Search Results for: ecology

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3,158 results
  1. An Amami rabbit sitting on the ground.
    Animals

    A rare rabbit plays an important ecological role by spreading seeds

    Rabbits aren’t thought of as seed dispersers, but the Amami rabbit of Japan has now been recorded munching on a plant’s seeds and pooping them out.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  2. Illustration of a Cratonavis bird from 120 million years ago as it catches prey. We see into the bird's wings as if it were an x-ray.
    Paleontology

    A bird with a T. rex head may help reveal how dinosaurs became birds

    The 120-million-year-old Cratonavis zhui, newly discovered in China, had a head like a theropod and body like a modern bird.

    By Aaron Tremper
  3. yellow and black Panamanian golden frog sitting on a leaf
    Health & Medicine

    Losing amphibians may be tied to spikes in human malaria cases

    Missing frogs, toads and salamanders may have led to more mosquitoes and potentially more malaria transmission, a study in Panama and Costa Rica finds.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  4. an ancient bishop's headgear which was stiffened by manuscripts
    Archaeology

    A technique borrowed from ecology hints at hundreds of lost medieval legends

    An ecology-based statistical approach may provide a storybook ending for efforts to gauge ancient cultural diversity.

    By Bruce Bower
  5. Photo of a swamp
    Ecosystems

    ‘Fen, Bog & Swamp’ reminds readers why peatlands matter

    In her latest book, author Annie Proulx chronicles people’s long history with peatlands and examines the ecological value of these overlooked places.

    By Anna Gibbs
  6. Illustration of a carnivorous erythrosuchid (looks like a cross between a dinosaur and a crocodile) reaching for tiny gliding reptiles in a forest
    Animals

    Extreme climate shifts long ago may have helped drive reptile evolution

    The end-Permian extinction left reptiles plenty of open ecological niches. But rapid climate change may be what kick-started the animals’ dominance.

    By Beth Geiger
  7. Photo of blue cheese
    Microbes

    Meet the fungal friends and foes that surround us

    Keith Seifert’s book The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi explores how microfungi shape our world.

    By Allie Wilkinson
  8. A close-up of a 'zombie' fungus erupting from the body of a fly. The fungus has long, thin stalks ending in puffy 'heads'.
    Life

    An award-winning photo captures a ‘zombie’ fungus erupting from a fly

    The winner of the 2022 BMC Ecology and Evolution photo competition captures a macabre cycle of life and death in the Peruvian Amazon.

    By Richard Kemeny
  9. A purple octopus as it sits on the ocean floor.
    Science & Society

    Sea life offers a lens for self-exploration in ‘How Far the Light Reaches’

    In a collection of essays profiling 10 marine animals, author Sabrina Imbler mixes in stories of their own family, self-discovery, sexuality and healing.

    By Aina Abell
  10. A banded sugar ant caught by an Australian ant-slayer spider
    Animals

    This spider literally flips for its food

    The Australian ant-slayer spider’s acrobatics let it feast on insects twice its size, a new study shows,

    By Freda Kreier
  11. photo of a red fox licking its lips
    Animals

    Video shows the first red fox known to fish for food

    Big fish in shallow water are easy pickings for one fox — the first of its kind known to fish, a study finds.

    By Freda Kreier
  12. someone holds a Kangaroo Island dunnart on a piece of cloth
    Animals

    These tiny marsupials survived wildfires only to face extinction from feral cats

    The Kangaroo Island dunnart was one species seen to reemerge after 2019–2020 Australian bushfires but is now closer than ever to extinction.

    By Asa Stahl