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UrduGAINESVILLE, Fla. — Plants are evolutionary champions, dominating Earth’s ecosystems for more than a billion years and making the planet habitable for countless other life forms, including us. Now, scientists have completed a nine-year genetic quest to shine a light…
Tag: Biodiversity
Are humans changing animal genetic diversity worldwide?
The loss of genetic diversity will hinder the ability of plant and animal populations to adapt to changing environments
Data mining applied to scholarly publications to finally reveal Earth’s biodiversity
At a time when a million species are at risk of extinction, according to a recent UN report, ironically, we don’t know how many species there are on Earth, nor have we noted down all those that we have come…
All is FAIR in biodiversity research: Mandatory data audit at Pensoft’s journals
A thorough data auditing workflow ensures that datasets described in data papers across Pensoft’s OA journal portfolio are fit-to-use prior to peer review
A complex marriage arrangement: New insights and unanswered questions in plant heterostyly
Landmark review highlights recent advances and unresolved questions as part of a New Phytologist special issue celebrating Prof. Spencer Barrett.
Butterflies and plants evolved in sync, but moth ‘ears’ predated bats
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Butterflies and moths rank among the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, with nearly 160,000 known species, ranging from the iconic blue morpho to the crop-devouring armyworm. Scientists have long attributed these insects’ rich variety to…
Whole genome sequencing could help save pumas from inbreeding
When students at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) found a dead mule deer on campus, they figured it had been killed by coyotes. Wildlife biologist Chris Wilmers rigged up a video camera to spy on the carcass at…
Reforesting is a good idea, but it is necessary to know where and how
An international group of ecologists contests an article published in Science, which among other cardinal errors proposed ‘reforestation’ of the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna biome
The composition of species is changing in ecosystems across the globe
Researchers map types and rates of biodiversity change
Newly discovered microbes band together, ‘flip out’
When researchers in Nicole King ‘s lab looked through a microscope at the strange organisms they had collected in Curaçao, they saw sheets of cells clustered together in a pattern that resembled skin. That was unusual enough, since these unicellular…
Mapping global biodiversity change
New international research reveals different rates of biodiversity across the globe
First scientific description of elusive bird illuminates plight of Borneo’s forests
Scientists document new species with eye toward the fate of a shrinking forest biodiversity hotspot and its inhabitants
Stranded whales detected from space
A new technique for analysing satellite images may help scientists detect and count stranded whales from space. Researchers tested a new detection method using Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images from Maxar Technologies of the biggest mass stranding of baleen…
Scientists discover new species of wasp-mimicking praying mantis
Peruvian mantis represents the first known example of a praying mantis species conspicuously mimicking a wasp
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Proposed High Seas Biodiversity Treaty
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 16, 2019) – Rutgers University environmental law expert Cymie R. Payne is available to comment on a proposed international treaty aimed at conserving high seas biodiversity. The treaty, which is under negotiations at the United Nations,…
New human reference genome resources help capture global genetic diversity
Findings reported at ASHG 2019 Annual Meeting
Biodiversity improves crop production
A new study involving more than 100 researchers around the world demonstrates the benefits of biodiversity for humans
Study helps pinpoint what makes species vulnerable to environmental change
The fabled use of canaries in coal mines as an early warning of carbon monoxide stemmed from the birds’ extreme sensitivity to toxic conditions compared to humans. In that vein, some avian species can indicate environmental distress brought on by…
Rare ‘itinerant breeding’ behavior revealed in California bird
Reproduction and migration are the two most demanding tasks in a bird’s life, and the vast majority of species separate them into different times of the year. Only two bird species have been shown to undertake what scientists call “itinerant…
Linking soil and environmental health
Changes in soil microbes, soil salinity to be covered in symposium
Tracking wild pigs in real time and understanding their interaction with agro-ecosystems
Successful invasions of non-native pests, such as wild pigs in North America, may be linked to how they use the landscape around them
Key uncertainties identified for models of mosquito distribution in the US
Understanding model limitations could improve strategies to deal with mosquito-borne diseases
Citizen science for sustainable development
Monitoring progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals requires a huge amount of data. Citizen science could help fill important data gaps, say IIASA researchers.
Mapping white clover heritage
Four-leaved clovers may or may not bring good luck. What’s indisputable is that all white clovers, whether with three or four leaves, have many benefits. The United States Department of Agriculture calls white clover “one of the most important pasture…
Threshold-dependent gene drives in wild populations
The BioScience Talks podcast features discussions of topical issues related to the biological sciences. By altering the heritability of certain traits, gene drive technologies have the potential to spread desired genes through wild populations. In practice, this could lead to…
The deeper these octopuses live, the wartier their skin
Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, surprisingly cute warty pink octopuses creep along the seafloor. But not all these octopuses look alike. While we humans love a good “Is your skin oily, dry, or combination?” quiz, members of one octopus species…
Ant-plant partnerships may play unexpected role in ant evolution
Text mining of 89,000 scientific papers reveals new evolutionary insights
Imprinting on mothers may drive new species formation in poison dart frogs
What do marrying one’s parents, Oedipus complex have to do with evolution?
The Phenological Index
A tool to understand how ecosystems are responding to a changing climate
How the Texas puma saved the Florida panther
Uncovering the genetic details of a conservation success story
First maps of areas suitable for spotted lanternfly’s establishment in US and world
WAPATO, WASHINGTON, October 3, 2019–Maps identifying the areas suitable for establishment of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) in the United States and other countries have been published in the Journal of Economic Entomology by Agricultural Research Service scientists. The SLF, originally…
Preventing future forest diebacks
Bark beetles, heat, drought, storms, and fires have damaged the German forests. Those who go for a walk there often encounter dead spruces and dried beech trees. “The forests are affected in all regions and need quick help,” says the…
Seagrass meadows harbor wildlife for centuries, highlighting need for conservation
Seagrass meadows put down deep roots, persisting in the same spot for hundreds and possibly thousands of years, a new study shows. Seagrasses, crucial sources of shelter and food for thousands of species, are threatened globally by coastal development, pollution…
Warming impedes a coral defense, but hungry fish enhance it
Corals create potions that fight bacterial attackers, but warming appears to tip the scales against the potions as they battle a bacterium common in coral bleaching, according to a new study. Reef conservation may offer hope: A particular potion, gathered…
The hidden ark: How a grassroots initiative can help save fish from extinction
A new study shows that aquarium hobbyists can play an important role in freshwater fish conservation by filling in the gaps left by the scientific community and conservation organizations
New research puts Australia at forefront of blue carbon economy
In world-first research, Edith Cowan University researchers and an international team of collaborators have accurately quantified the amount of greenhouse gasses — or ‘blue carbon’ — being absorbed and emitted by Australian marine ecosystems
Inscripta launches the world’s first benchtop platform for digital genome engineering
The Onyx™ platform enables scientists to create libraries of millions of precisely engineered single cells in one experiment through a fully automated workflow
Can humans exploit the genetics of a mouse that regrows axons after injury?
A Transformative Research Award to the Buck Institute from the NIH focuses on a new method to pinpoint genetic differences between species
Scientists quantify global volcanic CO2 venting; estimate total carbon on Earth
Scientists update estimates of Earth’s immense interior carbon reservoirs, and how much carbon Deep Earth naturally swallows and exhales
New method improves measurement of animal behaviour using deep learning
A new toolkit goes beyond existing machine learning methods by measuring body posture in animals with high speed and accuracy. Developed by researchers from the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz and the…
Collapse of desert bird populations likely due to heat stress from climate change
Hotter temperatures mean birds need more water to cool off — if it’s available
Bateman’s cowbirds
A closer look at monogamy and polygamy in brood parasitic birds
Biologists track the invasion of herbicide-resistant weeds into southwestern Ontario
TORONTO, ON (Canada) – A team including evolutionary biologists from the University of Toronto (U of T) have identified the ways in which herbicide-resistant strains of an invasive weed named common waterhemp have emerged in fields of soy and corn…
Brave new world: Simple changes in intensity of weather events ‘could be lethal’
Hurricane Dorian is the latest example of a frightening trend. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more severe and more widespread as a consequence of climate change. New research from Washington University in St. Louis provides important new insights…
Cooking food alters the microbiome
Raw vs. cooked diets have distinct effects on both mouse and human gut microbes
Viruses as modulators of interactions in marine ecosystems
GEOMAR scientists show a new picture of the role of viruses in the ocean
Turning up the heat for weed control
Weeds are thieves. They steal nutrients, sunlight and water from our food crops. In the case of sugarcane, yield refers to the amount of biomass and the sucrose concentration of the cane, which ultimately determines the amount of sugar produced.…
New species of crocodile discovered in museum collections
Crocodylus halli named after late scientist who started investigating the reptile’s lineage
Bee biodiversity barometer on Fiji
New species described as environment changes
New report deepens understanding of wind-wildlife interactions
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) announces the publication of a new report , “Impacts to Wildlife of Wind Energy Siting and Operation in the United States,” in ESA’s Issues in Ecology publication. An increase in the generation of wind…