Posts Tagged ‘ecosystems’
Biology can’t run on genes alone
UC DAVIS (US) — Don’t lose the organism in the excitement over its genes, say biologists, who caution against straying too far from the actual plants, animals, and microorganisms. Continue…
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 13:57 - 0 Comments
Earth & Environment - May 21, 2013 11:02 - 2 Comments
Thawing Arctic keeps its grip on carbon
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — The Arctic has warmed up over the last twenty years, but researchers find that the amount of carbon trapped in the soil remains steady. (more…)
Science & Technology - May 20, 2013 12:48 - 3 Comments
‘Crazy ant’ invaders make fire ants seem polite
U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US) — Invasive “crazy ants” are displacing fire ants across the southeastern United States and may have dramatic effects on the region’s ecosystem, researchers say. (more…)
Earth & Environment - May 20, 2013 12:14 - 2 Comments
Lack of biodiversity could topple fisheries
U. YORK (UK) — The consequences of overfishing have led fisheries to rely on a handful of highly valuable shellfish—but new research shows this approach is extremely risky. (more…)
Earth & Environment - May 13, 2013 16:59 - 0 Comments
Seabird bones reveal effects of ‘big’ fishing
MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Bone records show that endangered Hawaiian petrels are eating lower on the food chain than before the advent of industrialized fishing, report researchers. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Apr 12, 2013 9:27 - 1 Comment
“Sustainable” fish may not deserve the label
NYU (US) — Certification of seafood as “sustainable” by the nonprofit Marine Stewardship Council is too lenient and misleading, report researchers. (more…)
Top Stories - Apr 5, 2013 9:46 - 49 Comments
Should we bring back extinct species?
STANFORD (US) — Within 15 years, scientists may be able to revive some recently extinct species, like the dodo or the passenger pigeon. It’s not Jurassic Park, but is it a good idea? (more…)
Science & Technology - Mar 21, 2013 15:33 - 0 Comments
Trout gut balloons for annual food frenzy
U. WASHINGTON (US) — Once a year, a type of trout that lives in Alaska’s Chignik Lake watershed expands its stomach up to four times the usual size to go on a month-long eating binge. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 18, 2013 12:35 - 2 Comments
Clean groundwater needs a ‘blue revolution’
PENN STATE (US) — Clean water and air are signs of a healthy ecosystem, but we tend to overlook the critical part of the environment that’s right beneath our feet. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 31, 2013 13:19 - 0 Comments
Stressed out plant communities ‘stay positive’
BROWN (US) — A controversial hypothesis—that positive interactions outweigh negative ones in ecosystems under stress—is definitively true, according to a new global meta-analysis. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 23, 2013 11:08 - 4 Comments
Plants can go thirsty but only for so long
U. ARIZONA (US) — Many plants’ demand for water is flexible, but prolonged drought conditions have put their resilience to the test. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 22, 2013 12:52 - 0 Comments
Salmon boom and bust in extra-long cycles
U. WASHINGTON (US) — Scientists have known that salmon runs vary by year and by decade, but new research reveals huge cycles in stocks that last up to 200 years. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 18, 2013 12:00 - 1 Comment
Viruses infect tiny ocean creatures, too
CORNELL (US) — Scientists have found evidence that previously unknown viruses infect marine crustaceans called copepods, which are key to ocean carbon cycling. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 17, 2013 16:36 - 0 Comments
‘Land grabs’ may intensify global hunger
U. VIRGINIA (US) — When wealthy nations acquire large areas of land in developing countries, the process seriously threatens the food security of local people who depend on those natural resources for survival. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 14, 2013 11:42 - 1 Comment
‘Sea of exotics’ isolates native plants
U. TORONTO (CAN) — Given time, invading plants will most likely eliminate native species growing in the wild, new research shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 11, 2013 9:57 - 0 Comments
Flushing ‘Nemo’ risks lionfish invasion
UC DAVIS (US) — People who get rid of pet fish via the toilet bowl or a local waterway could contribute to the threat of invasive species downstream, according to a new report. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 4, 2012 11:03 - 2 Comments
Fewer lions survive in ‘pockets’ of savannah
DUKE/UC DAVIS (US) — About 75 percent of Africa’s savannahs and more than two-thirds of the lion population once estimated to live there have disappeared in the last 50 years. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 3, 2012 10:56 - 0 Comments
For tiny critters, Gulf spill clean-up kills
GEORGIA TECH (US) — The 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill dumped 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico—but the two million gallons of dispersant added to clean it up made it 52 times more toxic. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 28, 2012 15:27 - 0 Comments
Pine forest microbes need ‘fog drip’ to thrive
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — By linking foggy conditions to microbes in the forest floor’s soil, scientists show the impact of low-altitude clouds on the carbon cycle. (more…)
