environment, ecology

The eRNA detection method could one day be used to catch early warning signs of distress in wild ecosystems. 

The broken-wing display, in which birds fake being wounded to protect their nests from predators, is found across the avian phylogenetic tree, a study finds.

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

Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.

Frogs invest in cognitive capacity to avoid predators—up until there are too many hungry snakes around for the evolutionary strategy to pay off.

A study finds that not only did aquatic bacteria thrive when chemicals washed from degrading plastic were introduced into lake water, they also broke down organic matter more efficiently.

A study traces the effects of a mite outbreak from the earth to the heavens.

The Scientist speaks with Trier University’s Henrik Krehenwinkel, whose group recently detected traces of hundreds of arthropod species from a sample of dried plants—in this case, the contents of a tea bag.

Off the western Australian coast, in Shark Bay, a field of seagrass big enough to cover Washington, DC, has flourished for more than four millennia, a new study finds.

The study estimates that one-fifth of reptile species worldwide are at risk of extinction.

Laboratory experiments find that Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia can congregate on microplastic beads and fibers, suggesting they might make their way into and around the world’s oceans by hitching rides on tiny bits of trash.

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.

A study finds that dozens of bird species are nesting up to 25 days sooner each year than they were a century ago, likely due to climate change.

Edward Ricketts built his laboratory just onshore from the swirling tidepools of Monterey Bay, California, an ideal backdrop against which he developed a new system for studying the ecology of any given habitat.

Mongolian rodents join the ranks of earthworms and beavers as known ecosystem engineers.

Half or more of the world’s largest forest is in danger of transitioning into grassland, researchers say.

The decrease in growth appears to be associated with increasing water temperatures, affecting animals throughout the marine food web.

Scientists in Canada trace how aquatic communities change as Quebec’s Romaine River flows into the sea.

Levels of pharmaceuticals considered unsafe for aquatic organisms were found at more than one-quarter of sampling sites.

Corals that previously experienced heat stress respond better the next time around. Researchers are trying to figure out how, and hope to one day take advantage of the phenomenon to improve coral restoration efforts.