Shark Week is many things.
Tag: MARINE/FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
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
To save a species, check its ID
New tool differentiates endangered salt marsh harvest mouse from abundant look-alike
Glass sponges have properties for the design of ships, planes and skyscrapers
Published in the journal Nature the first-ever simulation of the deep-sea Venus flower sponge and how it responds to and influences the flow of nearby water.
A new model of coral reef health
Using data collected on the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition, scientists identify which natural and anthropogenic factors are most likely to lead to healthy reefs
Tiny organisms shed big light on ocean nutrients
As the world warms, sweeping changes in marine nutrients seem like an expected consequence of increased ocean temperatures. However, the reality is more complicated. New research suggests that processes below the ocean surface may be controlling what is happening above.…
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.
Climate change threatens food security of many countries dependent on fish
Millions of people in countries around the world could face an increased risk of malnutrition as climate change threatens their local fisheries.
Three key habitat-building corals face worrying future due to climate crisis
The climate crisis will lead to changes in distribution and habitat loss of stony corals in the tropical Atlantic, shows a new study published by the open access publisher Frontiers. The loss of such coral species could have devastating consequences…
Seismic surveys have no significant impact on commercially valuable fish in NW Australia
New research has found marine seismic surveys used in oil and gas exploration are not impacting the abundance or behaviour of commercially valuable fishes in the tropical shelf environment in north-western Australia. The research is the first of its kind…
Kelp for corn? Illinois scientists demystify natural products for crops
URBANA, Ill. – Corn growers can choose from a wide array of products to make the most of their crop, but the latest could bring seaweed extract to a field near you. The marine product is just one class in…
Hard to swallow: Coral cells seen engulfing algae for first time
New research into the crucial partnership between coral and algae may one day help prevent coral bleaching.
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…
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
Detecting wildlife illness and death with new early alert system
Network of wildlife rehabilitation organizations helps track emerging threats
Mathematical model predicts the movement of microplastics in the ocean
A new model tracking the vertical movement of algae-covered microplastic particles offers hope in the fight against plastic waste in our oceans
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…
Synthesis of one of the most abundant organic lipids elucidates its structure
Crenarchaeol is a large, closed-loop lipid that is present in the membranes of ammonium-oxidizing archaea, a unicellular life form that exists ubiquitously in the oceans. In comparison to other archaeal membrane lipids, crenarchaeol is very complex and, so far, attempts…
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
Coastal ecosystems worldwide: Billion-dollar carbon reservoirs
Climate and ecosystem change lead to a global redistribution of wealth
Symbionts sans frontieres: Bacterial partners travel the world
Some bacterial symbionts in travel the globe and are true cosmopolitans
NIST uses method to understand the molecular underpinnings of a disease affecting corals
Coral reefs are a favorite spot for scuba divers and are among the world’s most diverse ecosystems. For example, the Hawaiian coral reefs, known as the “rainforests of the sea,” host over 7,000 species of marine animals, fishes, birds and…
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
Can whale poo help save the planet?
Whales were hunted nearly to extinction. A new report shows how important they are for healthy oceans. They can even help mitigate climate change.
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…
When resistance is futile, new paper advises RAD range of conservation options
Major ecosystem changes like sea-level rise, desertification and lake warming are fueling uncertainty about the future. Many initiatives – such as those fighting to fully eradicate non-native species, or to combat wildfires – focus on actively resisting change to preserve…
Longest known continuous record of the Paleozoic discovered in Yukon wilderness
Discovery illuminates a 120-million-year record of ancient Earth
Mapping biodiversity in South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region
The region includes two Global Biodiversity Hotspots; the project will document the distribution and function of species and ecosystems
UCF study finds smaller turtles are nesting on Florida beaches
The findings give clues to the health and status of the threatened species
$1.4 million grant increases coverage of Mississippi River Basin
Walton Family Foundation grant will create the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, covering agriculture, water and environmental issues within the region
How fishing communities are responding to climate change
Wellesley professor examines how fishers are adapting to climate-related changes in species distribution and location
The reproductive advantages of large male fish
Bielefeld University researchers publish systematic review and meta-analysis on mosquitofish
A universal approach to tailoring soft robots
An integrated design optimisation and fabrication workflow opens new opportunities for tailoring the mechanical properties of soft machines.
Human-driven habitat change leads to physical, behavioral change in mosquitofish
Bahamian mosquitofish in habitats fragmented by human activity are more willing to explore their environment, more stressed by change and have smaller brain regions associated with fear response than mosquitofish from unaffected habitats. The new study from North Carolina State…
Loss of biodiversity in streams threatens vital biological process
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The fast-moving decline and extinction of many species of detritivores — organisms that break down and remove dead plant and animal matter — may have dire consequences, an international team of scientists suggests in a new…
How can ‘shark dandruff’ contribute to coral reef conservation?
For 400 million years, shark-like fishes have prowled the oceans as predators, but now humans kill 100 million sharks per year, radically disrupting ocean food chains. Based on microscopic shark scales found on fossil- and modern coral reefs in Caribbean…
Fossil shark scales provide a glimpse of reef predator populations before human impact
The results indicate that shark abundance in the region declined roughly three-fold since prehistoric times
Seabird colony creates ‘halo’ of depleted fish stocks
A vast seabird colony on Ascension Island creates a “halo” in which fewer fish live, new research shows. Ascension, a UK Overseas Territory, is home to tens of thousands of seabirds – of various species – whose prey incudes flying…
Male dragonflies lose their ‘bling’ in hotter climates
Less pigmentation keeps them cool, but could make it difficult to find a mate
The City of David and the sharks’ teeth mystery
Scientists have found an unexplained cache of fossilised shark teeth in an area where there should be none – in a 2900 year old site in the City of David in Jerusalem. This is at least 80 km from where…
Stanford research shows muskrats are a bellwether for a drying delta
The muskrat, a stocky brown rodent the size of a Chihuahua – with a tail like a mouse, teeth like a beaver and an exceptional ability to bounce back from rapid die-offs – has lived for thousands of years in…
The missing ocean plastic sink: Gone with the rivers
The mysterious ocean plastic sink
Guadalupe fur seals continue to recover as new colony discovered
Guadalupe fur seals ( Arctocephalus townsendi ) have established a large resting colony in the Gulf of California–bringing the total number of sites where this endangered species now occurs to just four. This new haul-out was discovered on El Farallón…
A globally important microbial process hidden on marine particles
How on Earth? It has puzzled scientists for years whether and how bacteria, that live from dissolved organic matter in marine waters, can carry out N2 fixation. It was assumed that the high levels of oxygen combined with the low…
Unusual currents explain mysterious red crab strandings
New findings suggest that abnormal ocean currents cause the occasional appearance of pelagic red crabs outside their native range
Why are some fish warm-blooded? Predatory sharks gain speed advantage
New research from marine biologists offers answers to a fundamental puzzle that had until now remained unsolved: why are some fish warm-blooded when most are not? It turns out that while (warm-blooded) fish able to regulate their own body temperatures…
Scientists resurrect ‘forgotten’ genus of algae living in marine animals
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the late 1800s, scientists were stumped by the “yellow cells” they were observing within the tissues of certain temperate marine animals, including sea anemones, corals and jellyfish. Were these cells part of the animal or…
Is global plastic pollution nearing an irreversible tipping point?
Common press release: Stockholm University, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research