Exploring Underground Ecosystems: Scientists Identify New Soil Viruses
PNNL scientists discover new soil viruses The unsung hero of our lives is soil. It nourishes crops to give humans with food, drains rainfall into…
Ecosystems
Vast Amounts of Sugars Discovered Underneath Seagrass Meadows in the Ocean
Sweet Spots in the Sea: Mountains of Sugar Under Seagrass Meadows Seagrass beds are underwater oases. Now scientists have discovered vast amounts of sugars underneath…
Some Birds Live Fast and Die Young – Scientists Study of Thousands of Species to Explain Why
Research from the University of Sheffield has revealed why some bird species take longer to develop than others Findings could help scientists predict how animals…
The Last Mass Extinction Event Occurred 66 Million Years Ago – Here’s How Ocean Ecosystems Recovered
An international team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, have produced an unprecedented record of the biotic recovery of ocean ecosystems that followed…
More Realistic Experiments Needed on the Impact of Climate Change
When it comes to the impact of climate change on ecosystems, we still have large knowledge gaps. Most experiments are unrealistic because they do not…
Scientists Document Summer Surge of Great White Sharks
They increasingly hunt in the waters off Cape Cod, and sometimes humans get in their way. Last summer, scientist Greg Skomal was one of them….
Satellite Observations Provide Scientists With Unique Insights on Adélie Penguin
Using satellite observations of Antarctica to search for penguin guano (poo) may not sound like the most exciting research, but it’s providing scientists with unique…
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…
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…
