Ecology

Some deeper areas of the Great Barrier Reef are insulated from harmful heat waves—but that protection will be lost if global warming continues, according to new research.... Read more

Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are a critically endangered species of salamander. The species has only one natural habitat remaining, a series of canals in Mexico City, and only 50 to 1,000 axolotls are estimated to be left living there.... Read more

Wasp scientists around the globe agree that media coverage of wasps skews negative and almost entirely overlooks their beneficial attributes, reports a team led by UCL researchers.... Read more

The South African government has officially confirmed that captive lion farms will be shut down. A new ministerial task team report just released has cemented the government's intention, first made public in 2021, to put an end to African lions being legally sold and traded live, both internationally and domestically.... Read more

A thick bloom of jellyfish of varying hues drifts in the turquoise waters of Aragua in Venezuela, a surreal vision attributed to climate change that has decimated fishing stocks.... Read more

A team of Department of Energy scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released the first-ever dataset bridging molecular information about the poplar tree microbiome to ecosystem-level processes. The project aims to inform research regarding how natural systems function, their vulnerability to a changing climate, and, ultimately, how plants... Read more

For millions of years, underground fungi have lived in symbiosis with plant roots. Plants provide photosynthesized carbon, while fungi deliver water and nutrients. In order to do so, these organisms share space at the cellular scale: fungi stretch a network of tendrils called arbuscules into a plant's root cells, and... Read more

There is something shocking about trying to save one species by killing nearly half a million of another species. That's what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed in a plan to save the spotted owls of the northwestern United States from extinction by shooting hundreds of thousands of... Read more

A new Javan rhinoceros calf has been spotted at an Indonesian national park, giving hope for the conservation of one of the world's most endangered mammals.... Read more

More than 150 years ago, a San Francisco whaler noticed something about killer whales that scientists may be about to formally recognize—at least in name.... Read more

South Africa's government is calling for public comments on an updated version of its existing biodiversity economy plan.... Read more

Tens of thousands of endangered salmon being transported by truck to a US river miraculously survived a road crash by escaping into a nearby creek, officials said.... Read more

The Common Loon, an icon of the northern wilderness, is under threat from climate change due to reduced water clarity, according to a new study authored by Chapman University professor, Walter Piper. The study, published April 1 in Ecology, followed up an earlier paper that showed a substantial reproductive decline... Read more

A new study has confirmed that the invasive A. yasumatsui, known as Cycad Aulacaspis Scale (CAS), stands alone as the greatest threat to the existence of the Cycas micronesica species. The endemic cycad species to Micronesia has thrived in the region for 9,000 years but is now threatened with extinction... Read more

The human gut is full of microbes. Some microbes can make people sick, while others are responsible for balancing gut health. But humans aren't the only species whose health depends on these microorganisms. Coral reef ecosystems rely on microorganisms to recycle organic matter and nutrients. These cells also help feed... Read more