English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduNew research reveals the location and intensity of key threats to biodiversity on land and identifies priority areas to help inform conservation decision making at national and local levels.
Tag: Biodiversity
Meeting biodiversity, climate, and water objectives through integrated strategies
Managing a strategically placed 30% of land for conservation could safeguard 70% of all considered terrestrial plant and vertebrate animal species, while simultaneously conserving more than 62% of the world’s above and below ground vulnerable carbon, and 68% of all clean water.
Bird communities threatened by urbanization
Urbanization is one of the most drastic forms of land-use change, and its negative consequences on biodiversity have been studied extensively in temperate countries such as Germany.
Food claiming to have ‘wild mushrooms’ rarely does
Harvesting wild mushrooms requires an expert eye, making products containing wild fungi expensive. Due to minimal food regulations, it’s nearly impossible to know what species are actually contained within. Sequencing revealed food products labeled with wild mushrooms mostly contained cultivated fungi and some mushrooms poisonous to humans.
One of World’s Rarest Chameleons Found Clinging to Survival
Urgent conservation measures are needed to save a Critically Endangered species of chameleon which has been found clinging to survival in patches of rainforest in Malawi.
What’s Killing Coral Reefs in Florida is Also Killing Them in Belize
Only 17 percent of live coral cover remains on fore-reefs in Belize. A study finds new evidence that nitrogen enrichment from land-based sources like agriculture run-off and sewage, are significantly driving macroalgal blooms to increase on the Belize Barrier Reef and causing massive decline in hard coral cover. With only 2 percent of hard coral cover remaining in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, it’s too late to save that reef, but there’s still hope for the Belize Barrier Reef.
Warning Over Start of Commercial-Scale Deep-Sea Mining
Deep-sea mining in international waters could begin in two years – but researchers say this is unnecessary and could cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems.
Juicy past of favorite Okinawan fruit revealed
Citrus fruits from the mandarin family have important commercial value but how their diversity arose has been something of a mystery Researchers analyzed the genomes of the East Asian varieties and found a second center of diversity in the Ryukyu…
International collaboration of scientists rewrite the rulebook of flowering plant genetics
How do you study a group of organisms with over 300,000 species, dispersed across all seven continents, and with up to 50 times as much DNA content as the human genome? This is the question posed to biologists studying the…
WVU faculty receive $125,000 to tap into water research issues in West Virginia
Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute, said the funds are critical for engaging young faculty in water research and for nurturing new and larger research opportunities.
Southeastern US herbaria digitize three million specimens, now freely available online
A network of over 100 herbaria spread out across the southeastern United States recently completed the herculean task of fully digitizing more than three million specimens collected by botanists and naturalists over a span of 200 years. The project, which…
The National Academy of Sciences admits IPK scientist Nicolaus von Wirén as member
“When I received the news about my election by the members of the Leopoldina, I was of course surprised, but also extremely pleased. On the one hand, I see the acceptance as a great honour and obligation to represent plant…
Scientists identify five new plant species in Bolivia
Scientists have identified five new plant species in the Bolivian Andes. The species are all part of the genus Jacquemontia , which are twining or trailing plants with pretty blue flowers. With rapid biodiversity loss taking place across South America…
New measure of tropical forest vulnerability to help avoid ‘tipping point’
Humid tropical forests, vital in global efforts to limit rising temperatures, are under threat as a result of changes in land use and climate. Now, researchers reporting in the journal One Earth on July 23 have developed a new way…
Informing policy for long-term global food security
The results of a new IIASA-led study can be used to benchmark global food security projections and inform policy analysis and public debate on the future of food.
Cattle losing adaptations to environment, MU researchers find
Researchers pave the way for genetic tests of cattle that can look for the presence of specific adaptations, such as heat resistance
Who Eats the Invaders?
A landmark scientific study involving marine biologists from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Libya, Italy, Tunisia, the UK, the US and even Malta, documenting instances where native Mediterranean species have preyed upon two highly invasive marine fish
Fully booked at the bottom of the sea: There seems no room for new bacteria on sand grains
Bacteria on the sand on the ocean floor do not change between the seasons. Presumably, there is simply no room for change.
To save a species, check its ID
New tool differentiates endangered salt marsh harvest mouse from abundant look-alike
Rapidly Diversifying Birds in Southeast Asia Offer New Insights Into Evolution
New findings from zoologists working with birds in Southeast Asia are shining fresh light on the connections between animal behaviour, geology, and evolution – underlining that species can diversify surprisingly quickly under certain conditions.
Save Our Seas Foundation announces a record 61 grants for 2021
The Save our Seas Foundation is celebrating an overwhelming number of applications and awards. This heralds a hopeful new cohort of ocean conservationists, young scientists and local initiatives being supported to make a positive change for our planet.
DNA duplication linked to the origin and evolution of pine trees and their relatives
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Plants are DNA hoarders. Adhering to the maxim of never throwing anything out that might be useful later, they often duplicate their entire genome and hang on to the added genetic baggage. All those extra genes are…
How a butterfly tree becomes a web
Evolution is often portrayed as a tree, with new species branching off from existing lineages, never again to meet. The truth however is often much messier. In the case of adaptive radiation, in which species diversify rapidly to fill different…
Fossil rodent teeth add North American twist to Caribbean mammals’ origin story
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two fossil teeth from a distant relative of North American gophers have scientists rethinking how some mammals reached the Caribbean Islands. The teeth, excavated in northwest Puerto Rico, belong to a previously unknown rodent genus and species,…
Rapid evolution in waterfleas yields new conservation insights
The extraordinary ability of animals to rapidly evolve in response to predators has been demonstrated via genetic sequencing of a waterflea population across nearly two decades. In a new study, published in Nature Communications , scientists at the Universities of…
New system for tracking macaws emphasizes species’ conservation needs
Researchers with Texas A&M’s Macaw Society used satellite telemetry to track the movements of 10 birds over a period of 8 years.
When corals meet algae: First stages of symbiosis seen for the first time
First observations of coral cells and free-living algae physically interacting provide a deeper understanding of their symbiosis and improve conservation of reefs
Have you ever wondered how many species have inhabited the earth?
Professors in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences explored whether or not the scientific community will ever be able to settle on a ‘total number’ of species of living vertebrates, which could help with species preservation. By knowing what’s…
Detecting wildlife illness and death with new early alert system
Network of wildlife rehabilitation organizations helps track emerging threats
Baylor Study Evaluates Biodiversity Impacts of Alternative Energy Strategies
Climate change mitigation efforts have led to shifts from fossil-fuel dependence to large-scale renewable energy. However, renewable energy sources require significant land and could come at a cost to ecosystems. A new study led by Ryan McManamay, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental science at Baylor University, evaluates potential conflicts between alternative energy strategies and biodiversity conservation.
Global study reveals effectiveness of protected area
Certain countries perform significantly better than their neighbors in the effectiveness of their protected areas, finds new study.
DNA reveals the evolutionary history of museum specimens
An international team, led by UNIGE and MHN, has optimized a method for analyzing the genomes of specimens from natural history collections making possible to identify their placement along the evolutionary timeline.
New evidence of menopause in killer whales
Scientists have found new evidence of menopause in killer whales – raising fascinating questions about how and why it evolved. Most animals breed throughout their lives. Only humans and four whale species are known to experience menopause, and scientists have…
Global study reveals effectiveness of protected areas
Certain countries perform significantly better than their neighbors in the effectiveness of their protected areas, finds new study.
Farm robots are the future; let’s start preparing now, researcher argues
No longer science fiction, farm robots are already here–and they have created two possible extremes for the future of agriculture and its impacts on the environment, argues agricultural economist Thomas Daum in a Science & Society article published July 13…
Humans can learn from animals and insects about impact of climate change
Crucial that we continuously improve our ability to predict and mitigate the effects of climate change
UN’s new global framework for managing nature: 1st detailed draft agreement launched
Draft 1 of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework includes 21 action targets proposed for 2030; Will be considered at UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity research established by DFG to receive funding
Approval of third funding period with approximately €34 million up until 2024
Coastal ecosystems worldwide: Billion-dollar carbon reservoirs
Climate and ecosystem change lead to a global redistribution of wealth
The fine nose of storks
Smell leads storks to freshly mown meadows
Symbionts sans frontieres: Bacterial partners travel the world
Some bacterial symbionts in travel the globe and are true cosmopolitans
Using genomics to save the bees
2021 Agricultural Greater Good Grant awarded to Göttingen University molecular biologist
Red Dead Redemption 2 teaches players about wildlife
Players of the popular game Red Dead Redemption 2 learn how to identify real American wildlife, new research shows. The game, set in the American West in 1899, features simulations of about 200 real species of animals. The new study,…
Scientists explore seamounts in Phoenix Islands Archipelago, gain insights into deep water diversity
Marine scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor have identified likely new marine species and deep sea organisms on nine seamounts that were explored for the first time in the remote Phoenix Islands Archipelago. In a 34-day expedition that…
How otters’ muscles enable their cold, aquatic life
Texas A&M researchers found that the small mammals are internally warmed by thermogenic leak from their skeletal muscle, which elevates their metabolic rate
Field biologists and NASA planes to map biodiversity in South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region
Scientists from the U.S. and South Africa are launching a campaign to map marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species and ecosystems in one of Earth’s biodiversity hotspots: the Greater Cape Floristic Region at the southwestern edge of South Africa.
Creating a lab mangrove helps to identify new bacteria
A pioneering cultivation strategy that recreates a mangrove environment in the lab has enabled identification of novel bacteria residing in Red Sea mangroves and will help improve understanding of mangrove ecosystem stability, resilience and sustainability. Mangroves are highly productive, dominant…
Zoo amphibians were on display while humans were locked away
While the UK was in lockdown, certain species of captive amphibians became more visible, a new study suggests. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of zoos across the UK for several months from March 2020, with gradual re-openings from summer…
Genetic analysis technique finds missing link between thyroid function and lipid profile
Using a genetic analysis called Mendelian randomization, researchers suggest causal association between thyroid function and serum lipid profiles
Longest known continuous record of the Paleozoic discovered in Yukon wilderness
Discovery illuminates a 120-million-year record of ancient Earth