Articles tagged with Evolutionary Ecology
A months-long literature search uncovered evidence that a microscopic aquatic parasite, Blastulidium paedophthorum, is a widespread and virulent multi-host parasite in southeastern Michigan lakes. The research found that the parasite significantly impacts host fecundity without reducing Daphnia lifespan.
A new study by University of Michigan graduate research fellow Micaela Martinez-Bakker reveals that silent transmission of poliovirus could continue for more than three years with no reported cases. To ensure eradication, aggressive surveillance programs and vaccination campaigns must continue in endemic countries.
A study led by Catarina Ferreira reveals that peer reviews in scientific research are subjective and variable in quality. The researcher proposes alternatives to improve the system, including standardizing review criteria, guidelines, and recognition of reviewers.
Researchers found that male and female banded mongooses discriminate between relatives and non-relatives to avoid inbreeding, with males directing mating effort towards less closely related females. The study suggests a previously unknown breeding system where both sexes avoid inbreeding when mating within their extended family group.
A recent study from the University of Exeter has discovered Gabon's coastline to host the largest breeding colony of olive ridley turtles in the Atlantic. The research reveals an estimated 9,800 turtle nests per year, highlighting the importance of continued conservation efforts for this vulnerable species.
A study published in Functional Ecology found that late-rising songbirds are more susceptible to being cuckolded, meaning they raise offspring fathered by other males. This suggests a potential role for sexual selection in shaping circadian traits in wild vertebrates.
A new study published in Behavioural Ecology found that elderly crickets' behavior becomes more entrenched with age, making them less responsive to changing environmental conditions. This suggests that older individuals may struggle to adapt to changes in climate, habitat, or diet, potentially affecting their survival prospects.
A new study analyzing over 460 conifer species found that the ancient pollination mechanism is gradually disappearing, leading to a loss of buoyant saccate pollen and droplet emission. Instead, species evolved new traits or lost existing ones, demonstrating 'stasis and release' in plant evolution.
Invasive species can spread rapidly due to rapid evolution, contradicting previous predictions. This accelerated invasion rate is crucial for understanding ecological and socio-economic impacts of invasive species.
Researchers found that 17beta-trenbolone alters male reproductive behavior in guppy fish, influencing mating success and potentially devastating long-term impacts. The study demonstrates the capacity of agricultural contaminants to disrupt mating systems in wild populations.
Researchers found that exposure to a common growth-promoting hormone affects the sexual behaviors of fish, altering male reproductive behavior in guppy fish. This has significant implications for individual populations and species, with potential devastating long-term evolutionary and ecological impacts.
New research reveals that cichlid fish courtship rituals evolve rapidly in response to feeding depth. Castle-building males live at shallower depths, while pit-digging males thrive at greater depths, driven by differences in eye structure and display behavior.
Historians re-examined the concept of ecological succession and found that forensic examiners recognized its predictability in carrion-arthropod succession by the late 1800s. This discovery predates plant ecology's widely cited examples from the early 1900s, highlighting multiple independent discovery.
A new study on echinoids shows that evolutionary rates were lowest at the group's onset and increased over time through bursts associated with changes in feeding strategies. This challenges traditional views of evolution, suggesting a more complex history for many clades.
Researchers found that European wild rabbits construct smaller, more densely packed burrows in urban areas than in rural settings. This suggests that cities provide a more suitable habitat for these animals, leading to concerns about their potential impact on rural populations and the preservation of the species.
A UCLA study finds that regulating body temperature is a crucial factor in zebra striping, controlling zebras' body temperature and protecting them from diseases carried by biting flies. The research provides the first evidence of thermoregulation as the main reason for stripes and patterns.
Researchers analyzed data from over 7,500 species of insect herbivores and found that most species specialize on a single type of plant, contradicting the assumption that generalist feeders are more common. This study has important implications for ecosystem management and conservation efforts.
Recent research on early hominid diets highlights the limitations of using modern technologies alone to understand their eating habits. A holistic approach is needed, considering factors such as habitat, anatomy, and cognitive abilities. This interdisciplinary method can provide a more accurate picture of our ancestors' diets.
Whole-organism performance capacities are subject to life-history trade-offs with other key determinants of fitness. This approach offers significant promise for understanding ecology and evolution of performance traits.
Researchers developed game-theoretical model to examine different incentive schemes, finding rewarding cooperative agents first leads to higher cooperation levels. The optimal strategy shifts to punishing wrongdoers after a sufficiently large proportion of agents cooperate, promoting highest level of cooperation at lowest cost.
A team of 100 researchers, led by Rutgers biologist Dr. Jessica Ware, has completed a groundbreaking two-year project to map the evolution of insects using molecular data. The study found that insects originated around 480 million years ago, contemporaneous with the earliest terrestrial plants, and developed wings before other animals.
Researchers mapped red fox ancestry across 1,000 individuals worldwide, revealing the species evolved into a new distinct species in North America after 400,000 years. The study suggests climate change and environmental shifts impacted global distribution.
A recent study supports Charles Darwin's insight that regions with deeper evolutionary histories are more likely to produce successful invaders. The 'Evolutionary Imbalance Hypothesis' (EIH) suggests that ecologists should consider historical evolutionary imbalance when analyzing invasiveness.
A group of researchers recommend applying evolutionary biology to combat modern threats, proposing gene therapies, drought-resistant crop varieties, and conservation strategies to protect land with high genetic diversity. This approach can help develop more robust solutions to societal problems and promote sustainable development.
The US National Science Foundation, NIH, and USDA have awarded over $12 million in new research grants to study the ecological and biological mechanisms behind human-induced environmental changes and infectious diseases. Researchers will investigate topics such as landscape structure on disease dynamics and host vaccinations' impact on...
A new study explores how biodiversity is developed and maintained, challenging a long-held theory on ecological niches. Researchers found that species can co-exist by reacting differently to resource fluctuations, but this mechanism may not be evolutionarily stable.
Research shows that warmer temperatures have led to narrower diets among butterflies moving north in response to climate change, potentially compromising their ability to adapt. In contrast, butterflies with more diverse diets may struggle to evolve new eating habits to cope with changing conditions.
A $440,000 grant-funded global project aims to protect remaining old-growth forests and promote sustainable reforestation through a multidisciplinary approach. Researchers from 14 countries will work together to understand factors leading to forest regrowth and provide tangible recommendations for policymakers.
Researchers urge caution when exploring/exploring the deepest parts of our oceans, highlighting the need for a 'happy balance' between use and environmental costs. The deep ocean is already experiencing impacts from human activities such as fishing, oil and gas development, and waste disposal.
Researchers explore how fluctuating sea levels impacted the Galapagos Islands' ecology over thousands of years. The study reveals that shallow 'land bridges' between volcanic outcroppings allowed landlocked species like snakes, geckos, and iguanas to thrive.
A study found that birds underwent rapid body size changes to exploit new ecological niches, while other dinosaur lineages stagnated. The team estimated the body mass of 426 species using leg bone thickness, revealing a prolonged period of high evolutionary rates in the lineage leading to birds.
A study found that dinosaurs showed rapid rates of body size evolution in early forms, but these slowed down over time. However, the evolutionary line leading to birds continued to change size at this rate for 170 million years, producing new ecological diversity not seen in other dinosaurs.
Jiang and DeAngelis' theoretical paper explores how species modify their environment to gain benefits, affecting community diversity. Their work is likely to foster further research and generate hypotheses for experimental studies.
Research by UCSB professor Hillary Young finds that large wildlife decline leads to an increase in rodent populations, resulting in more fleas and a higher risk of human disease. The study's findings highlight the importance of protecting large and at-risk wildlife species to mitigate this risk.
Researchers found that some polar bears in the western Hudson Bay population are using flexible foraging strategies, such as prey-switching and eating plants and animals. This behavior may help them survive in a rapidly changing environment where sea ice is melting earlier and freezing later.
A Syracuse University biologist has developed a system to track ships and monitor underwater noise levels in a protected marine mammal habitat. The techniques focus on the bottlenose dolphin population in Scotland's Moray Firth, where increasing shipping activity may negatively impact resident marine mammals.
The new journal will cover a range of topics in ecology and evolution, including agroecology, behavioral and evolutionary ecology, and phylogenetics. It will be an interdisciplinary platform for researchers to share their findings, with open access publishing and fast publication.
A CU-Boulder study finds that poorly camouflaged insects can affect their broader ecological community when the appearance of the bug is mismatched with the plant it's living on. This can lead to a cascade of ecological impacts, including increased predation by birds and a subsequent decrease in arthropod populations.
Research by UBC evolutionary ecologist Rob Colautti found that invasive plants can rapidly evolve to local climates, increasing reproduction and fitness. This adaptation allows them to thrive in northern Ontario and potentially respond to climate change.
Researchers developed a new state-space model to analyze fish movement data collected by marine observation networks. The model quantifies uncertainty associated with imperfect locating systems, providing better information for marine conservation activities.
In a study of gray tree frogs, females preferred calls that were longer and more frequent, which is a challenging task. The findings support the multitasking hypothesis, suggesting that high-quality males can produce multiple signals at once.
A University of Arizona-led study has provided the first on-the-ground evidence that Southwestern plants are being pushed to higher elevations by an increasingly warmer and drier climate. Plant communities were found to be different 50 years ago due to individual species shifting their ranges independently.
A new series of articles in the American Journal of Botany explores how plants respond to climate change, providing insights into plant biology, ecology, and evolution. The studies reveal complex relationships between plants and wide-scale biological changes.
A new study shows that fisheries-induced evolution can lead to faster growth and earlier maturation in fish, potentially harming or helping fisheries. Optimally harvesting Northeast Arctic cod stocks could increase sustainable yields over 30% greater than today by allowing evolution to aid the economic interests of fishers
Scientists discuss spillover of infectious diseases among wildlife, domestic animals and people; find links between environment and human health. The symposia will address human influences on viral and bacterial diseases through alteration of landscapes and ecological processes.
Researchers at Michigan State University developed comprehensive evolutionary case studies to improve student understanding of evolution. Students who grasped integrated scenarios performed better on tests about evolution in general, suggesting that this approach enhances overall knowledge.
Researchers at University of Arizona's Tumamoc Hill have digitized 106 years of growth data on individual plants, offering new insights into how ecosystems behave. The permanent research plots represent the world's longest-running study monitoring individual plants.
A recent study found that climate change disrupts the seasonal timing of songbirds, but density-dependent processes are helping to mitigate this effect by allowing some birds to survive and reproduce despite earlier or later food availability. This temporary rescue is buying time for evolutionary adaptation.
A UCI study has found that Southern California sagebrush populations are more adaptable to climate change than those in the north. The researchers transplanted sagebrush from sites along the California coast to a test garden, measuring its responses to altered precipitation and long-term climate data.
Scientists used DNA extracted from insects' stomachs to identify the plants they eat, with results matching prior observations and taking significantly less time. This study provides a new method for understanding plant-herbivore interactions and has implications for biodiversity research.
A new research study published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution found that methods used by amateur citizen scientists compare well with traditional scientific methods for monitoring species diversity. The study detected greater marine diversity using a volunteer technique than traditional scientific surveys in the same waters.
Researchers developed a model that calculates how temperature changes affect parasite metabolism and life cycle, helping to predict disease ranges. The Princeton metabolic model can identify prospects for nearly any disease-causing parasite, even with limited knowledge of the organism.
To feed the world, Paul Ehrlich advocates for a bottom-up movement focusing on agricultural and demographic planning to address overpopulation and overconsumption. Giving women equal rights is a crucial first step in this effort.
Researchers predict significant changes in summer ranges of endangered Indiana bats due to climate change. Suitable habitats are expected to shift to the northeastern US and Appalachian Mountains.
A recent study finds that uncontrolled blazes in the Peruvian Amazon are driven by depopulation, increased road networks, and drought, leading to devastating forest, farm, and village losses. Researchers suggest that government policies promoting oil palm plantations could help mitigate these effects.
Entomologists at UC Riverside reconstructed the evolutionary history of assassin bugs using molecular, paleontological, behavioral, and ecological data. The new phylogeny reveals that kissing bugs originated around 27-32 million years ago, contradicting previous estimates, and suggests a single origin or two separate but close origins.
A 5-year study found that removing insects from the environment can cause plants to quickly lose defensive traits, such as anti-moth chemicals and temporal blooms. This rapid evolution is driven by natural selection, with successful varieties emerging when moths are absent.
Dr. Douglas J. Futuyma, a renowned evolutionary biologist, will receive the Joseph Leidy Award for his outstanding research and ability to communicate complex ideas to scientists and students alike. The symposium on biodiversity will explore current and future research on the diversity of life with a focus on evolutionary biology.
James Elser, an ASU ecologist, has been elected president of the global aquatic sciences organization, ASLO. He will focus on addressing pressing issues related to freshwater sustainability and promoting sustainable agricultural practices to reduce pollution.
The Ecological Society of America honored eight scientists with prestigious awards for their outstanding contributions to ecology, including Robert Naiman and Janet Lanza. The awards recognize meritorious research, teaching, and service to the field of ecology.