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.
Researchers find that the protective outer layer that lungfish make to survive extended dry periods—once thought to be a simple mucus shell—contains immune cells that trap bacteria and protect the animals from infection.
The shotgun approach, typically thought to be the superior method, may substantially underestimate diversity in environments that have not already been classified, researchers find.
When road deicing salt enters freshwater ecosystems, prey species such as Daphnia pulexcan rapidly evolve tolerance to the contaminant, buffering their local food webs from the impacts of salination.
A new report estimates that human activities as well as other factors are threatening 20 percent of all invertebrate species, including corals and freshwater snails.