Widespread plants displace rarer species across habitats

It is currently estimated that, worldwide, two out of five plant species are threatened with extinction. Whilst this trend is clearly identifiable at the global scale, there is debate as to whether species richness declines ...

Study looks at how land acquisitions affect climate change

In 2007, an increase in world food prices led to a global rush for land in the form of land grabs or large-scale land acquisitions. Over the last two decades, such acquisitions have resulted in millions of hectares of land ...

How hacking photosynthesis could fight deforestation and famine

You might not be able to stomach soybeans for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the animals you eat do. Cultivation of the staple crop takes up an area five times the size of the UK, and 85% of that area is used for animal ...

Acacia bushlands prevent climate warming in Eastern Africa

Changes to the vegetation cover of land surfaces constitutes the biggest cause of increasing carbon dioxide emissions after the use of fossil fuels. Particularly in Africa, forests and bushland are continuously cleared for ...

Researcher discover two new species of oil-forming yeast

Not all yeasts are created equally. Unlike the yeast used by bakers and beer brewers for converting sugars to carbon dioxide and fermentation, oleaginous yeasts convert sugars from inedible biomass into fats and oils.

Improved functioning of diverse landscape mosaics

It is well-established that biodiverse ecosystems generally function better than monocultures. Ecologists at the University of Zurich have now shown that the same is true on a larger scale: Having a mix of different land-covers ...

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