Ecosystems

Ecosystems

Wild donkeys and horses engineer water holes that help other species

Dozens of animals and even some plants in the American Southwest take advantage of water-filled holes dug by these nonnative equids.

Life

Only 3 percent of Earth’s land hasn’t been marred by humans

A sweeping survey of terrestrial ecosystems finds that vanishingly little land houses all the animals it used to. Species reintroductions could help.

Ecosystems

Wildfires launch microbes into the air. How big of a health risk is that?

How does wildfire smoke move bacteria and fungi — and what harm might they do to people when they get there?

Oceans

Corals’ hidden genetic diversity corresponds to distinct lifestyles

Observation and DNA analysis expose identical reef corals as distinct species with unique ecologies, suggesting much greater coral biodiversity.

Life

These are the 5 costliest invasive species, causing billions in damages

Invasive species have cost the global economy at least $1 trillion since 1970 and $162.7 billion in 2017 alone. The annual cost is increasing.

Animals

Weather radar shows 30 metric tons of grasshoppers swarmed Las Vegas one night

Everything’s glitzier in Las Vegas. The most intensely lit U.S. city shows the impact of artificial light on insects on a megascale.

Ecosystems

How kelp forests off California are responding to an urchin takeover

A pair of studies reports 95 percent loss of kelp forests along the northern coast while sea otters are helping maintain surviving kelp farther south.

Ecosystems

Simple hand-built structures can help streams survive wildfires and drought

Building simple structures with sticks and stones — and inviting in dam-building beavers — can keep water where it’s needed to fight drought and wildfires.

Animals

Dim lighting may raise the risk of a West Nile virus exposure

Dimly lit nights increased risk of West Nile virus exposure in chickens. Artificial light proved a better predictor of risk than population or paving.

Animals

A year after Australia’s wildfires, extinction threatens hundreds of species

As experts piece together a fuller picture of the scale of damage to wildlife, more than 500 species may need to be listed as endangered.

Animals

Delve into the history of the fight for Earth’s endangered creatures

The new book ‘Beloved Beasts’ chronicles past conservation efforts as a movement and a science, and explores how to keep striding forward.

Plants

Modified genes can distort wild cotton’s interactions with insects

In a Yucatan nature park, engineered genes influence nectar production, affecting ants’ and maybe pollinators’ attraction to the wild cotton plants.