Ecology
Wattle’s the deal with psychedelics?
In 2008, while investigating a clandestine drug lab, forensic scientists from WA's ChemCentre found something odd—a pile of wet bark, stripped from a wattle tree and stewed.
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Ecology
Scientists develop new method to estimate hidden species
When researchers survey wildlife in a lake, forest, or other habitat, they rarely capture every species present—some are simply too rare or elusive to detect. A new study published in…
Ecology
Arctic Ocean food chain is disrupted as a key tipping point has now been passed
An irreversible shift in the chemical makeup of the Arctic Ocean driven by climate change is disrupting the region's food chain, a study suggests. Widespread loss of Arctic sea ice…
Ecology
Expanded susceptibility and transmission in circulating avian influenza viruses reshape wild bird mortality
Johanna Harvey, an assistant professor of wildlife disease ecology at the University of Rhode Island, has described bird flu in public presentations as a quiet virus with loud consequences. Now,…
Ecology
As snow droughts continue to threaten global food security, research calls for climate-resilient agriculture practices
Global climate change is reshaping agricultural ecosystems. As warmer winters become more prevalent, snow droughts caused by insufficient snowfall are becoming more frequent. This leaves winter wheat, which relies on…
Ecology
190,000 baby trees in 25 years: Seedling census offers clues to what the future might hold for Michigan forests
The history of a forest might be measured by the trunks and branches looming overhead. But for some researchers at Michigan State University, a forest's future lies in what's growing…
Ecology
Shutting down federal bee labs threatens bees, beekeepers and the US food system
America's bees and beekeepers are losing a valuable ally just when they need its help most. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to soon close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center,…
Ecology
Trees in cattle pastures nearly double biodiversity across 15 countries, analysis shows
Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of tropical deforestation, but it is also a key livelihood for nearly 1 billion smallholder farmers. A global study by Justus Liebig University Giessen…
Ecology
California’s salmon fishery reopens after a population crash and three‑year closure, but that doesn’t mean all is well
Along the California coast, from Bodega Bay to Morro Bay, commercial fishing boats have started pulling in salmon for the first time in three years, and local salmon are once…
Ecology
‘Curious’ dolphin charms French town but experts concerned
A young bottlenose dolphin has taken up residence in the waters of the French beach town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, delighting locals and tourists while raising concerns about the animal's safety.
Ecology
Heat waves are destroying the sex lives of bees—new research
There is not yet much research on the effects of heat waves on bees. What little there is focuses on super extremes of weather that would kill an adult bee.
Ecology
Rattlesnakes among most vulnerable to fungal disease and parasitic lung infection
Snakes are threatened with extinction in many places around the globe. Disease, often caused by parasites or fungi, is thought to be one of the key factors alongside habitat destruction.…