New Vincetoxicum species found in Yunnan
Vincetoxicum is a genus of plants in the Apocynaceae family. It is distributed in Asia, especially in mountainous areas, and most of the known species occur in China and Japan. The extended Vincetoxicum includes about 150 species. In recent years, ne.....»»
Invasive plants drive homogenization of soil microbial communities across US, new study finds
Invasive plants are doing more than just taking over landscapes—they're also changing the soil beneath them. A new study co-authored by Matthew McCary, assistant professor of biosciences at Rice University, reveals that these species are reshaping.....»»
Dinosaurs thrived after ice, not fire, says a new study of ancient volcanism
201.6 million years ago, one of the Earth's five great mass extinctions took place, when three-quarters of all living species suddenly disappeared. The wipeout coincided with massive volcanic eruptions that split apart Pangaea, a giant continent then.....»»
Q&A: Expert unravels truth on spiders as friend and foe
There are more than 250 species of spiders found in Florida and more than 40,000 worldwide......»»
More social species live longer, study finds
New research from the University of Oxford has revealed that species that are more social live longer and produce offspring for a greater timespan. This is the first study on this topic which spans the animal kingdom, from jellyfish to humans......»»
UN biodiversity summit making "very good progress": officials
Crunch UN talks on ways to "halt and reverse" species loss by 2030 have made "very good progress," officials said Friday, as the summit in Colombia marked its halfway point......»»
Move along moose: Study reveals the "most Canadian" animals
What is the "most Canadian" animal? Spoiler: it's not the beaver, or the moose. Published in the journal The Canadian Field-Naturalist, the study from a team of Simon Fraser University researchers ranks, for the first time ever, species of terrestria.....»»
Red-cockaded woodpeckers" recovery in southeast leads to status change from endangered to threatened
The red-cockaded woodpecker, an iconic bird in southeastern forests, has recovered enough of its population to be downlisted from an endangered species to a threatened one, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday......»»
Molecular study of newly discovered tardigrade species helps explain ability to withstand high doses of radiation
A team of biologists affiliated with several institutions in China has learned more about the means by which tardigrades are able to withstand high doses of radiation. In their study, published in the journal Science, the group focused on a newly fou.....»»
An Indian village became Amur falcons" biggest protectors—how conservationists can harness the power of persuasion
Wildlife conservation is an exercise in human persuasion. It may seem counterintuitive that we hold the keys to the survival of wildlife, but 98% of all threatened species are threatened exclusively by human activities such as pollution, invasive spe.....»»
Biologists discover a new fossil species of prehistoric fish
What do the ginkgo (a tree), the nautilus (a mollusk) and the coelacanth (a fish) all have in common?.....»»
Scientists explore privilege and consequences of recreation for people and wildlife
Recreation is a luxury, and people aren't the only animals that recreate. Species great and small have a penchant for play, but the ability to recreate depends on resources. Colorado State University Professor Joel Berger and Yellowstone researcher K.....»»
"True hybrid" mice might reveal how new species emerge
Forty years ago, a postdoctoral researcher named James McGrath who would go on to spend more than three decades as a clinical geneticist and research scientist at Yale, made a discovery that advanced scientists' understanding of gene control and the.....»»
Marri trees are a lifeline for many native bee species in a biodiversity hotspot
New Curtin University-led research has revealed that Marri trees are critical to the survival of more than 80 species of native bee in Western Australia's South West region, which is one of the world's most biologically rich but threatened biodiversi.....»»
Broadcasting sounds of healthy coral reefs encourages coral larvae growth, study shows
Coral reefs worldwide are in trouble. These ecosystems support a billion people and more than a quarter of marine species. Still, many have been damaged by unsustainable fishing and tourism, coastal construction, nutrient runoff, and climate change......»»
Ground nesting birds declining faster than any other bird species in Europe
Ground-nesting bird populations are more likely to be in decline than any other European bird species, warns new report......»»
Reducing moose numbers could help protect Canadian caribou populations from wolf predation
Woodland caribou populations in Canada are declining because of habitat changes that benefit common prey species of wolves (such as moose and deer), leading to increasing numbers of wolves that kill caribou. To protect caribou, wildlife managers have.....»»
Massive biodiversity data collection improves ecosystem predictions
A team at the University of Córdoba verifies that large biodiversity databases, in which citizens record observations of flora, are capable of calibrating joint species distribution models, even when conducted individually, provided that more than 5.....»»
Right whale population grows 4% but extinction remains a threat
One of the rarest species of whale in the world has increased slightly in population, encouraging conservationists to call on the federal government and the shipping and fishing industries to do more to bring the giant animals back from the brink of.....»»
Genomic study offers hope for endangered Oriental stork
A new genomic study of the endangered Oriental stork reveals that the population's genetic health is still surprisingly strong, with high genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding. This is an uncommon finding in most endangered species populatio.....»»
Accurately weighing costs and benefits of different methods for controlling invasive species
Invasive insect species bring a host of health, social, ecological and economic consequences, including crop damage, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, ecosystem disruption, human disease transmission and rising allergy rates......»»