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Ecology Current Events | Ecology News | 8
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Alligator egg development at prehistoric oxygen levels
The development of bone structures in alligator eggs raised under varying oxygen concentrations creates a link to fossil records of the evolution of vertebrates and prehistoric atmospheric oxygen concentrations, according to a paper to be presented at the Earth System Processes 2 meeting in Alberta, Canada. view more (2005-08-05)
The ecological equivalent of Ellis Island: from ancestry to biodiversity
For many ecologists, the start of the 21st century was bewildering due to a book by Steve Hubbell. Hubbell claimed that many patterns in nature could be explained by a simple theory stating that all species are equivalent in competition for resources. In a letter to Ecology Letters, Rampal Etienne and Han Olff from the University of Groningen in... view more... (2004-02-24)
All species are not created equal when assessing the impacts of species loss on ecosystems
Numerous studies have shown that when species are randomly lost from communities, ecosystem function declines. But such patterns of species loss do not reflect those in natural communities where major drivers of change, such as stress and disturbance, cause preferential loss of rare and uncommon species. In the June issue of Ecology Letters, Smith... view more... (2003-05-22)
Slowing insect resistance to genetically modified crops
Genetically modified Bt crops are now widely used in the USA. These crops contain genes from bacteria that make them toxic to some insect pests. A central concern in regulating these genetically modified crops is the risk of insects evolving resistance to the Bt toxins. To reduce this risk, the "high dose/refuge" strategy is now being used, in... view more... (2002-10-30)
Ambient light influences the evolution of colour signals
In light-contrasted ecosystems, ambient light and background colours influence the evolution of animal coloration. Because maximal conspicuousness is achieved for signals which are rich in the colours of ambient light but poorly reflected by background, different signals will be cryptic or conspicuous at different heights in tropical rainforest.... view more... (2004-03-18)
Blue tits love the smell of perfumed nests!
French birds love the smell of perfumed nests. In an article published this month in Ecology Letters, scientists from the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique report that a small cavity-nesting bird on the island of Corsica, the blue tit, adorns its nests with fragments of strongly perfumed plants, including lavender and mint. The chemical... view more... (2002-07-11)
Understanding, combating foodborne pathogens E. coli 0157 and salmonella
Understanding the ecology of two dangerous foodborne pathogens and devising ways to combat them is a big job. That's why Kansas State University has a team of seven researchers and six collaborators taking on E. coli 0157 and salmonella. view more (2007-10-17)
Predators: an overlooked player in plant-pollinator relationships
Biologists have long recognized that predators can help to shape ecological communities -- wolves promote the growth of young trees through predation on moose, otters keep kelp forests thriving by preying on sea urchins, etc. Yet we have seldom considered the consequences of predation on animals that help plants reproduce. Predation on pollinators... view more... (2003-08-13)
Biodiversity hotspots, centres of endemicity, and the conservation of coral reefs
Coral reefs are renowned for their spectacularly high biodiversity, yet there is widespread concern for their future in the face of threats from land-clearing, over-fishing and global warming. A new study published in Ecology Letters by Australian scientists - Terry Hughes, David Bellwood and Sean Connolly has shown that biodiversity hotspots on... view more... (2002-10-30)
Nitrogen pollution boosts plant growth in tropics by 20 percent
A study by UC Irvine ecologists finds that excess nitrogen in tropical forests boosts plant growth by an average of 20 percent, countering the belief that such forests would not respond to nitrogen pollution. view more (2008-02-07)
Nutrients cause increase in parasites and frog deformities
Extra and missing-legged frogs have become increasingly common in North American wetlands over the last decade. Research implicates a flatworm parasite, Ribeiroia ondatrae, as the culprit of these deformities. Reasons for the apparent increase in infection and malformations, however, have remained a mystery. In the July issue of Ecology Letters,... view more... (2004-06-10)
Alternative states in the ocean
Ecologists expect natural communities to vary. Occasionally, however, such variation can be severely abrupt and lead to formation of alternative and potentially persistent states. In the July issue of Ecology Letters, Paine and Trimble describe a dramatic assemblage shift on a rocky intertidal shore in Washington State (USA). The change was... view more... (2004-05-13)
Cougar predation key to ecosystem health
The general disappearance of cougars from a portion of Zion National Park in the past 70 years has allowed deer populations to dramatically increase, leading to severe ecological damage, loss of cottonwood trees, eroding streambanks, and declining biodiversity. view more (2006-10-25)
What are 3-D spider webs for?
The classic radial or "orb" spider web captures flying insects efficiently with a small amount of silk but such flat webs leave spiders exposed to their own predators. The derived "araneoid sheet web weavers" transformed the flat orb web into, usually, three-dimensional cobwebs and sheet webs. These webs surround spiders with tangles of silk that... view more... (2003-01-02)
Biodiversity and resilience of coral reefs
With over 3000 fish species, Indo-Pacific coral reefs represent one of the most diverse ecosystems on the globe. It is easy to assume that the loss of one or two species from these systems would have little impact. However, in an article in the April issue of Ecology Letters, Bellwood and colleagues document major changes in Indo-Pacific coral... view more... (2003-04-08)
Why does species diversity vary so much?
The diversity of life varies predictably with climate and is greatest where it is warm and wet (the humid tropics). But the question "why" has puzzled biologists for over a century. In the December issue of Ecology Letters, Currie and colleagues examine three hypotheses about the origin of climatic gradients of diversity. The... view more... (2005-01-11)
Not batty conservation
Noah had it easy. To weather the storm of impending disaster that would wipe-out life on earth, he simply protected a male and female of each species on the ark. Protecting contemporary biodiversity from the deluge of human activities that threaten life on earth is more difficult and requires a global network of reserves that includes all... view more... (2003-09-17)
To deter a predator, kill its young!
Prey have evolved a suite of tricks to avoid falling victim to a predator. They may escape, hide, protect, become toxic/inedible or defend themselves. In principle, they could also scare the predator away, but this is risky when predators are big. Recent work led by a Dutch research team and published in the July issue of Ecology Letters revealed... view more... (2002-07-11)
Looking beyond biodiversity to explain community invasibility
Most existing experimental and theoretical studies suggest that diversity is an effective barrier to plant invasion. However, these studies may be limited in their generality, because they involve relatively small numbers of species or examine only short time periods. To evaluate how invasions are controlled in more realistic situations, Meiners,... view more... (2004-02-05)
Mass flowering crops enhance pollinator densities at a landscape scale
The EU response to recent declines in pollinators and consequent loss of pollination services has been the inclusion of pollinator-friendly management in agri-environment schemes. These comprise the promotion of semi-natural habitats, such as set-aside and field margin strips. Yet, mass flowering crops, such as oilseed rape, are assumed to be of... view more... (2003-10-08)
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