Examining how urbanization induces changes in invasive toad populations
Biodiversity is increasingly diminished by humanity's many impacts, one major aspect of which is urbanization. Although there are a lot of studies reporting that urbanization influences wildlife population sizes and distributions, we are only beginni.....»»
High-resolution imagery advances the ability to monitor decadal changes in emperor penguin populations
Emperor penguin populations have been exceedingly difficult to monitor because of their remote locations and because individuals form breeding colonies on seasonal sea ice fastened to land (known as fast ice) during the dark and cold Antarctic winter.....»»
How climate change drives the spread of invasive plants
As the climate warms, the number of alien species on every continent is expected to increase 36% by 2050. Some alien species—that is, plants or animals that live outside their natural range—are invasive and can harm ecosystems and the areas they.....»»
Ancient scrolls are being "read" by machine learning—with human knowledge to detect language and make sense of them
A groundbreaking announcement for the recovery of lost ancient literature was recently made. Using a non-invasive method that harnesses machine learning, an international trio of scholars retrieved 15 columns of ancient Greek text from within a carbo.....»»
Gender diversity found to improve corporate social responsibility
A study in the International Journal of Business Excellence examining the relationship between gender diversity on corporate boards and corporate social responsibility spending has found a positive correlation. The research focused on 738 firms acros.....»»
Scientists find that micronuclei are not the primary trigger of the cGAS/STING pathway
Cells possess an innate immune system that defends against invasive pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Previous studies have mapped out the cytoplasmic cGAS-STING pathway in the cytoplasm, known for responding to foreign nucleic acids, such as d.....»»
Range-shifting fishes are climate-change losers, according to new research
The warming of the Earth's oceans due to climate change is affecting where the world's fishes live, eat, and spawn—and often in ways that can negatively impact their populations. That's according to a new paper published in the journal Nature Ecolo.....»»
Pioneering agricultural resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change
With climate change and growing global populations posing increasing threats to food security, the quest for agricultural sustainability and the resilience of crop yields becomes paramount. Current research strategies focus on genetic improvements to.....»»
Populations of the future: Updated tool helps to visualize projections
New projections of population and human capital provide insights into what our future could look like all the way until the year 2100 under different developmental scenarios. The findings are presented in the datasets compiled by IIASA scientists in.....»»
Invasive plant time bombs: A hidden ecological threat
Invasive plants can stay dormant for decades or even centuries after they have been introduced into an environment before rapidly expanding and wreaking ecological havoc, according to a new study led by the University of California, Davis......»»
Birds, beetles, bugs could help replace pesticides: Study
Natural predators like birds, beetles and bugs might be an effective alternative to pesticides, keeping crop-devouring pests populations down while boosting crop yields, researchers said Wednesday......»»
Study highlights urgency of parasitic wasp release to save native bird
Researchers with the University of Minnesota hope to release highly specialized parasitic wasps to serve as a biological control method to save Darwin's finches from a dire threat: the invasive avian vampire fly, Philornis downsi......»»
A crown rust fungus could help manage two highly invasive plants in Minnesota
Though some crown rust fungi are known to cause widespread damage to oat and barley crops, new research from the University of Minnesota suggests a close relative of these major pathogens could actually be a valuable asset in managing two highly inva.....»»
Study: Impact of agricultural activities on PM2.5 in Lombardy is comparable to that of urbanization, industry
A research study from Politecnico di Milano in the journal Chemosphere has quantified the impact of agricultural activities on the spatial distribution of fine dust (PM 2.5) in Lombardy, showing that it is comparable to the impact of other well-known.....»»
Bottlenecks and beehives: How an invasive bee colony defied genetic expectations
For more than a decade, invasive Asian honeybees have defied evolutionary expectations and established a thriving population in North Queensland, much to the annoyance of the honey industry and biosecurity officials......»»
Study finds drought fuels invasive species after wildfires
In a study recently published in the journal Ecology, University of California, Irvine scientists uncover the intricate dance between drought, wildfires and invasive species in Southern California's coastal sage scrub ecosystems......»»
Counting rays: Aerial surveys reveal ample populations in southeast Florida
The whitespotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) and the giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) are rapidly declining globally. Both species are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered worldwide, and the giant manta.....»»
Gardeners can help identify potentially invasive plants
The critical role of gardeners in identifying 'future invaders'—ornamental plants that could become invasive species—has been revealed by researchers from the University of Reading and the Royal Horticultural Society......»»
Native animals are easy prey after a fire. Could artificial refuges save them?
Australia is home to some of the most spectacular and enigmatic wildlife on Earth. Much of it, however, is being eaten by two incredibly damaging invasive predators: the feral cat and the red fox......»»
Ancient DNA reveals children with Down syndrome in past societies. What can their burials tell us about their lives?
After analyzing DNA from almost 10,000 people from ancient and pre-modern societies, our international team of researchers have discovered six cases of Down syndrome in past human populations......»»
Big lemming populations are important for far more than just predators
The number of lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) in the mountains can fluctuate sharply from one year to the next. Years when populations explode are called lemming years. These population explosions are important for many other species. More predators and bir.....»»