Articles tagged with Ecological Communities
The study reveals that early animal communities exhibited complex ecological structures more than 550 million years ago, setting the stage for the Cambrian explosion. The analysis of metacommunity structure suggests competitive exclusion as the cause of the diversity drop in the late Ediacaran period.
A remote Irish community endured a millennium of climate change and ecological shifts without significant disruption, thanks to its adaptable social practices. The study, published in PLOS ONE, analyzed peat core data to infer environmental and human occupation changes over 1,000 years.
Researchers developed global forecasts that can provide up to a year's notice of marine heatwaves, which can dramatically affect ocean ecosystems. The forecasts help fishing fleets, ocean managers, and coastal communities anticipate the effects of marine heatwaves, reducing ecological and economic impacts.
Human activity on Hainan Island is causing changes in the body shapes and diets of tropical birds, resulting in biotic homogenisation. Despite efforts to protect biodiversity, the island's unique ecosystem is being affected by large-scale economic and land-use changes.
A 12-year longitudinal study in Israel reveals that controlling stray cat populations requires continuous and intensive neutering of at least 70% of street cats. The study also suggests implementing a policy to control cat food resources, ensuring cats are properly fed before neutering, to mitigate rebound effects.
A team of researchers discovered that a single gene, AOP2, plays a critical role in maintaining species diversity in an ecosystem. The study found that mutations at this gene can dramatically alter the structure and function of an ecosystem.
Assistant Professor Emily Cohen at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science received a $750,000 NSF CAREER Award to study migrating birds as communities. This research aims to fill critical gaps in understanding animal migration by considering migratory animals as networks of ecological interactions.
Researchers studied Paradise, California's response to the 2018 Camp Fire. They found that community responses vary greatly due to distinct fire and demographic characteristics.
The DNAqua-Net team developed a practical guide for implementing DNA-based biomonitoring tools, considering four sample types and two primary analysis types. The guide sets out scientific consensus and trade-offs, addressing logistics, time, and budget constraints.
A new study by Oregon State University reveals that ecological communities on the Oregon coast are being subtly destabilized by climate change, despite appearing to be stress-resistant. The communities have grown less stable for at least a decade, with increasing variability in their structure and recovery patterns.
A recent study in Frontiers in Marine Science has found over 100 underwater animal species thriving on a 2,200-year-old Mediterranean shipwreck. The 'ecological memory' of the wreck provides valuable insights into how marine animals colonize empty sites and form diverse communities.
Researchers found that most coralline algae are negatively impacted by ocean acidification, with decreases in abundance and calcification rates. However, some species, like those in the family Mesophyllumaceae, appear to be more resilient to ocean acidification.
Researchers found that in dry years, birds funnel into riparian environments due to increased greenness, leading to overcrowding and decreased bird populations. The study highlights the importance of understanding how birds respond to climate change for conservation purposes.
A unique form of English rewilding is emerging as domesticated and scaled-down compared to global efforts. This approach requires human intervention to restore ecological function and increase biodiversity.
Researchers at the University of Hawaii found that coral reef community structure changes in response to ocean warming and acidification, but total biodiversity remains stable. The tiny organisms living within the reef matrix, known as cryptobiota, play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and food web dynamics.
A new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo found that Indigenous fire stewardship increases biodiversity and ecosystem heterogeneity across all major terrestrial biomes. Cultural burning reduces risks of interface fires and has important cultural practices for resource management, community protection, and cultural purposes.
Scientists have developed a world-first method to detect 'novel' communities of species, which are associated with increased extinction rates. Novel ecological communities are characterized by unique combinations of species that differ from past observations at the same site.
A new study by Swansea University found that environmental factors such as sea surface temperature and cold water upwelling events significantly impact the structure of interaction networks in marine intertidal communities. The researchers analyzed data from 970km of shoreline and discovered that these abiotic drivers modulate species ...
Research suggests that considering multiple types of interactions between species is key to understanding how ecosystems work. The study found that removing species can have a greater impact on ecosystem function when different kinds of interactions are taken into account.
Representative John Yarmuth receives the ESA Regional Policy Award for his advocacy on clean water, environmental stewardship, and climate change. The award recognizes his use of ecological science to inform policy decisions.
A University of Oklahoma team has developed a mathematical framework for quantitatively assessing ecological diversity in dynamic communities. The framework, which considers both deterministic and stochastic forces, provides a robust tool for ecologists to evaluate the relative contribution of these forces.
Researchers studying lionfish ear-bones found that these fish are more mobile than previously believed, moving at least once throughout their life. This discovery has implications for managing the invasive species, as understanding habitat choice can inform effective removal and conservation efforts.
Researchers found that fully linked networks between social actors and ecological resources improve ecological conditions. Building community capacity through communication and trust can also lead to better outcomes for coral reef fisheries.
By combining fossil occurrence data with social network analysis, researchers identified distinct associations of ancient marine animal life and investigated the representation of these communities over geologic time. This approach enabled the quantification of ecological impacts of mass extinctions and major ecological shifts.
A study spanning twelve years reveals that natural ecological communities are dynamic and influenced by species diversity and interactions. The researchers developed a method to calculate the fluctuating stability of a natural ecological community in Maizuru Bay, providing new methodologies for ecological and population research.
Researchers developed a novel method to infer microbial interactions using steady-state data, avoiding perturbations and potential ethical concerns. The approach allows for accurate network inference without requiring population dynamics modeling, enabling better understanding of microbial ecosystems.
A 20-year demographic study of wild chimpanzees in Uganda's Kibale National Park revealed that favorable ecological conditions, including abundant food supplies and low predation risk, drive high life expectancy. The study establishes an average life expectancy of about 33 years, nearly twice as high as other chimpanzee communities.
In a study, magpies won the race for Cheetos, completing tasks faster than crows. However, crows stole food more frequently, suggesting that the smaller birds may not compensate with increased foraging efforts. The findings highlight the complex relationship between competition and cooperation in urban ecosystems.
Researchers used fossil data to analyze stability of ecological communities before and during the Permian-Triassic Extinction. The study found that locally stable webs increased while diversity richness declined. Stability was attributed to functional organization within species groups, not biodiversity loss.
A new assessment tool evaluates fisheries' ecological health alongside economic and community benefits, revealing surprising results. Alaska salmon ranks high in ecology but low in economics and community performance, while Colombian artisanal shrimp performs well in community impact despite low ecological stock levels.
Research by Jayanth Banavar, Igor Volkov, and Amos Maritan provides a mathematically stronger framework for Hubbell's Neutral Theory of Biodiversity, explaining patterns of relative species abundance and biogeography. The study rebuts criticisms and sheds light on the long-standing problem in island biogeography.
Paul Ehrlich was named Eminent Ecologist by the Ecological Society of America (ESA) in 2001. The award recognizes his groundbreaking work on population biology and coevolution. Ehrlich is a leader in developing conservation biology as a discipline.
A 2000 study found that olive oil consumption was associated with a decreased risk of bowel cancer, regardless of the amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet. The protective effect may be due to olive oil's ability to reduce bile acid production and increase diamine oxidase enzyme activity.
A symposium by the Ecological Society of America explores the delicate balance between the benefits and risks of genetically engineered organisms. The discussion will cover case studies on engineered plants, arthropods as tools in disease control, and risk assessment in ecosystems.
A recycling plan devised by Cornell University students aims to save restaurant scraps from landfills and send them to compost piles, boosting community greenhouse-gardens. Seven restaurants have expressed interest in composting their food scraps, and a pilot study is underway.