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biodiversity

10/27/2018 / By Janine Acero

Oak tree adaptation: Trees found to coordinate volume of acorns released each year in an effort to produce better reproductive results

In some years, oaks, beeches, chestnuts, and other woodland trees produce huge numbers of seeds, and in others they are almost barren. This mysterious phenomenon, typically in oak trees, occurs at irregular intervals of five to 10 years. It is called “mast years” or simply mast, which affects the populations of various animals that rely […]

10/27/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Modern agricultural practices destroy the environment’s natural balance: Heavily farmed areas have little biodiversity, more disease

Agriculture is more than just growing and harvesting crops. It’s a modern process that has far-reaching effects, particularly in its surrounding ecosystems. This includes factors such as water quality, nutrient cycling, soil retention, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. In as much as agriculture affects its surrounding ecosystem, it also goes both ways: The ecosystems nearby […]

09/21/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Adding cattle to wetland management practices benefits migratory bird populations, environment

In a bid to protect the dwindling wetlands of southeastern Nebraska from the encroachment of aggressive reed canarygrass and preserve them from conversion into farmland, researchers suggest using the lush region of the Rainwater Basin as grazing or haying grounds for domesticated cattle, reported a Newswise article. This way, an aggressive invasive species gets reduced, the cattle receive plenty of natural […]

09/16/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Are the world’s protected lands really being protected? A study concludes “no”

A new study warned that humans are quickly encroaching upon one-third of the protected lands in the world. Road-building, grazing, and urbanization are just some of the human expansionary activities that are threatening to destroy biodiversity in an area twice as big as Alaska, an article in Scientific American states. This is a serious blow […]

08/22/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield

Whales and dolphins engage in social talk just like humans, and much more

Dolphins and whales are known to be highly intelligent animals, though the extent of their mental capacities have yet to be fully uncovered. Researchers behind a compelling new study have attempted to change that. In their study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the researchers collected and compiled information on 90 different species of dolphins, […]

08/15/2018 / By David Williams

Alien species threaten ecosystems and they are spreading worldwide, challenging biosecurity measures at border controls

Animal species that are out in nature aren’t exactly living in harmony. Researchers from the University College London (UCL) have now discovered that the number of new alien species invasions are still rising globally, and that its overall impact may be difficult to predict down the line. One thing that this has made clear, however, […]

07/08/2018 / By Zoey Sky

Evolutionary biologist says that the rapid growth of cities has forced animals to evolve at “unprecedented speeds”

Since the dawn of time, various factors have forced animals to evolve so they can improve their chances of survival. But according to an evolutionary biologist, even humans and growing cities are somehow responsible for animal evolution. During an interview with Simon Worrall from National Geographic, Professor Menno Schilthuizen, an evolutionary biologist, posited that cities act as […]

07/07/2018 / By Zoey Sky

When plants break up: Understanding cooperative relationships between soil microbes

Who knew even plants could “break up?” According to a study, even though plants can cooperate, there are also times when these cooperative relationships break down. Gijsbert Werner, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Stuart West, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, both in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, explained that plants have various “below-ground interactions with […]

06/05/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Microbes from a toxic volcanic lake could hold clues to possible life on Mars

A volcanic lake in an active volcano is certainly one of the deadliest environments on Earth. Yet such a body of toxic acidic water in Costa Rica was recently found to contain microbes, and a Science Daily article states that these hardy bacteria can provide clues to the kind of alien life we might discover on Mars. Laguna […]

05/30/2018 / By Janine Acero

Cool science: Researchers have successfully observed how fish and amphibians regenerate tissue into their perfect original shape

Wouldn’t it be neat to regrow a lost limb without any trace of scar or trauma? Researchers have successfully observed how the skin cells of some fish and amphibians are capable of advanced tissue regeneration without scarring, retaining its perfect original form. The findings, published in the journal The Company of Biologists, hint at this mechanism’s potential […]

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