Palm cockatoos whittle twigs to make drumsticks for tapping on tree limbs
A pair of biologists at Australian National University, working with one colleague from the University of Queensland and another from James Cook University, has found that male palm cockatoos tap out unique rhythms on tree branches using custom-made.....»»
Summer solstice found to trigger synchronized beech tree reproduction across Europe
A new study published in Nature Plants has found that the summer solstice acts as a "starting gun" to synchronize beech tree reproduction across vast distances in Europe, affecting ecosystem functions......»»
Wood condition, root constriction and improper pruning can be used as predictors of urban tree failure
In São Paulo, Brazil's largest metropolis, the city center is considered a tree failure hotspot, with the largest proportion of failures in the city occurring in that area......»»
Alaska dinosaur tracks reveal a lush, wet environment
A large find of dinosaur tracks and fossilized plants and tree stumps in far northwestern Alaska provides new information about the climate and movement of animals near the time when they began traveling between the Asian and North American continent.....»»
Rainforest"s next generation of trees threatened 30 years after logging
Rainforest seedlings are more likely to survive in natural forests than in places where logging has happened—even if tree restoration projects have taken place, new research shows. The work appears in Global Change Biology......»»
Unveiling the genetic tapestry of tree growth: A model for Populus euphratica development
A comprehensive understanding of the genetic architecture of tree growth, a complex interplay of genetics between the plant's above- and below-ground parts, remains undefined in plant studies. Research has increasingly focused on understanding how ge.....»»
Tracing the spread of cacao domestication
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), whose beans (cocoa) are used to make products including chocolate, liquor and cocoa butter, may have spread from the Amazon basin to the other regions of South and Central America at least 5,000 years ago via trade r.....»»
Crocs, cyclones and "magnificent melaleucas": Aussie beach named world"s best
It may have deadly animals and wild weather, but Palm Cove in Australia's northeast has been named the world's best beach, beating rivals in Hawaii, Greece and Fiji......»»
What dendritic painting has in common with “tears of wine” phenomenon
The expanding ink droplet shears the underlying acrylic paint layer—the Marangoni effect. Enlarge / Japanese artist Akiko Nakayama manipulates alcohol and inks to create tree-like dendritic patterns during a live painting sessi.....»»
8 in 10 lizards could be at risk due to deforestation
In Colorado, people flock to the Rocky Mountains when the summer heat gets unbearable. Animals seek shelter too when temperatures become extreme, and forests serve as critical sanctuaries for small tree-dwelling animals like lizards......»»
An inside look at beech tree disease
Beech trees provide food for animals, timber for wood products, and sustenance for beech drop plants, but they are under threat from beech leaf disease (BLD). The disease, first documented in 2012 in the Midwest, is associated with the nematode Lityl.....»»
Brown bears digging up artificial forests, study shows
Brown bears foraging for food in the Shiretoko Peninsula of Hokkaido, Japan, have been disrupting tree growth in artificial conifer forests, according to a new study published in Ecology. Researchers compared soil and tree samples from human-forested.....»»
Researchers decipher mysterious growth habit of weeping peach trees
A basic premise of how plants grow is that shoots grow up and roots grow down. A new study, published in Plant Physiology, reveals the answer to a fascinating question: why do weeping tree varieties defy this natural growth pattern?.....»»
New discovery speeds scientists" push for Huanglongbing-tolerant citrus
It's one thing for a hybrid citrus tree to tolerate citrus greening disease (a.k.a. Huanglongbing) and quite another if it also produces orange-like fruit—especially if the juice makes for a delicious breakfast beverage. Now, that holy grail of tra.....»»
Overcrowding increases tree mortality, perhaps explaining higher biodiversity in tropical forests
When a tree is surrounded by many similar individuals, its mortality increases, which is probably caused by specialized pathogens or herbivores. This effect occurs in forests all over the world, but is more pronounced in rare tropical tree species, w.....»»
Study shows orchid family emerged in northern hemisphere and thrived alongside dinosaurs for 20 million years
In a new study published in New Phytologist, scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with partners in Latin America, Asia and Australia, present an updated family tree of orchids, tracing their origins to the northern hemisphere some 85 m.....»»
Indigenous Colombians fret as sacred mountain glaciers melt
In the shade of a sacred tree, Indigenous wise men chew coca leaves as they mull the threats to their home among the melting, snow-capped peaks of Colombia's Sierra Nevada mountains......»»
It’s a fake: Mysterious 280 million-year-old fossil is mostly just black paint
The long bones of the hind limbs appear to be genuine. The rest? Not so much. Enlarge / Discovered in 1931, Tridentinosaurus antiquus has now been found to be, in part, a forgery. (credit: Valentina Rossi) For more than.....»»
Australia"s shot-hole borer beetle invasion has begun, but we don"t need to chop down every tree under attack
A new pest attacking Perth's trees threatens to spread across Australia, damaging crops and native forests as well as our urban forest. To control its spread, the Western Australian government is chopping down hundreds of established trees. But these.....»»
Complex tree canopies found to help forests recover from moderate disturbances
Extreme events wipe out entire forests, dramatically eliminating complex ecosystems as well as local communities. Researchers have become quite familiar with such attention-grabbing events over the years. They know less, however, about the more commo.....»»
El Nino brings hunger, drought fears to Madagascar
In a small village in southern Madagascar, dozens of women shelter from the scorching sun under a tree as they wait to weigh their children......»»