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Plant viruses from past provide ecological clues
Taking the medical history of a grassland may seem a bit esoteric - after all, how sick can grass be? However, scientists have discovered plant viruses from as early as 1917 containing information crucial not only for plant scientists, but for those in ecology, human health and bioterrorism.   view more (2007-10-09)

Ecological replacement of native red squirrels by invasive greys driven by disease
The traditional explanation for the replacement of the native red squirrel by the introduced grey over much of the United Kingdom is that the grey out-competes the red for food resources. A new study published in the March issue of Ecology Letters demonstrates that a virus introduced with the grey may also be a crucial component. The research team... view more... (2003-03-11)

WHEN AN EARTHWORM DOES AS MUCH DAMAGE TO SOILS AS A BULLDOZER
The transformation of wet tropical forest into pastures causes profound changes in the physical structure of soils by favouring compaction. Such densification asphyxiates the soil. It is generally attributed to the compression caused by heavy machinery used for deforestation and in the creation of pastures and subsequently to trampling by cattle.... view more... (1999-05-11)

Could Bt transgenic crops have nutritionally favourable effects on insects?
Researchers from Imperial College, England have just shown in a forthcoming article in the journal Ecology Letters, that insect larvae can use an engineered toxin (Cry1Ac) as a supplementary food source. They found that toxin-resistant larvae of the Diamondback Moth developed faster and had a greater pupal weight in the presence of the toxin.... view more... (2003-03-12)

Saving our bees
Most of the world's plant species rely on animals to transfer their pollen to other plants. The undisputed queen of these animal pollinators is the bee, made up of about 30,000 species worldwide, whose daily flights aid in the reproduction of more than half of the world's flowering plants.   view more (2008-08-04)

Are walruses right-handed?
Walruses are 'right-flippered', according to research published this week in BMC Ecology. The first study of walrus feeding behaviour in the wild showed that the animals preferentially use their right flipper to remove sediment from buried food. This is the first time that any aquatic animal has been shown to prefer using one flipper to the other... view more... (2003-10-17)

Should Opposites Attract? - Bird Success Depends On Personality
Your personality determines how successful you are, in both survival and reproduction. Personality is to a large extent hereditary and also influences partner choice. Biologists from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) found this in great tits. The research project on the evolution of personalities will be finalised this month. Why do... view more... (2003-11-07)

Great tits can reduce caterpillar damage in apple orchards
The potential contribution of vertebrate predators to biological control in orchards has been largely overlooked to date. A few studies have shown that birds reduce numbers of pests, but data are scarce on the effects on the pattern or timing of damage. Consequently, the practical value of birds as biocontrol agents remains unclear.   view more (2002-11-26)

ESF to launch eight more scientific programmes
They are:   view more (1998-11-30)

Opening a can of worms: Serendipitous discovery reveals earthworms more diverse than first thought
Scientists have found that the UK's common or garden earthworms are far more diverse than previously thought, a discovery with important consequences for agriculture.   view more (2008-10-10)

Ecological significance of tool-use in the woodpecker finch Cactospiza pallida
The Woodpecker finch, one of 14 Darwin`s finches of the Galapagos Islands, uses twigs or cactus spines to pry insects and spiders out of tree-holes. The advantage of using tools may seem evident, but empirical evidence is scarce. In a paper soon to appear in Ecology Letters, Tebbich and colleagues present the first study on the ecological... view more... (2002-09-09)

Which came first, the moth or the cactus?
It's not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket- unless you're a senita moth.   view more (2007-08-15)

Exalted status for the humble earthworm
In the week following the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, international attention will be focused on Cardiff and the ecological importance of earthworms in temperate and tropical ecosystems. Considered sacred by Cleopatra, earthworms undoubtedly promote the sustainability of soils. The earthworm's status as one of the world's most crucial organisms... view more... (2002-08-28)

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)

Good housekeeping: why do shelter-dwelling caterpillars fling their frass?
Caterpillars of the silver-spotted skipper butterfly ballistically eject their individual fecal pellets (frass) as far as 40 body lengths away from their resting places in leaf shelters. Why do these and many other shelter-dwelling caterpillars go to such great lengths to distance themselves from their waste? In a paper to appear in the April... view more... (2003-04-08)

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)

Stimulating markets for beef and lamb
The Institute of Ecology and Resource Management (IERM) at the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Quality Beef and Lamb Association (SQBLA) have formed a research partnership within the EU CRAFT Programme - Technology Stimulation Measures for SMEs. A project developed under this programme "Marketing Red Meat in the European Union: Extending... view more... (2000-01-20)

European mines pose a fluid problem - European scientists are formulating conclusions for mine-water management right now
Next to mine waste, water contamination by mines poses a problem to which far less attention is paid to. Today and tomorrow the group of European scientists of the ERMITE project are gathered at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). On this very moment, they formulate their guidelines for new European legislation and sustainable water... view more... (2003-09-04)

Seeing the wood for the trees: research reveals the survival secrets of forest trees
Species extinction or `biodiversity loss` has accelerated at an alarming rate over the past century. Although much of the blame has been laid at the door of human activity, biologists are looking at the factors that influence how species-particularly similar species-co-exist, in their efforts to better understand how the balance of species can be... view more... (2002-05-30)

Model successfully predicts large river system fish diversity
While scientists have developed methods to predict aspects of fish diversity in specific river locations, a model to understand what factors may drive a comprehensive suite of fish biodiversity patterns in a large and complex system of rivers has been elusive.   view more (2008-05-09)
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