Toad disguises itself as deadly viper to avoid attack
The first study of a toad mimicking a venomous snake reveals that it likely imitates one of Africa's largest vipers in both appearance and behavior.
Read moreInvasive Species
California's crashing kelp forest
First the sea stars wasted to nothing. Then purple urchins took over, eating and eating until the bull kelp forests were gone. The red abalone starved. Their fishery closed. Red sea urchins starved. Their fishery collapsed. And the ocean kept warming. This ecological horror story movie took place between 2013-2017, with lasting impacts. This study chronicles the catastrophic shift in 2014 from a robust bull kelp forest to a barren of purple sea urchins.
Read moreOld friends and new enemies: How evolutionary history can predict insect invader impacts
Scientists have developed a model that could help foresters predict which nonnative insect invasions will be most problematic. This could help managers decide where to allocate resources to avoid widespread tree death.
Read moreNewly identified compounds could help give fire ants their sting
Native to South America, imported fire ants have now spread to parts of North America and elsewhere around the world. These invasive pests have painful stings that, in some cases, can cause serious medical problems, such as hypersensitivity reactions, infections and even kidney failure. Now, researchers have identified pyridine alkaloids that, along with other venom components, could contribute to these conditions.
Read moreIn Baltimore, lower income neighborhoods have bigger mosquitoes
Low-income urban neighborhoods not only have more mosquitoes, but they are larger-bodied, indicating that they could be more efficient at transmitting diseases. So reports investigating how socioeconomics influences mosquito-borne disease risk in Baltimore, Maryland.
Read moreTwo new porcelain crab species discovered
Two new symbiotic porcelain crab species have been described. One of them, from the South China Sea of Vietnam, inhabits the compact tube-like shelters built by the polychaete worm with other organisms. The other inhabits the intertidal vermetid snail formations in the Colombian Caribbean.
Read moreMany cooks don't spoil the broth: Manifold symbionts prepare the host for any eventuality
Deep-sea mussels, which rely on symbiotic bacteria for food, harbor a surprisingly high diversity of these bacterial 'cooks': Up to 16 different bacterial strains live in the mussel's gills, each with its own abilities and strengths. Thanks to this diversity, the mussel is prepared for all eventualities, researchers report.
Read moreAnesthetizing fish may affect research outcomes
Fish use colorful patterns to signal to each other, including advertising for mates and warding off rivals. Studying the relationship between color and behavior sometimes entails anesthetizing and photographing the fish, but anesthetics may alter coloration, influencing the traits researchers are trying to study.
Read moreAnt-plant partnerships may play unexpected role in ant evolution
Partnerships between ant and plant species appear to arise from — but not drive — rapid diversification of ants into new species.
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