Ecosystems

Ecosystems

After Invasions: Can an ant takeover change the rules?

A rare before-and-after study of a takeover by an invasive ant species shows the interloper quickly disassembling the basic rules of the invaded community.

Ecosystems

Lab ecosystems show signs of evolving

An ambitious test of group selection considers whether natural selection can act on whole ecosystems as evolutionary units.

Ecosystems

Ultimate Sea Weed Loose in America

The unusually invasive strain of seaweed that has been smothering coastal areas of the Mediterranean has shown up in a California lagoon, the first sighting of this ecologically devastating alga in the Americas.

Ecosystems

Why didn’t the beetle cross the road?

Beetle populations confined to specific forest areas by roads seem to have lost some of their genetic diversity.

Ecosystems

Trust That Bird? A bit of future-think lets jays cooperate

A blue jay will cooperate with a buddy for mutual gain in food despite opportunities to betray the partnership.

Ecosystems

Worm Attacks: Invading earthworms threaten rare U.S. fern

An unusual study of the effects of invading earthworms on North American plants finds that the exotics might be on the way to killing off a rare fern.

Ecosystems

Insects, pollen, seeds travel wildlife corridors

Strips of habitat boost insect movement, plant pollination, and seed dispersal among patches of the same ecosystem.

Ecosystems

New protection for much-dogged shark

To rebuild northeastern U.S. populations of the spiny dogfish, the first fishing quotas on this species limit the harvest to roughly 10 percent of the 1998 haul.

Ecosystems

State of U.S. Agro-ecosystems

This article is only available to Science News subscribers. Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives. Client key* E-mail* Log in Not a subscriber? Science News is a nonprofit. Support us by subscribing now. Subscribe

Ecosystems

No Way to Make Soup—Thirty-two tons of contraband shark fins seized on the high seas

This article is only available to Science News subscribers. Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives. Client key* E-mail* Log in Not a subscriber? Science News is a nonprofit. Support us by subscribing now. Subscribe

Ecosystems

Plants hitch rides with box turtles

In the pine rocklands of southern Florida, at least nine plant species find new homes by traveling through a turtle's gut.

Ecosystems

Tougher Weeds? Borrowed gene helps wild sunflower

Feeding concerns about developing superweeds, a test of sunflowers shows for the first time that a biologically engineered gene moving from a crop can give an advantage to wild relatives under naturalistic conditions.