All Ecology articles – Page 7
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NewsWhale poo contains iron that may have helped fertilize past oceans
A new study suggests that nutrients that whales excrete may provide a key fertilizer to marine ecosystems. Whale excrement contains significant amounts of iron and nontoxic forms of copper, another essential nutrient that in some forms can harm life.
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NewsBat genome signposts new potential pathway to fight viruses with genomic characterization
A promising discovery has been made from a study that deciphers how bats are more resistant to viral infections than human using genome annotations of transposable elements in bats to pave a way for adapting the bats’ immunity against future viral outbreaks.
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NewsImpact of rapid urbanization on the emergence of zoonotic diseases
A study has looked into the rapid urbanization into the wildland-urban interface (WUI) causing the spillover of zoonotic diseases, which would help mapping for disease transmission risks.
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NewsClean air policies inadvertently boost wetland methane emissions by up to 34m tonnes
A new study suggests that the decline of global sulphur emissions as the result of clean air policies, coupled with the warming and fertilization effects of carbon dioxide emissions lifts a lid on wetland methane production, resulting in increased emissions.
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NewsScientists reveals how tiny algae shaped the evolution of giant clams
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the most widespread species of giant clam, Tridacna maxima, to reveal how these creatures adapted their genome to coexist with algae living inside them.
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NewsScientists discover unique microbes in Amazonian peatlands that could influence climate change
Researchers have identified an unknown family of microbes uniquely adapted to the waterlogged, low-oxygen conditions of tropical peatlands in Peru’s northwestern Amazonian rainforest.
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NewsCoastal waters: An underestimated source of methane
A new study revealed that methane emissions in coastal habitats are highly influenced by natural factors like tides and seasonal changes, which also affect the activity of methane-eating microbes.
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NewsThe secret ‘sex lives’ of bacteria: Study challenges old ideas about how species form
Researchers discovered that microbial species form and maintain their distinct identities through unique way of genetic material exchange, especially via homologous recombination, apart from the common asexual reproductive method.
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NewsMachinery behind bacterial nanowires discovered
Almost all living things breathe oxygen to eliminate the excess electrons produced when nutrients are converted into energy. However, most microbes that mitigate pollution and climate change don’t have access to oxygen. Instead, these bacteria—buried underground or living deep under oceans—have developed a way to eliminate electrons by “breathing minerals” ...
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NewsResearchers team with dogs to discover new truffle species
Researchers have discovered two new species of truffle. Tuber canirevelatum, meaning the ‘dog-found’ truffle, was named in honor of truffle dogs. The other, Tuber cumberlandense, was named for the Cumberland Plateau where it was found.
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NewsConnectivity loss in pond networks threatens microbial biodiversity
A recent study explored the effects of connectivity loss within pond networks, using an outdoor experimental setup of artificial ponds (mesocosms).
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NewsDiverse phage populations coexist on single strains of gut bacteria
A new study shows that a single bacterial species, the host of a phage, can maintain a diverse community of competing phage species. Several phage species coexist stably on a population of a genetically uniform strain of E. coli.
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NewsEl Niño increases infestations of mosquito that transmits dengue in São Paulo state, Brazil
A study by a group of scientists shows that larval infestations of Aedes aegypti in open-air disused containers increased in response to the effects of the weather phenomenon.
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NewsTiny poops in the ocean may help solve the carbon problem
Zooplankton could capture carbon dioxide originating from Earth’s atmosphere and deposit it deep into the sea as feces. The new technique mooted consists of spraying clay dust on the surface of the ocean at the site of large blooms of phytoplankton.
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NewsDr François Thomas named as winner of Rachel Carson Prize
Dr François Thomas, an independent researcher with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France) has been named as the newest winner of the Rachel Carson Environmental Conservation Excellence Award.
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NewsClimate impacts on European soils predicted by scientists
New research has revealed how tiny soil microbes are impacted by extreme weather events, offering new insights into the risks posed by climate change.
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NewsArctic viruses in the surface microlayer help their hosts to survive extreme temperatures
Arctic viruses employ specialized mechanisms, including cryoprotective genes, to thrive in harsh environmental conditions despite limited host availability, reveals Dr Janina Rahlff from our Ocean Sustainability Advisory Group.
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NewsInfections with parasites affect the local flight behaviour of swallows
Swallows infected with parasites move less and in smaller ranges than healthy ones – with detrimental effects on their foraging success and their survival.
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NewsDeep-sea corals are home to previously unknown bacteria with extremely small genomes
Scientists have discovered two highly unusual bacterial species in the tissue of deep-sea corals from the Gulf of Mexico. The previously unknown coral symbionts have an extremely reduced genome and lack the ability to obtain energy from carbohydrates.
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NewsBreakthrough study shows coral reefs will transform but can persist, if carbon is curbed
In a breakthrough study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers in the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa have shown that, contrary to most projections, coral reefs are not inevitably doomed, but have the potential to ...