All Ecology articles
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NewsFungi neutralize spruce defense mechanisms with sugar
A newly discovered detoxification strategy employed by fungi disarms spruce defense compounds by binding a sugar to them, which makes spruce trees more susceptible to bark beetle attacks.
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NewsPaper reveals huge enthusiasm for Caribbean microbiome hub at inaugural symposium
Turnout at a recent symposium has confirmed the appetite for a new microbiome hub in Puerto Rico, reveals Puerto Rico AMI Global Ambassador Dr. Filipa Godoy-Vitorino.
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NewsWhat happens when a shoreline scavenger consumes microplastics?
Researchers report on what happens when wharf roaches, a common shoreline scavenger, eat expanded polystyrene (EPS). Analysis of the wharf roach gut microbiome showed little change, but several rare microbes were found only in the EPS-fed specimens.
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NewsMicroplastics may act as pollutant shuttles, carrying chemicals, pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes
A new review reveals how microplastics transport multiple pollutants across ecosystems and proposes a framework for identifying when these vector effects become serious ecological threats.
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NewsHidden DNA in medieval gospels reveal history of deadly livestock virus
New research shows that some of Europe’s most well-known historic manuscripts, including the York Gospels, have proven to be biological time capsules for uncovering the 3,500-year history of the sheeppox virus (SPPV).
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NewsWhere do dissimilatory iodate-reducing microorganisms live in the ocean?
Scientists have discovered that dissimilatory iodate-producing microorganisms do not live above marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) as long predicted - instead thriving within the OMZs, converting iodate into iodide and promoting the release of marine iodine into the atmosphere.
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NewsThe SETI Institute and ETH Zurich join forces to search for the origin of life
ETH Zurich and the SETI Institute have announced a strategic scientific partnership investigating the origins of life on planet Earth.
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NewsLoss of kelp forests reverberates down to microbial level
As one moves north, Maine’s kelp forests are being overtaken by dense mats of carpet-like turf algae. The steady decline of kelp, and transition into this new state, is altering the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study.
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NewsAntarctica is home to microbes found nowhere else on Earth
Researchers have found evidence that specific microbes in Antarctica’s soils are endemic — located on the continent and nowhere else on Earth.
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NewsHeat-tolerant corals may be more vulnerable to disease, study finds
Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off. Such corals keep their stress response system in a heightened state - and that can backfire.
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NewsGlacier retreat could promote the spread of diseases among bees
A new study shows that glacier retreat and the changing vegetation could influence the spread of certain pathogens between honeybees and wild bees.
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NewsSoil bacteria protect wheat from pathogenic fungus
New research shows that, when inoculated into the soil, bacterial species can alter the soil microbiome and protected plants from a fungus that causes root rot.
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NewsAntibiotic resistance is an environmental problem, not just a medical one
New research shows that wild farm mice carry around 50% of the antibiotic resistance genes found in livestock.
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NewsNative microbial team helps acidic soil recover while boosting crop growth
Researchers have developed a small, carefully selected community of native soil bacteria that can reduce acid stress while helping plants access essential nutrients.
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NewsNew study shows how Toxoplasma parasite evolved to adapt to crowded conditions in host cells
How Toxoplasma reshapes its metabolism to keep growing under crowded conditions in a tissue cyst has been unclear. A new study identifies a parasite-specific protein that helps coordinate this response, allowing Toxoplasma to manage oxidative stress.
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NewsOak leaves harbor distinct microbial worlds on their opposite surfaces
Researchers have discovered that the upper and lower surfaces of a single oak leaf function as two fundamentally different microbial habitats.
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NewsAmazonian ‘zombie’ fungus harbors a hidden stage inside forest mosses, new study reveals
Researchers have found evidence that the “zombie-ant” fungus, globally known for controlling ant behavior and forcing infected ants to bite onto plants before dying, also lives hidden inside mosses in the Amazon rainforest.
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NewsBiologist wins NSF CAREER Award to study the ocean’s most abundant microbe
Anne Thompson, an associate professor of biology, won a nearly $1.2 million NSF CAREER Award to answer a basic question about the ocean that science has largely left open: who eats the most abundant photosynthetic life form on Earth?
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NewsRock-eating fungi flourish deep below our feet
A new study is believed to be the first time fungal abundance has been successfully quantified in a deep subsurface site. It identified 689 unique species of fungi, including 13 species that have not been described before, in water samples drawn from gas well sites.
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NewsNIH grants $2.8M to develop tools for study of mosquito-microbe interactions
Researchers will use the funding to develop new tools to investigate the genetics underpinning the relationships between mosquitoes and various microbes.