Smaller islands host shorter food chains

That smaller islands will typically sustain fewer species than large ones is a widespread pattern in nature. Now a team of researchers shows that smaller area will mean not only fewer species, but also shorter food chains. ...

Scientists shine light on world's least-studied bat

The Mortlock Islands flying fox, a large, breadfruit-eating bat native to a few remote and tiny Pacific islands, has long been regarded as one of the world's least studied bats. For more than 140 years nearly all that scientists ...

World's first mapping of America's rare plants

The results of a major international research project show that climate stability plays a crucial role in the distribution of plants on Earth. Rare species in the Americas are restricted to areas of California, Mexico, the ...

How red crabs on Christmas Island speak for the tropics

Each year, the land-dwelling Christmas Island red crab takes an arduous and shockingly precise journey from its earthen burrow to the shores of the Indian Ocean where weeks of mating and egg laying await.

Bats and rabies virus: More data on colonies at high risk

A new approach to rabies virus epidemiology in bats shows that the risk of infection is higher in large and multispecies colonies. The research, published on the journal PLOS ONE, has been led by Jordi Serra Cobo, professor ...

Introducing species to change ecosystems is a balancing act

Species hold ecosystems in a delicate balance. From time to time humans introduce non-native species to an ecosystem, because they may be needed for domestic work, as pets, for carrying loads or even for killing previously ...

Stoats make a splash

Stoats are generally considered capable of swimming up to about 1.5km, but the discovery of a stoat on Rangitoto Island (3 km offshore) in 2010, and another on Kapiti (5 km offshore) in 2011 suggested they may be able to ...

A hitchhiker's guide to pumice

A floating raft of pumice created by an underwater volcanic eruption near New Zealand, and teeming with marine hitchhikers, has been spotted in the northern Great Barrier Reef.

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