Ants Help Researchers Understand Why Biodiversity is Higher in Tropical Regions
It’s a puzzle that has confounded biologists for centuries: the earth’s tropical regions are home to an enormous variety of plant and animal species, but…
Ecosystems
Researchers Reveal Human Threats to the Amphibian Tree of Life
A new study by researchers at Yale and George Washington University examines the human threats to the amphibian family tree and calls for a rethinking…
West Coast Ocean Conditions Finally Returning to Normal
Ocean conditions off most of the U.S. West Coast are returning roughly to average, after an extreme marine heat wave from about 2014 to 2016…
University Scientists Track Dynamic Changes in Marine Life
In a study spanning twelve years, researchers from Kyoto University, and with Ryukoku University have developed a method to calculate the fluctuating stability of a…
Scientists Trace the Worldwide Origins of Methylmercury in Seafood
Order a sushi platter in the U.S. and your plate will likely include tuna from the South Pacific, crab from the North Atlantic, and farm-raised…
Biologists Track Global Reductions in Terrestrial Mammalian Movements
Humans change entire landscapes – by building cities and roads, by farming land and by exploiting natural resources. What effects does this have on animals…
Scientists Document a Surprising Trend in a Study on Extinctions
Sixty-five million years ago, clouds of ash choked the skies over Earth. Dinosaurs, along with about half of all the species on Earth, staggered and…
Study Shows Droughts and Ecosystems Determined by Two Climate Phenomena
What is causing the droughts that the Iberian Peninsula regularly endures? Why are the winters sometimes mild and rainy and other times cold and dry…
Scientists Track the Effects of Climate Change on kelp Forests
Kelp forests grow along coastlines worldwide, largely hidden from view. Like rainforests, they’re among the planet’s most important ecosystems: beautiful but fragile habitats for a…
Permian Ecosystems Tell Us A Lot About Modern Earth
A whopping two hundred and fifty-two million years ago, Earth was crawling with bizarre animals, including dinosaur cousins resembling Komodo dragons and bulky early mammal-relatives,…
New Research Shows Suburbanization Alters Small Pond Ecosystems
New research shows that human waste accounts for a high percentage of nutrients consumed by some animals and plants in suburban ponds. Researchers at Yale…
The Surprising Role of Dust in Mountain Ecosystems
A new study led by University of Wyoming scientists reveals that trees growing atop granite in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains rely on nutrients from…
Prehistoric Extinctions Offer Insights for Today’s Endangered Species
New research from Yale University is using data from prehistoric extinctions to teach valuable, real-world lessons about what happens to an ecosystem when its most…
Scientists Should Focus on Changes in Species to Recognize and Avoid a Mass Extinction
New research from Yale University urges scientists to move their focus from species extinction to species rarity in order to recognize, and avoid, a mass…
NIAC Program Working on Ideas for an Ecosystem on Mars
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program is funding cutting-edge work that is testing the viability of using ecosystem-building pioneer organisms to churn out oxygen by…
Study Reveals the Importance of Tiny Creatures in Structure of Grasslands
A newly published study reveals the importance of earthworms, beetles, and other tiny creatures to the structure of grasslands and the valuable ecosystem services they…
Researchers Discover an Active Ecosystem One-Half Mile Below Antarctic Ice
Researchers from the WISSARD project have discovered an active ecosystem of microorganisms that live beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, converting ammonium and methane into the…
New Climate Model Suggests Boreal Forests to Shift North and Relinquish More Carbon Than Expected
New climate change research from the Berkeley Lab suggests that boreal forests will likely shift north and will relinquish more trapped carbon than most current…