Articles tagged with Biodiversity
A new study of 1960s maps created by young people has provided important insights into the timing and extent of habitat losses in England and Wales. The analysis revealed a significant decline in semi-natural habitats, including rough grassland, heath, and wetland, which have lost 42% of their original area over the past 90 years.
A new study from the University of Exeter suggests that collaborating with local communities is key to effective management of urban green spaces. By understanding how communities use and value these areas, local governments can create biodiverse and resilient spaces that support nature and public wellbeing.
A new study found that medieval European societies supported plant diversity around Lake Constance, driven by agricultural practices and land management. Researchers integrated fossil pollen data with historical records to reconstruct the region's 4000-year history of biodiversity change.
The University of Oxford has launched the Nature's Intelligence Studio, a programme that translates principles from biological systems into technologies supporting sustainable innovation. The studio aims to align conservation and industrial decarbonisation through bio-inspired solutions.
A recent study published in Global Change Biology found that functional diversity helps keep forest growth stable during prolonged periods of drought. Trees with different water-use strategies show stronger growth in drought years than those with opposite strategies.
A new study reveals that grassland degradation increases soil microbial diversity while reducing plant richness, leading to a decline in ecosystem functioning and multifunctionality. The research highlights the critical importance of conserving soil microbial communities for sustainable restoration of degraded grasslands.
Chameleons have two long, coiled optic nerves that enable their remarkable ability to look in two different directions at once. Researchers used CT scanning technology to visualize the hidden structure, revealing a unique trait not seen in any other lizard.
A global dataset of orchid-fungal associations reveals that an orchid's fungal community is driven more strongly by its ecophysiology and biogeography than by its phylogeny. The study provides new insights into the global patterns and drivers of orchid mycorrhizal interactions.
Researchers have identified three new species of tree-dwelling toads from Africa that skip the tadpole phase and give birth to live toadlets. This rare reproductive strategy is found in less than 1% of frog species, making these toads exceptionally interesting.
Research explores connections between Arctic land and sea, revealing how polar bears' health impacts Arctic fox populations and tundra prey. A study also finds that beaver restoration could boost fire and water resilience in California's Sierra Nevada by storing up to 120 million cubic meters of surface water.
A new species of sea anemone has been discovered building shell-like homes for hermit crabs. The anemone secretes a carcinoecium that expands and reinforces the crab's shell, forming a mutualistic relationship between the two species.
A new species of Physalia jellyfish has been discovered in northeast Japan, prompting questions about the distribution and movement of marine organisms. The study suggests that warm ocean currents may be transporting surface-drifting marine organisms to previously unrecorded areas.
Researchers evaluate ways to redesign land use and nature conservation using integrated approaches to meet ecological, social, and economic goals. Multifunctional landscapes can promote biodiversity, food production, climate regulation, and human well-being.
The Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention Related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities has been established to elevate the role and contributions of these groups. The body aims to promote greater environmental democracy, with women and youth expertise being reflected in its work.
A new Oxford-led study reveals Africa's wildlife ecosystems are running on less than two-thirds of their natural energy, posing risks to biodiversity and the livelihoods that depend on it. The research uses an ecosystem energetics approach to quantify how energy flows through food webs, finding that smaller species now dominate Africa'...
A new study reveals that land-use change was the primary cause of biodiversity loss on Mount Kilimanjaro's lower slopes over the last century. Human activities such as population growth and economic development led to a decline in plant species diversity, with up to 75% lost per square kilometer.
A collaborative research team analyzed historical museum specimens of the Asian honeybee, revealing a significant decline in genetic diversity and a potential link to pesticide use. The study suggests that pesticide exposure may be driving rapid evolutionary changes in the species.
Researchers at Kyoto University used LiDAR to measure the crown structure of 4,326 canopy trees across 23 forest census plots in Japan. The analysis revealed that canopy trees account for about 75% of total forest biomass across diverse forest types, providing a foundation for estimating total forest biomass and supporting sustainable ...
Under climate change scenarios, backyard birders in South Africa can still appreciate diverse bird species, but declining biodiversity and climate change may reduce birding opportunities in protected public parks. The study found that cultural ecosystem services, like birding, have non-market value and are essential to human well-being.
A new study from Iceland's Surtsey island reveals that birds played a crucial role in colonizing the island by carrying seeds in their guts or droppings. This challenges traditional beliefs about plant dispersal, highlighting the importance of bird-animal interactions in shaping ecosystems.
Research at the University of Jyväskylä found that intensive forest management leads to habitat loss and reduced biodiversity in Finland. Harvesting still occurs in forests with high biodiversity values, highlighting the need for better protection.
Researchers found that increased canopy structural complexity drives positive biodiversity-productivity relationships in forests. Complementary use of canopy space by tree species enhances productivity and strengthens over time.
Plant functional diversity varies greatly depending on seasonal cycles and wet-dry periods, according to a new study that analyzed 4,000 satellite images. The researchers used AI algorithms to derive plant traits from the images and calculated quantitative measures of functional diversity.
The East Asian Summer Monsoon has shaped the genomic evolution of Engelhardia species through significant variations in genome size and gene number. Phylogenomic analyses reveal divergence between evergreen and deciduous lineages around 52 Mya, coinciding with EASM intensification.
Research from Umeå University reveals that natural barriers shape the flow of water and hinder plant dispersal in rivers shaped by the last Ice Age. The study found no clear correlations between drainage area and channel width, or consistent increase in plant species diversity downstream.
Recent studies using portable nanopore sequencing technologies document and sequence Amazonian wildlife, increasing representation of Peruvian species in global genetic libraries. This initiative empowers conservationists to generate their own data, making informed decisions to combat species extinction.
The IPBES report highlights five strategies to achieve transformative change: incorporating culture and ecology into conservation efforts, integrating biodiversity concerns into economic sectors, reforming governments, shifting societal values, and promoting incremental changes. The authors emphasize the urgent need for concerted effor...
Researchers found that species diversity is highest in landscapes with 60% unmanaged forests and 40% intensively managed forests. Extensively managed forests contribute little to support species richness, but improving their ecological performance can help maintain forest biodiversity.
A new framework for flexible data collection has been developed by Masumi Hisano, allowing for counts to take place in various settings, including cities and daily routines. This approach can help increase sample size and provide valuable insights into bird species assemblage datasets linked to landscape characteristics.
A groundbreaking study found that mosses, often overlooked as mere background scenery, play a crucial role in storing carbon and stabilizing soil in subtropical forests. By including bryophytes in ecosystem assessments, scientists can identify cost-effective, nature-based solutions for climate change.
Researchers have identified distinct genetic adaptations in European cisco populations adapted to fresh, saline, or brackish water, as well as varying spawning times. These findings can inform sustainable management practices and improve our understanding of the impact of environmental factors on roe quality.
Researchers have discovered fossilized lime blossoms and bumble bees from 24-million-year-old sediments, showing that ancient bumble bees were key pollinators of linden trees. The findings provide insights into the evolution of flower-pollinator interactions and offer valuable lessons for understanding ecosystems.
A new species of Diploderma lizard, Diploderma bifluviale, has been described from the upper Dadu River Valley in the Hengduan mountains of Sichuan Province. The species exhibits unique characteristics, such as a wheat-colored tongue and distinct coloration, and is found in semi-arid shrublands at elevations of 2,100 to 2,500 m.
Researchers at the University of Göttingen argue that creating diverse landscapes with various habitats is necessary for biodiversity preservation. Habitat diversity can include arable land, natural areas, and structures like nesting sites, promoting species movement and reduced extinction risk.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have discovered a unique hybrid bird that combines characteristics of green and blue jays, sparking insights into the impact of climate change on biodiversity. The finding sheds light on how changes in weather patterns can lead to unexpected species interactions.
Research finds fish diversity declining in arid regions of US and Australia due to reduced water availability. Climate change is also affecting these ecosystems, but the study's findings suggest multiple stressors are at play.
Researchers developed computational tools to analyze ecological data, identifying functionally equivalent species across different ecosystems. These tools use optimal transport distances to compare network structures, allowing for large-scale monitoring of ecosystem health and guiding conservation efforts.
Researchers discover new parasitoid wasp species, Heinrichiellus natgeo, in honor of the National Geographic Society. The tiny insect plays a crucial role in regulating insect pest populations and is found in remote areas of India.
A new white paper urges placing biodiversity at the heart of the UN Pact for the Future, highlighting its essential role in food security, public health, and climate stability. The authors propose a global alliance to integrate biodiversity conservation into the core priorities of the UN Summit of the Future.
Researchers analyzed seeds from a now-extinct plant population on Nishinoshima, tracing its lineage to nearby Chichijima island. The study found distinct genetic traits and a strong founder's effect due to limited seed dispersal opportunities.
The IUCN Microbial Conservation Specialist Group is a new coalition of experts aiming to integrate microbiology into global biodiversity governance. The group's priorities include building a global network, mapping microbial conservation hotspots, developing microbe-specific Red List criteria, and mapping existing projects.
A study by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology researchers found that 79% of endemic ant species in Fiji are declining over the past few hundred years, coinciding with European contact and modern agricultural techniques. In contrast, non-native ant species are exploding in population.
A new study shows that human pressure is driving the loss of large fruit-eating animals and their plant partners with big seeds, leading to smaller seed sizes and altered forest structure. The researchers found that increased human footprint is associated with smaller maximum seed sizes in plant communities.
A recent study reveals that African forest habitats maintain a species-rich Pimplinae fauna compared to nearby farmland, making them valuable for conserving unknown dark biodiversity. The research also suggests that parasitoid wasps occupy a high position in food webs and are vulnerable to biodiversity loss.
A new study found that many Arctic-breeding waterfowl species can reduce their migration time by shortening fuelling periods, allowing them to arrive earlier in the Arctic. However, this strategy may only work for a limited time as the clock ticks away due to current rates of Arctic warming.
Dr. Julian Schrader will investigate the interaction between climate change and plant species spread on islands using a 1.5 million euro grant. He aims to close the knowledge gap on migration processes and their consequences for species communities.
The Earth BioGenome Project aims to create a digital library of DNA sequences to preserve and protect life on Earth. The project has revealed a refined strategy to scale up the sequencing of 150,000 species, accelerating biodiversity research and global conservation.
The Earth BioGenome Project aims to create a digital library of DNA sequences to preserve and protect life on Earth. With over 2,200 scientists in 88 countries, the project is making discoveries that could help assure food security and advance medicine.
The Kunming Manifesto proposes pathways to unlock agrobiodiversity's benefits, addressing food waste, environmental externalities, and social inequalities. Experts emphasize the need for a paradigm-bending power shift toward Indigenous and local communities to ensure agrobiodiversity thrives.
Researchers have developed a method to reconstruct functional diversity of past ecosystems from fossils, enabling conservationists to compare healthy ecosystems with modern counterparts that have been altered by humans. This information can be used to set restoration and protection goals for endangered species.
Empirical evidence shows that land sharing and land sparing strategies alone are insufficient for balancing agricultural production with biodiversity conservation. Context-specific combinations of both approaches yield the best results, according to a meta-analysis published in PNAS Nexus.
A study in Nature Communications reveals that older species typically have larger geographical ranges, except for island dwellers. On the mainland, this relationship holds true, while on islands, younger species can attain larger ranges due to unique environmental dynamics.
Research suggests that black-tailed prairie dogs can reduce wildfire behavior by altering landscape features and promoting the growth of fire-resistant vegetation. By incorporating prairie dog activity into fire behavior models, land managers could develop more effective strategies for prevention and mitigation.
A new R package, phylolm.hp, extends the averaged shared variance concept to phylogenetic generalized linear models, accounting for correlated predictors. This allows for more accurate quantification of each variable's contribution, overcoming multicollinearity effects.
A study found that Finnish moth communities are becoming increasingly dominated by warm-adapted species, while cold-adapted species in the north face rapid declines. This thermophilisation is driven by local disappearance of cold-adapted species, with southern Finland experiencing an influx of new warm-adapted species.
Researchers have recorded the sliteye shark for the first time on the Great Chagos Bank, highlighting the ecological importance of the archipelago's Marine Protected Area. The discovery provides new insights into deepwater seagrass habitats and their role in supporting marine biodiversity.
A new study has discovered that the microbial signature of tiny planktonic crustaceans, called copepods, reflects ocean currents and environmental gradients more accurately than freely living microbes. This finding suggests that copepod-associated microbes could serve as valuable bioindicators for detecting shifts in marine ecosystems.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets robust targets for protecting marine biodiversity, addressing its complexity and variability. By focusing on key indicators such as species distribution, genetic diversity, and ecosystem structure, policymakers can track changes and implement effective conservation measures.
A new framework developed by Oxford researchers helps agricultural sectors track and address biodiversity impacts, identifying areas where progress in one area may harm others. The study's safeguards act as checks and balances, ensuring that improvements in one area do not mask problems in another.
Researchers have identified 48 previously unknown bacterial species in the indri's microbiome, which is largely established through transmission between members of the same social group. This finding has significant implications for preserving the species' habitat and preventing extinction.