https://phys.org/biology-news/ecology en-us The latest science and research news on ecology On a sailing boat anchored off Oman's pristine Daymaniyat Islands, volunteer divers pull on wetsuits, check their scuba tanks and then take turns plunging into the clear turquoise water. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-volunteer-divers-oman-unique-coral.html Ecology Mon, 04 Dec 2023 03:51:52 EST news620884307 Polar bears are icons of the Arctic, elusive and vulnerable. Detailed monitoring of their populations is crucial for their conservation—but because polar bears are so difficult to find, we are missing critical data about population size and how well-connected those populations are. Scientists have now developed a new tool to help: DNA analysis using skin cells shed in the bears' footprints in the snow. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-polar-footprints-dna-tracks-threatened.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:01 EST news620633915 Climate change is causing tropical species in the ocean to move from the equator towards the poles, while temperate species recede. This mass movement of marine life, termed tropicalization, is leading to a cascade of consequences for ecosystems and biodiversity, and has the potential to impact the global economy. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-seas-warmer-tropical-species-equator.html Ecology Sat, 02 Dec 2023 13:30:01 EST news620486497 Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have warned. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-botany-feature-prominently-school-curriculum.html Ecology Other Fri, 01 Dec 2023 15:30:57 EST news620667054 A new study from Simon Fraser University researchers examines the Canadian military's efforts to reduce the impacts of underwater noise pollution on species during training exercises in the Pacific Ocean but caveat that more can still be done. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-canadian-military-combat-ocean-noise.html Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 15:25:25 EST news620666718 Botanist Denis Conover does not have to go far to study the growing problem of invasive plants. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-survey-dozens-nonnative-invasive-species.html Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:08:41 EST news620654913 James Cook University researcher Matthew Connors has discovered two new praying mantis species with the help of citizen scientists. The finds have been published in Zootaxa. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-citizen-scientists-mantis-species.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:18:00 EST news620648278 As a result of climate change, the Golden State's farms are expected to face a surge in agricultural pests, which poses a threat to California's specialty crops industry. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-climate-surge-insects-almonds-peaches.html Ecology Agriculture Fri, 01 Dec 2023 09:06:27 EST news620643983 The tridentiger typically inhabits semi-saline and freshwater environments located in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions of the western Pacific Ocean. It occupies a crucial position in the food chain, making it ecologically important. As an indicator species, the tridentiger is highly vulnerable to environmental changes, and it is likely that global climate change will result in significant changes or even loss of its habitat. Therefore, it is vital to systematically analyze the response strategies of the tridentiger to global climate change in various habitats. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-global-climate-fish-zones-typical.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:47:03 EST news620642821 Logging typically degrades tropical forests. But what if logging is carefully planned and carried out by well-trained workers? https://phys.org/news/2023-12-sustainably-harvest-trees-tropical-forests.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 07:57:04 EST news620639822 Recent research led by Tigga Kingston, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, delivers a stark warning concerning the distressing decline of flying foxes and related species, also known as Large Old World Fruit Bats (LOWFBs). https://phys.org/news/2023-12-vital-species-emphasizes-action.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 06:58:04 EST news620636281 A humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers Thursday morning with several breaches in the bay just beyond the city's downtown area. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-young-humpback-whale-seattle-bay.html Ecology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 02:40:43 EST news620620841 Vibrio bacteria, named for their vibrating swimming motion, span approximately 150 known species. Most Vibrio live in brackish or salt water, either swimming free or living as pathogens or symbionts in fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and corals. Because Vibrio thrives at relatively high temperatures, outbreaks in marine animals are expected to become ever more frequent under global warming. For example, over the past few decades, Vibrio have been implicated in the 'bleaching' of subtropical and tropical corals around the world. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-scientists-alarm-bacteria-linked-mass.html Ecology Cell & Microbiology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:15:04 EST news620612101 Born tail first, bottlenose dolphin calves emerge equipped with two slender rows of whiskers along their beak-like snouts—much like the touch-sensitive whiskers of seals. But the whiskers fall out soon after birth, leaving the youngster with a series of dimples known as vibrissal pits. Recently, Tim Hüttner and Guido Dehnhardt, from the University of Rostock, Germany, began to suspect that the dimples may be more than just a relic. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bottlenose-dolphin-weak-electric-fields.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 18:00:01 EST news620582542 New research from Northern Arizona University has explained coast redwood's remarkable ability to recover from very severe fire, a rare sign of optimism amid a landscape increasingly scarred by severe fires. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-cautious-resilience-redwoods.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 17:31:03 EST news620587861 Researchers are realizing that animal communication is more complicated than previously thought, and that the information animals share in their vocalizations can be complex. For example, some animals produce calls that warn of specific dangers in the environment, such as a predator, and these calls can even contain information about the type of predator (e.g., flying vs. ground predator). These calls are known as referential calls. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-galpagos-island-warbler-population-mainland.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 17:20:04 EST news620587202 By studying the skull shapes of dipsadine snakes, researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington have found how these species of snakes in Central and South America have evolved and adapted to meet the demands of their habitats and food sources. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-snake-skulls-species-prey.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:28:03 EST news620580481 Animals often use vocalizations to warn of nearby danger to others. While this information is generally intended for members of the same species, other species can eavesdrop on the warnings to use the information for their own benefit. Sentinels are animals that have warning calls so widely understood by others that those other species will form groups with them, relying on the sentinels to provide warnings of danger. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-sentinel-universally-understood-continents.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:16:55 EST news620579812 As California, the U.S. and the world work to make good on commitments to conserve 30% of oceans and lands by 2030, all strategies are on the table—and under the microscope. When it comes to the ocean, one valuable tool is marine protected areas (MPAs), regions that are defined, designated and managed for long-term conservation. Among other benefits, MPAs protect habitats and promote species diversity. They also hold value for communities and industries. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-illuminating-benefits-marine-areas-ecotourism.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:02:52 EST news620578968 New research on tree reproduction is helping solve a puzzle that has stumped tree scientists for decades. Many tree species exhibit a reproductive phenomenon known as "masting," where individual trees have very low seed production in most years, followed by a sudden burst of seed production that is synchronized over large parts of its range. The reason for this coordinated reproduction within a species is unclear. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-hurricanes-boost-cone-production-longleaf.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 14:59:04 EST news620578742 As Earth's climate continues to change, a plant's ability to adapt to its shifting environment is critical to its survival. Often, to stay alive a plant must move locations by releasing its seeds, but plants are rooted in the ground and cannot move themselves. Instead, they are dependent on animals or the wind to carry their seeds to a new location. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-deep-relationship.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 14:09:04 EST news620575741 A new study of a migratory songbird shows that individuals with average-sized white tail spots—a trait that is critical to successful foraging—live longer than individuals with more extreme amounts of white in the tail. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-migratory-songbird-link-white-tail.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:18:51 EST news620572729 The family Lauraceae is a prominent component of the evergreen broadleaf forests in the tropics and subtropics. However, the biogeographical history of the family is poorly understood due to the difficulty of assigning macrofossils to living genera, poor pollen preservation, and the lack of sufficiently resolved or well-supported phylogenies. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reinvestigate-phylogenetic-biogeographic-history-trees.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:09:03 EST news620572142 Forests, known as nature's "green dams," play a crucial role in replenishing Earth's groundwater reserves. However, overcrowding in planted forests due to lack of maintenance activities, such as thinning practices, is a pressing concern in Japan. This overcrowding causes substantial water loss from these forests into the atmosphere through a combination of soil evaporation and tree transpiration (Et) known as evapotranspiration. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-satellite-remote-wide-area-transpiration-japanese.html Ecology Biotechnology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:04:02 EST news620571841 Ana Mateos and Jesús Rodríguez, scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), have published a paper in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology showing that large herbivore carrion, a resource that had formerly been abundant and accessible to hominins, became scarcer at the end of the Early Pleistocene due to changes in the Iberian fauna. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-turnover-iberian-fauna-availability-carrion.html Ecology Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:59:15 EST news620567953 There's a species of ant that is so rare, only a handful of records exist from across the entire eastern United States. North Carolina State University researcher Michelle Kirchner not only found these ants in the Triangle region of North Carolina, she is the first to document an entire colony for scientists, taxonomists and ant-thusiasts everywhere. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-rare-ant-species-rediscovered-north.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:58:12 EST news620567889 "Drone fishing" is a relatively recent innovation in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Some recreational anglers are using personal drones to fly baited lines into hard-to-reach areas of water, or to look for good fishing areas. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-drone-fishing-south-africa-danger.html Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:50:01 EST news620566385 Agriculture, like other sectors of the economy, is a profit-driven business. Simple cultivation systems such as monocultures have therefore become firmly established, because they promise higher returns. However, they are more susceptible to diseases and parasites, which can cause total crop failure among other things. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-world-suitable-diversified-farming-sustainable.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 30 Nov 2023 09:56:03 EST news620560561 In a study published in Current Biology, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with their collaborators, reveal a groundbreaking discovery: Morphology of the orchid mantis' petal-shaped femoral lobes actually serves as structures for gliding, rather than the long-held belief that these lobes mimic flowers to attract pollinating prey. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-orchid-mantises-petal-shaped-femoral-lobes.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:31:16 EST news620555473 After five straight years of troubling data on the population of young rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland officials plan to enact emergency regulations canceling this spring's trophy season for recreational anglers. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-rockfish-population-maryland-cancel-trophy.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 07:10:27 EST news620550623