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a fuzzy black and tan beetle chews on the bark of a pine tree sapling, whose needles can be seen in the background
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles
Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles
Pine Trees’ Fragrances Help Neighbors Battle Bark Beetles

Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.

Polluted air impedes the trees’ ability to read one another’s signals, a study finds.

agriculture, ecology

A landscape showing a forest that’s been cleared to make room for a farm.
Climate Change and Agriculture Together Halve Insect Populations
Dan Robitzski | Apr 21, 2022 | 2 min read
Insect populations and species diversity are drastically reduced in areas affected by both climate change and agriculture-related habitat destruction, according to a new study.
an Asian giant hornet
Researchers Try to Head Off “Murder Hornets” Coming into US
Shawna Williams | May 4, 2020 | 2 min read
Asian giant hornets were found for the first time in Washington State and could reemerge in the spring.
Widespread Declines in UK’s Pollinators: Study
Carolyn Wilke | Mar 26, 2019 | 2 min read
Over 30 years, one-third of the wild bees and hoverfly species surveyed sustained losses, likely due to pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change.
Pesticide Exposure Alters Bumblebees’ Behavior in Their Nests
Ruth Williams | Nov 8, 2018 | 3 min read
A high-tech approach to monitoring bee activity inside the nest reveals how the neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs colony growth.
Florida Is Having a 10-Month Streak of Toxic Red Tide
Diana Kwon | Aug 10, 2018 | 4 min read
Can clay particles, ozone, or phages stop the algae bloom that is killing wildlife and posing a health risk to humans?
Antibiotic Affects Cow Dung
Tracy Vence | May 25, 2016 | 1 min read
Researchers assess some of the downstream effects of treating livestock with a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
One-Third of Cactus Species Threatened
Karen Zusi | Oct 6, 2015 | 2 min read
A global assessment of declining cacti populations places responsibility on increasing human activities.
Bees Drawn to Pesticides
Kerry Grens | Apr 24, 2015 | 1 min read
One study shows the insects prefer food laced with pesticides, while another adds to the evidence that the chemicals are harmful to some pollinators.
Along Came a Spider
Jef Akst | Dec 1, 2014 | 4 min read
Researchers are turning to venom peptides to protect crops from their most devastating pests.
Bird Diversity Drops From Forests to Farms
Ruth Williams | Sep 11, 2014 | 2 min read
Farms support less phylogenetically diverse bird populations than forests, but some farms are better than others.
Wild Relatives
Hannes Dempewolf, Nora P. Castañeda-Álvarez, and Colin K. Khoury | Jun 1, 2014 | 5 min read
As rich sources of genetic diversity, the progenitors and kin of today’s food crops hold great promise for improving production in agriculture’s challenging future.
New Suspect in Bee Colony Collapse
Jef Akst | Jan 21, 2014 | 2 min read
A virus that causes blight in plants may contribute the catastrophic decline of honeybee colonies.
Ladybird Bioterrorists
Ruth Williams | May 16, 2013 | 3 min read
The Asian harlequin ladybird carries a biological weapon to wipe out competing species.
Fighting Microbes with Microbes
Amy Coombs | Jan 1, 2013 | 10 min read
Doctors turn to good microbes to fight disease. Will the same strategy work with crops?
Agriculture-Ecology Initiative Announced
Edyta Zielinska | Sep 18, 2012 | 1 min read
The US Department of Agriculture announces a partnership of 10 study sites to help promote long-term research.
Down and Dirty
Amy Coombs | Sep 1, 2012 | 4 min read
Diverse plant communities create a disease-fighting "soil genotype."
War-born Climate Change
Edyta Zielinska | Jul 3, 2012 | 1 min read
A nuclear war could have profound effects on crops yields around the world, according to a new study.
Honey bee microbiome probed
Bob Grant | Jun 9, 2011 | 1 min read
Researchers reveal several new viruses lurking in healthy hives.
Human Effects
Richard P. Grant | Jan 1, 2011 | 2 min read
Editor's Choice in Ecology
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