How a butterfly tree becomes a web
Evolution is often portrayed as a tree, with new species branching off from existing lineages, never again to meet. The truth however is often much messier. In the case of adaptive radiation, in which species diversify rapidly to fill different ecolo.....»»
The secret drivers of tree growth
Most trees live in symbiosis with fungi. ETH Zurich researchers show just how important this partnership is for tree growth through the first-ever comprehensive data analysis compiled for European forests on a massive scale......»»
Leonardo "Tree" Caprio: new species named after star
A new tree species has been named after actor Leonardo DiCaprio as a tribute to the Hollywood star's anti-logging campaigning, London's Royal Botanic Gardens announced Thursday......»»
Exploring the hyperchaos of mid-infrared lasers
Chaos, often popularized as the 'butterfly effect', describes the irregular phenomenon of deterministic systems. Based on the unique features of sensitivity to initial conditions and unpredictability of future evolutions, chaos from laser diodes has.....»»
Risk vs. reward: How towns care for trees varies
When a hurricane or other violent storm blows through a community, one of the first pictures you're likely to see is a fallen tree......»»
Accidental tree wound reveals novel symbiotic behavior by ants
One afternoon, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Panama, a bored teenager with a slingshot and a clay ball accidentally shot entry and exit holes in a Cecropia tree trunk. These are "ant-plant" trees, which famously cooperate with fie.....»»
Orchid hunting has come a long way. In five steps, you can join a national research effort
Orchid hunting conjures images from the 1800s—explorers in mud-spattered khaki, traipsing through impenetrable jungle, overloaded with equipment: jars, bottles, bags and boxes, a gun (to shoot down tree-top orchids) and a magnifying glass. Things h.....»»
World"s Oldest Family Tree Created Using DNA
Scientists have compiled the world's oldest family tree from human bones interred at a 5,700-year-old tomb in the Cotswolds, UK. The BBC reports: Analysis of DNA from the tomb's occupants revealed the people buried there were from five continuous gen.....»»
Tree growth response to soil nutrients and neighborhood crowding varies between mycorrhizal types
Tree growth is an important part of forest dynamics, the symbiosis between trees and mycorrhizal fungi (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM), ectomycorrhizal (EM) and dual-mycorrhizal (AEM)) can improve species ability to absorb nutrients and adapt to t.....»»
French Guiana awaits historic Webb telescope launch
Like kids dreaming of presents under the tree, the scientists at the Jupiter control room at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou are patiently waiting for December 25......»»
Ancient DNA reveals the world"s oldest family tree
Analysis of ancient DNA from one of the best-preserved Neolithic tombs in Britain has revealed that most of the people buried there were from five continuous generations of a single extended family......»»
Loggers threaten Papua New Guinea"s unique forest creatures
In Papua New Guinea's isolated Star Mountains, Indigenous people say the tree kangaroo is king and the bird of paradise is queen. But both have a price on their heads......»»
Staying a step ahead of invasive insect species with computer simulations
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a simulation predicting the spread of an invasive beetle species harming local flora. They tried models based on road lengths, river lengths and recorded cherry tree numbers in square "cel.....»»
Researchers describe 70 new species in 2021
In 2021, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences added 70 new plant and animal species to the tree of life, enriching our understanding of Earth's complex web of life and strengthening our ability to make informed conservation decisions. Th.....»»
Scientists find climate-driven tree mortality and fuel aridity increase wildfire fuel availability
New research conducted by scientists at The University of New Mexico suggests climate-driven tree mortality and fuel aridity are increasing fuel availability in forests leading to record-breaking wildfires in size, spread and plume formation......»»
Early bloomers: Using citizen-science data to investigate unseasonal flowering in Joshua trees
In November 2019, visitors to Joshua Tree National Park in California encountered a strange sight. Joshua trees and closely related Mojave yuccas, which normally remain reproductively dormant until late spring, were in full bloom at the tail end of a.....»»
Citrus greening disease can infect an entire tree weeks before symptoms appear
For the first time ever, scientists have been able to measure the speed of a bacterium that causes the incurable citrus greening disease. Citrus greening disease (also known as Huanglongbing) is the most devastating citrus disease in the world. Affli.....»»
Student discovers new shrimp species by chance
When biology student Mike Groenhof was making a phylogenetic tree of fifty shrimp species for his internship, one specimen turned out to be an undescribed species. The animal was collected by Naturalis scientist 18 years ago, and had been under the r.....»»
Visually stunning tree of all known life unveiled online
OneZoom is a one-stop site for exploring all life on Earth, its evolutionary history, and how much of it is threatened with extinction......»»
Sustainable Christmas trees: an ecologist"s buying guide
If you celebrate Christmas, chances are you are planning to decorate a tree (or have already). But how do you make an informed and environment-friendly choice? Environmental impact is a complex question for any product, and as a tree ecologist I know.....»»
Gemini South telescope catches a one-winged butterfly
This breathtaking visible-light image, taken with the Gemini South telescope, looks as though it is ready to flutter off the screen. This apparently wispy object is an outflow of gas known as the Chamaeleon Infrared Nebula—so named because it is br.....»»