A single gene controls species diversity in an ecosystem

More than 50 years ago on the shoreline of a rocky tide pool, the US ecologist Robert Paine discovered that the removal of a single species from an ecosystem could dramatically alter its structure and function. He had discovered ...

The secret of mycorrhizal fungi

Fungi, specifically those that are "mycorrhizal," are natural allies of the forest because they improve tree nutrient acquisition. But which of the mycorrhizal feeding strategies yields the greatest tree diversity in a forest: ...

Extinct swordfish-shaped marine reptile discovered

A team of international researchers from Canada, Colombia, and Germany has discovered a new marine reptile. The specimen, a stunningly preserved meter-long skull, is one of the last surviving ichthyosaurs—ancient animals ...

Warmer and wetter climates amplify carbon release

Terrestrial ecosystems help mitigate climate change by absorbing large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. A new study now confirms that changing climate conditions could reduce this effect because in warmer and wetter ...

New study reveals biodiversity important at regional scales

New research shows that biodiversity is important not just at the traditional scale of short-term plot experiments—in which ecologists monitor the health of a single meadow, forest grove, or pond after manipulating its ...

Why plants in wetlands are highly productive

Environmental scientists of Leiden University have found that the so-called leaf economics spectrum for plants can not only be applied to terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests and grasslands, but also to wetlands. Furthermore, ...

Using the past to maintain future biodiversity

New research shows that safeguarding species and ecosystems and the benefits they provide for society against future climatic change requires effective solutions which can only be formulated from reliable forecasts.

New insight into the Great Dying

A new study shows for the first time that the collapse of terrestrial ecosystems during Earth's most deadly mass extinction event was directly responsible for disrupting ocean chemistry.

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