. However, the male Australian redback has also been observed facilitating the process with strange moves. Despite the complexity of these behaviors, a new study, published in Biology Letters, indicates that one of these behaviors arises from simple genetics, while another may be more complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-complex-suicidal-somersault-behavior-male.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705752783 Ancient trees—those that are remarkably old for their species—are declining worldwide, raising concerns about the loss of the ecological and evolutionary history they represent. Their exceptional longevity has long encouraged the idea that they act as genetic reservoirs, preserving variation that may have been lost from younger populations. But does great age itself make an ancient tree genetically unique? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-history-age-genomic-importance-ancient.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:20:07 EDT news705754082 Scientists from Brazil and other countries have discovered a new species of frog in the flooded forests of the western Amazon. They named it Adenomera varcena. This finding significantly advances our understanding of Amazonian biodiversity and cryptic diversity, or cases in which two or more animals appear identical but are actually different species. To distinguish this species, the researchers analyzed details such as the frog's call and DNA. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-frog-species-amazon-forests.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:10:04 EDT news705765001 For thousands of years, the Anindilyakwa people have lived in deep connection with the waters surrounding Groote Eylandt, a remote island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rangers-scientists-vulnerable-reefs-remote.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705671161 Tropical forests store enormous amounts of carbon and harbor most of the world's terrestrial biodiversity, but scientists fear that increasingly severe droughts threaten their ability to survive and continue absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. A new study published in Nature offers unexpected hope, however, and shows that tropical trees may be more adaptable to drought than scientists had previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tropical-trees-unexpected-drought-puerto.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:10 EDT news705656761 Much like an indecisive single person on a dating app, female treefrogs struggle to pick the most desirable mates when they have too many options to choose from. According to a new study published Aug. 12 in the journal iScience, when female Cope's gray treefrogs gather around ponds during mating season to listen to large groups of males chirping in noisy "choruses," they struggle to pick the most desirable male. The researchers call this phenomenon "choice overload," and it may affect the way species evolve over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-suitors-abound-female-treefrogs.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705588684 In a rare study of snakes as nest predators, scientists found nesting birds were loath to strike rattlesnakes even though they likely had no previous experience with vipers. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-unfamiliar-rattlesnakes-blackbirds-defending.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:40:03 EDT news705745921 According to new research, viewers often dismiss, trivialize or even romanticize signs of cat distress during "play" interactions, raising concerns for cat welfare. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-internet-cats.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:20:06 EDT news705745323 The Western U.S. is experiencing periods of increasingly intense drought, and higher temperatures are exacerbating the issue by drawing even more moisture from plants and soils into the atmosphere. The results can be seen in the ever-expanding wildfire footprint, with many of the region's largest recorded wildfires occurring over the past decade. One DRI scientist is innovating a new way to monitor water stress in trees—one that may help monitor wildfire risk across the region. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-trees-sway-communicate-stress.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:10:02 EDT news705729878 Scientists have shown that genomics can help identify which wild populations are most vulnerable to climate change—offering practical guidance for conserving threatened species before declines become irreversible. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genomics-endangered-fish-populations-vulnerable.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:20:01 EDT news705684362 Fluorescent protein imaging is an indispensable tool in life science research, enabling visualization of protein movement and localization, gene expression, signaling pathways, protein-protein interactions and more. For simultaneous analysis of multiple proteins (i.e., multiplex imaging), a variety of fluorescent proteins that emit different colors (blue, green, yellow and red) have been developed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fluorescence-lifetime-imaging-distinguishes-multiple.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:40:05 EDT news705679441 Scientists from the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) at Murdoch University have participated in a landmark proof-of-concept research project demonstrating how pangenome-guided breeding strategies can reunite two traits that usually involve trade-offs: stress tolerance and yield. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-himalayan-grain-potential-pangenome-higher.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:30:01 EDT news705683822 Nearly 30 years ago, a simple question sent University of Washington researchers into the Puget Sound lowlands to look for birds. With Seattle's population swelling and housing developments pushing into once-forested suburbs, researchers wanted to know how land conversion was affecting birds and whether the type of development mattered. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-decade-seattle-suburbs-sensitive-bird.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:10:01 EDT news705680222 Every morning, groups of birds start singing and chirping around the same time, typically when the sun starts rising. While zoologists have been studying this collective bird behavior, called the dawn chorus, for decades, the factors driving it remain poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mathematical-birds-synchronized-dawn-chorus.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news705658583 Platypuses rescued during a severe drought quickly returned to their old routines after being released back into the wild, suggesting emergency rescues can help protect vulnerable populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-platypuses-quickly-months-captivity.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:20:03 EDT news705663603 From spears and the invention of the wheel to smartphones and robots, human societies have been building and using tools from the beginning. Human tool use has helped conquer new environments, increase communication and ultimately alter the course of human evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dolphins-tools-fish-mothers.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:20:01 EDT news705662221 In the coastal forests of a tropical Japanese island near Okinawa grows an inconspicuous plant that is easy to mistake for a mushroom. It is a non-green parasite that feeds on the roots of other plants and produces up to 1 million tiny seeds, each covered in a minuscule, dry fruit. The seeds, in particular, present a mystery to scientists: How do they get dispersed? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-secret-gardeners-parasitic.html Plants & Animals Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:00:01 EDT news705585324 A single leaf may look like a simple patch of green, but to the microscopic life that inhabits it, it is a vast landscape divided into different worlds. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-oak-harbor-distinct-microbial-worlds.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:00:03 EDT news705596461