Ant-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.
Read moreRainforests
Managed forests in New Hampshire rich in carbon
A new study examining carbon stocks in an actively managed mixed wood forest in New Hampshire finds that places with more trees have more carbon stored in both the trees and the soil. The findings demonstrate the connection between above ground and below ground carbon, which has implications for forest management strategies.
Read moreIncreasing precipitation extremes driving tree growth reductions across Southwest
As the Earth's temperature warms, its hydrological cycle kicks into overdrive – wet years get wetter, and dry years get drier. According to a new study, these increased rainfall extremes could have dire consequences for the semi-arid forests of the western U.S.
Read moreCRISPRed fruit flies mimic monarch butterfly, and could make you vomit
Monarch butterflies and a few other insects evolved essentially the same genetic mutations allowing them to eat toxic milkweed without getting sick. Monarch butterflies and caterpillars store the toxins to deter predators. Scientists have now used CRISPR gene editing to make these same mutations in fruit flies, successfully conferring toxin resistance. This is the first time an animal has been genetically engineered to eat a new food and employ a new type of deterrence.
Read moreExtreme wildfires transforming forestlands into shrublands
Wildfire is transforming some forestlands into shrublands, a new study finds. The results suggest these forests, which are used to living with and even benefiting from fire, have not yet adapted to this newer regime of intense, high-severity fires.
Read morePreventing future forest diebacks
Removing dead trees from the forests and reforesting on a large scale: this is the German Federal Government's strategy against 'Forest Dieback 2.0', researchers say. Ecologists call for other solutions.
Read moreLimited seed availability, dry climate hamper post-wildfire forest recovery
A lack of tree seedling establishment following recent wildfires represents a crucial bottleneck limiting coniferous forest recovery in the western US, new research finds.
Read moreBiologists track the invasion of herbicide-resistant weeds into southwestern Ontario
A team led by biologists have identified the ways in which herbicide-resistant strains of the invasive common waterhemp weed have emerged in fields of soy and corn in southwestern Ontario. The resistance, first detected in 2010, spread thanks to two mechanisms: either pollen and seeds of resistant plants were physically dispersed by wind, water and other means, or resistance appeared through the spontaneous emergence of mutations that then spread.
Read morePurple martin migration behavior perplexes researchers
Purple martins will soon migrate south for their usual wintertime retreat, but this time the birds will be wearing what look like little backpacks, so scientists can track their roosting sites along the way. The researchers recently discovered that purple martins are roosting in small forest patches as they migrate from North America to Brazil, an unexpected behavior.
Read moreScientists connected fragments of pine savanna and new species keep showing up
By connecting small, restored patches of savanna to one another via habitat corridors at an experimental landscape within the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, a nearly 20-year-long study has shown an annual increase in the number of plant species within fragments over time, and a drop in the number of species disappearing from them entirely.
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