Ecosystems

Ecosystems

Brazil Nut Loss Looms: Harvest may be too heavy to last

A study of 23 spots in Amazonian forests has raised the question of whether the collection of Brazil nuts—praised as a model of gentle forest use—has reached such levels that it may not be sustainable.

Ecosystems

New Farmers: Salt marsh snails plow leaves, fertilize fungus

A salt marsh snail works the leaves of a plant in what researchers say looks like a simple form of farming.

Ecosystems

UK halts badger kill after study of TB

Partial results from a new study have pushed the United Kingdom to stop its controversial, decades-old policy of killing local badgers if cattle catch TB.

Ecosystems

Will Climate Change Depose Monarchs? Model predicts too-wet winter refuges

A computer analysis suggests that eastern monarch butterflies may not be able to tolerate the increasingly moist climate in Mexico, their current wintering site.

Ecosystems

Killer Consequences: Has whaling driven orcas to a diet of sea lions?

Killer whales may have been responsible for steep declines in seal, sea lion, and otter populations after whaling wiped out the great whales that killer whales had been eating.

Ecosystems

Risky High Life: Mountain creatures prove extra-vulnerable

Some of the species hardest hit by climate change will be those living in particular mountain highlands.

Ecosystems

Shark Serengeti: Ocean predators have diversity hot spots

The first search for oceanic spots of exceptional diversity in predators has turned up marine versions of the teeming Serengeti plains.

Ecosystems

Virtual skylarks suffer weed shortfall

A new mathematical model raises the concern that switching to transgenic herbicide-tolerant crops could deprive birds of weed seeds.

Ecosystems

Zebra mussels to the rescue

Bioengineers have harnessed zebra mussels to help avert algal blooms by cleaning particles, including algae, from the water.

Ecosystems

At a Snail’s Place: Rock climbing cuts mollusk diversity

As rock climbing soars in popularity, some cliff-side snail populations may be crashing.

Ecosystems

Cultivating Weeds

Some formerly mild-mannered plants turn into horticultural bullies when planted far outside their native range.

Ecosystems

Spring Forward

Scientists who study biological responses to seasonal and climatic changes have noted that the annual cycles for many organisms are beginning earlier on average, as global temperatures rise.