Ecosystems

  1. Animals

    Mighty mites

    Mites that were thought to be parasites to their host wasps turn out to be bodyguards, attacking intruders.

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  2. Animals

    Live fast, die young

    With a lifespan of just five months, the chameleon Furcifer labordi leads a briefer life than any other land-dwelling vertebrate.

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  3. Animals

    Whaling, to be announced

    The 60th meeting of the International Whaling Commission defers voting on deadlocked issues

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  4. Ecosystems

    Ecosystem engineers

    Nonnative earthworms are deliberately burying ragweed seeds, enhancing the weed’s growth, researchers report.

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  5. Agriculture

    Bee-Loved Plantings

    Zipcode-organized guidelines tell gardeners, farmers and others how to design a landscape that will not only entice pollinators but also keep these horticultural helpers happy.

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  6. Animals

    Don’t blame the guys

    Scientists take a new look at what drives female damselflies to look like males.

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  7. Ecosystems

    Human ‘Signature’ in Fish Losses

    Why the whales-ate-my-fish argument doesn't hold water.

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  8. Ecosystems

    On Whales’ Appetites: What a Waste

    An advocacy group and renowned scientist floundered in an attempt to compel opinion shapers with the science showing that industrial fleets, not whales, pose a serious threat to fish stocks.

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  9. Plants

    Forest invades tundra

    The Arctic tundra is under assault from trees, with serious implications for global climate change.

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  10. Animals

    Peril of play

    A new study shows that playful 2-year-old chimpanzees may be particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases — some caught from humans.

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  11. Agriculture

    A vanilla Vanilla

    The orchid that gives us vanilla beans has startlingly low genetic diversity, suggesting crops might be susceptible to pathogens, researchers report.

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  12. Humans

    Wash Your Veggies!

    The lesson in all of these food-poisoning outbreaks is that we must not expect a risk-free food-supply chain.

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