Browsing Tag
Biodiversity
16 posts
Megafauna: The Legacy of Earth’s Giants
Ancient megafauna, including elephants, giant wombats, and ground sloths, once shaped ecosystems. Human expansion triggered their extinction, causing significant ecosystem changes. Surviving species have dwindled, with many now facing extinction threats.
Complex Green Life: How It Evolved a Billion Years Ago?
Land plants boast the most intricate structures among all photosynthetic organisms. Scientists, spearheaded by the University of Göttingen, have delved into the evolutionary past of morphological complexity within streptophytes, a group encompassing land plants and various green algae.
How City Life Helps Darwin’s Finches Survive a Deadly Parasite?
Researchers are diligently combating a blood-sucking fly wreaking havoc on populations of the iconic finches pivotal to Charles Darwin's formulation of the theory of evolution.
Ants Show the Importance of Plant Diversity
Biofuels, touted as a renewable energy solution, face criticism for their potential role in biodiversity loss. The cultivation of a select few high-yield crops for fuel raises concerns about the impact on the variety of species in cropping systems, which include the specific crops grown, their sequence, and management practices on a given field.
Surprising Insights from a Study on Human-Insect Interactions
Insects and spiders frequently escape our notice unless we find ourselves swatting them away. Despite their low profile in our daily lives, these arthropods—characterized by a rigid exoskeleton and segmented legs—play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystems upon which humans depend. Astonishingly, arthropods constitute a staggering 84% of the entire spectrum of known animal species.
Dazzling Diversity and Complexity Unveiled in the Earliest Eukaryote Fossils
Australia's Northern Territory witnesses a serene mudflat at sunset, with a young moon gracing the horizon, and a unique microbial community thriving in the desolation. This ancient landscape, void of visible life, holds a microscopic ecosystem that echoes the ancestry of life on Earth.
Exploring Satellite Biases: Revealing Distortions in Observing Earth’s Greenery and Shadows
Throughout numerous decades, scientists have harnessed satellite data to evaluate the vitality and verdancy of Earth's vegetation. This invaluable information has not only shaped our comprehension but has also played a pivotal role in guiding decisions on critical matters ranging from sustainable crop cultivation to responses to climate change.
Potential Threats from Invasive Species in Florida Identified by Study
In a pioneering study for North America, scientists have compiled a list of potential invasive species for Florida. Among these species, researchers have identified 40 that pose the greatest threat to the region.
The Surprising Complexity of Strange Gut Microorganisms
The dietary choices of protists play a pivotal role in shaping their interactions with bacteria and have consequential effects on host immunity.
Managing the Environmental Commons with a Grassroots Framework
Sustainability scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have introduced a community-based framework, outlined in the journal PLOS ONE. This innovative framework relies on extensive local and traditional knowledge, providing a method to evaluate and address ecological threats that are widespread across diverse landscapes and lack immediately apparent solutions.