Most recent 40 articles: PHYS.ORG - Biology
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First ever visualization shows photoexcited charges traveling across the interface of two semiconductor materials - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · UC Santa Barbara researchers have achieved the first-ever "movie" of electric charges traveling across the interface of two different semiconductor materials. Using scanning ultrafast electron (SUEM) techniques developed in the Bolin Liao lab, the research team has directly visualized the fleeting phenomenon for the first time.
"There are a lot of textbooks written about this process from semiconductor theory," said Liao, an associate professor of mechanical engineering. "There are a lot of indirect measurements." The ability to visualize how this process actually happens will allow semiconductor materials scientists to benchmark some of these theories and indirect ... Read more ...
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On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 11, 2024) |
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Oct 11, 2024 · Whether from real concern for marine animals or doubts about renewable energy, the anti-wind power movement has been growing along the US East Coast, with some trying to blame a surge in whale strandings on the growth of offshore energy projects.
Their attempt to link the two seems to be resonating, despite what scientists say is a clear lack of evidence.
When Lauren Brandkamp and her team from the nonprofit Whale and Dolphin Conservation organization in Massachusetts carry out a rescue on an area beach, one of the first questions bystanders ask is: "Was this wind?"
Wind power critics have organized coastal town gatherings, posted "Save the Whales" signs and filed ... Read more ...
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Playing songs to Darwin's finches helps confirm link between environmental change and emergence of new species - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · They say that hindsight is 20/20, and though the theory of ecological speciation - which holds that new species emerge in response to ecological changes - seems to hold in retrospect, it has been difficult to demonstrate experimentally, until now.
Prior work on these birds had established that birds' beaks adapt to changing ecological environments, and that beak changes affect how the birds sing. But, until this paper, no one has yet been able to experimentally show that such changes drive the emergence of new species. The innovative key to this discovery? The ghosts of future finches.
The new study shows that beak-driven changes to songs themselves can impact species ... Read more ...
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European forest plants are migrating westwards: Research suggests nitrogen is the main cause - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A study published in Science has uncovered that many European forest plant species are moving towards the west due to high nitrogen deposition levels, defying the common belief that climate change is the primary cause of species moving northward. This finding reshapes our understanding of how environmental factors, and in particular nitrogen pollution, influence biodiversity.
While it is widely assumed that rising temperatures are pushing many species toward cooler, northern areas, this research shows that westward movements are 2.6 times more likely than northward shifts. The primary driver? High levels of nitrogen deposition from atmospheric pollution, which allows a rapid ... Read more ...
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Increasing plant diversity in agriculture can promote soil carbon sequestration - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A study carried out at the University of Helsinki demonstrates that boosting plant diversity in agriculture can increase plant biomass and improve plant–microbe interactions, both of which promote the storage of carbon in the soil.
The study, published in Nature Communications, investigated whether increasing plant diversity through the use of undersown species in field ecosystems can affect the structure and functioning of microbial communities to promote soil health and carbon sequestration. Specifically, the study examined how the growth, community structure, and carbon use efficiency of root microbes respond to plant species.
"Our findings indicate that promoting ... Read more ...
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New analysis tools can help farmers make informed choice on 'agrivoltaics' - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · The dual use of land for agriculture and solar energy production, known as agrivoltaics, presents a new opportunity for farmers, but whether it makes economic sense for growers is a complex question. A new set of analytical tools developed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in the Journal of Extension helps farmers make an informed choice.
"It's a big, big decision," says lead author Jill Fitzsimmons, research assistant professor of resource economics and affiliated faculty member at the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE) at UMass Amherst. "We wanted to come up with a tool that farmers could use to spitball whether ... Read more ...
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Threatened pink sea fan coral breeds in UK aquarium for first time - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · A threatened species of UK coral has been bred for the first time in a UK aquarium, at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in south London.
New photographs capture the landmark lab-based reproduction of the pink sea fan, Eunicella verrucosa, the first time the native temperate coral species has been successfully reproduced in a UK institution.
Pink sea fans are found in coastal waters from western Ireland and southwest Britain to the coasts of West Africa and the Mediterranean.
They are under threat in the UK and classified as vulnerable worldwide on the Red List of Threatened Species, published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The pink sea ... Read more ...
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Weever stings provide scientists with a unique way of assessing impacts of environment on coastal fish populations - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · Weever fish are perhaps most commonly known for the painful stings they deliver to beach goers around the UK coastline.
However, a new study has used records of those stings to provide one of the most detailed investigations of how fish populations vary in time and space, in relation to environmental conditions.
The study, by marine scientists at the University of Plymouth, focused on 77 beaches covered by RNLI lifeguards, stretching from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, around the north and south coasts of Devon and Cornwall to Exmouth.
The paper is published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.
During daylight hours over the space of almost eight ... Read more ...
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What yields per acre reveal about the impact of extreme weather - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Oct 10, 2024) |
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Oct 10, 2024 · Since time immemorial, crop yields have been influenced by such extreme weather phenomena as heat waves, persisting droughts, downpours and lasting rainfall. Many studies have already demonstrated that due to climate change, periods of extreme weather occur more frequently and with less time in between bouts, increasing the risk of a negative impact on harvest yields. But, determining the scope of these losses and the precise cause is difficult.
Two new studies investigate differences between years with more and with fewer bouts of extreme weather per farm or field. Researcher Pytrik Reidsma of the Plant Production Systems group at Wageningen University was part of a study ... Read more ...
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'Vegetarian' possums eat meat when the weather's cold - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · When dead animals are left lying around in nature, who takes advantage of the free feed - carnivores or herbivores? The answer may surprise you.
In Australia, people tend to think carnivores - such as dingoes, ravens, foxes and wedge-tailed eagles - lead the clean-up crew.
But our new research shows common brushtail possums - often thought to be herbivores - also dine on animal carcasses.
Understanding when and where brushtail possums scavenge is important. It can improve our knowledge of how carcasses are disposed of in nature, and how nutrients cycle through ecosystems.
Scavenging may provide specific essential nutrients otherwise lacking in herbivore ... Read more ...
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Study elucidates a mechanism for phosphorus cycling in subtropical forests - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient element in plant photosynthesis. However, the adsorption of mineral P via leaching and erosion leads to a decrease in P availability and consequently P deficiency.
In a study published in the journal Forest Ecosystems, a team of researchers from China has elucidated a mechanism for phosphorus cycling in subtropical forests. They found that as stand age increases, bioavailable phosphorus in Pinus massoniana plantations gets absorbed by roots under the influence of soil phosphatases. This phosphorus is then allocated to roots and leaves in various organ phosphorus component forms, with this relationship exhibiting seasonal ... Read more ...
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Where flood policy helps most - and where it could do more - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 30, 2024) |
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Sep 30, 2024 · Flooding, including the devastation caused recently by Hurricane Helene, is responsible for $5 billion in annual damages in the U.S. That's more than any other type of weather-related extreme event.
To address the problem, the federal government instituted a program in 1990 that helps reduce flood insurance costs in communities enacting measures to better handle flooding. If, say, a town preserves open space as a buffer against coastal flooding, or develops better stormwater management, area policy owners get discounts on their premiums. Studies show the program works well: It has reduced overall flood damage in participating communities.
However, a new study led by an ... Read more ...
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'Remarkable' marine animal forests found around Wellington's coast in central New Zealand - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Marine animal forests rich in sea life have been found in the shallow waters around Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.
"Marine animal forests are habitats formed by big groups of invertebrates - creatures such as sponges, horse mussels, and brachiopods, which look a bit like clams.
"These remarkable communities are increasingly being recognized as biodiversity hotspots and we've got them on our doorstep," said Professor James Bell, a marine biologist at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.
The forests were located by Professor Bell and colleagues Dr. Valerio Micaroni and Dr. Francesca Strano while studying life in the region's shallow waters. The ... Read more ...
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Climate change accelerates vulnerability and loss of resilience of a key species for the Mediterranean ecosystem: Study - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · A study by the University of Barcelona has analyzed the ability of red gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata), a key species for the Mediterranean marine ecosystem, to resist and recover after marine heat waves.
The results, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, show that the increased frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events - one of the consequences of climate change - will make these populations more vulnerable to future disturbances, beyond global warming and heat waves, raising their risk of extinction. This negative impact would have a serious effect on marine ecosystems, according to experts.
"Paramuricea clavata is a species that plays an essential ... Read more ...
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Exploring the role of hydrogen sulfide in the expression of iron uptake genes in E. coli - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Antibiotic resistance and oxidative stress response are important biological mechanisms that help bacteria thrive, especially pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a chemical messenger molecule, regulates several intracellular activities in bacteria such as responses to oxidative stress and antibiotics.
Increased iron uptake triggered by intracellular H2S levels has been identified in the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae, contributing to its oxidative stress response. However, the precise mechanism behind H2S dependent cellular responses of E. coli remains unclear.
A team of researchers led by Professor Shinji Masuda from the Department ... Read more ...
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How climate change affects deer - experts draw findings from 20 years of research - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Temperature, rainfall, snow and extreme weather events are all factors linked to climate change that directly affect wildlife. Understanding the impact of these factors on the physiology, population dynamics and distribution of different deer species is important for monitoring and protecting them.
The scientists involved in this study reviewed 20 years of research on 10 main deer species in boreal and temperate regions: moose, roe deer, wapiti, red deer, sika deer, fallow deer, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou and reindeer. Their analysis of 218 articles summarizes general trends of the effects of climate change on the physiology, behavior and population dynamics of ... Read more ...
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Multi-state study offers recommendations for keeping bermudagrass greener all season - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Whether it's a football field, a golf course, or a home lawn, a new multi-state study offers recommendations for keeping some varieties of turfgrass greener, longer.
The study, "Improving winter survival of interspecific hybrid bermudagrass in the Mid-Atlantic region through cultural practices," was published in the Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management journal in August.
Wendell Hutchens, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of turfgrass science with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, noted that although the work focused on golf courses, the recommendations could apply equally in other situations.
"The practices can be used universally," ... Read more ...
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Plan to overturn commercial whaling moratorium sinks in Peru - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · A four-decade-old moratorium on commercial whaling will remain in force after a proposal to overturn it was withdrawn Thursday at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Peru's capital Lima.
Another proposal to declare whaling a source of global food security was also abandoned in a plenary session after failing to gain consensus among delegates from 60 countries.
"We are relieved that the dark and dangerous resolution to resume commercial whaling has been withdrawn," said Grettel Delgadillo, Latin America representative for Humane Society International (HSI).
The first proposal was submitted by Antigua and Barbuda, which is not a whaling nation ... Read more ...
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The biological marvels of the seabed are being mined to create commercial products - here are the risks - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 27, 2024) |
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Sep 27, 2024 · Thousands of genes from deep-sea marine life are being used to create new commercial products ranging from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics. Genes are segments of DNA that provide instructions for making other molecules that are essential for the structure and function of living organisms.
In a paper we recently published with other colleagues, we investigated how bioprospecting - the search and discovery of potential products from animals, plants and microbes - could serve as a less destructive alternative to deep-sea mining.
Notably, all of the largest companies using marine genes have sourced them from deep-sea organisms in some capacity. Deep-sea animals possess unique ... Read more ...
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Who lives in the rainforest treetops? DNA-collecting drone provides insights - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 26, 2024) |
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Sep 26, 2024 · Squinting into the treetops won't reveal the tiny organisms up there. But these creatures leave clues, in the form of DNA, on the leaves and branches. Now, researchers report in Environmental Science & Technology that they have developed a way to collect this genetic material: a drone with a specialized fabric probe. The team flew the drone above the rainforest and, based on DNA collected by the probe, identified the invertebrates in the canopy.
"If we want people to protect nature, we need to tell them what we are actually protecting - with our solution, we hope to better understand the life in the canopy," says the study's lead author, Steffen Kirchgeorg.
Drones go ... Read more ...
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Bird study shows that grounded running styles conserve energy - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 26, 2024) |
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Sep 26, 2024 · A small team of biologists and animal movement specialists in the Netherlands and the U.K. has found that birds such as the emu have a grounded running style at medium speeds, allowing them to conserve energy compared to the ungrounded running style of other animals such as humans.
In their study published in the journal Science Advances, the group simulated the running style of emus to better understand it.
When a bird such as an emu runs at medium speed, it never becomes airborne - it always has one foot firmly planted on the ground. This grounded running style, the researchers found, uses less energy than one in which a runner leaps into the air with each stride - ... Read more ...
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Bulrush once kept NZ's wetlands and lakes thriving - now it could help restore them - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 26, 2024) |
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Sep 26, 2024 · With about 90% of New Zealand's natural wetlands drained or severely damaged during the past decades, we need to understand the role of native plants in the restoration of these important habitats.
Our new research details the history of raupo (bulrush) from the time before people arrived in Aotearoa. It shows this resilient, opportunistic plant - and taonga species - can play an important role in restoring wetlands and freshwater quality.
An unexpected finding was that the decline of freshwater quality in many lakes did not really kick in until the mid-20th century with the intensification of agriculture. Until then, lake water quality indicators generally showed these ... Read more ...
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Injecting manure into growing cover crops can cut pollution, support corn crops - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 26, 2024) |
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Sep 26, 2024 · Nitrogen in the soil, where plants can readily utilize it, benefits crop growth and health. However, nitrogen leaving the soil - whether through leaching into the groundwater table, flowing with surface runoff into streams or escaping into the air as ammonia or in nitrous oxide emissions - is detrimental to the environment.
Nitrogen management is a concern for dairy farmers, especially those in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the U.S. Northeast who use manure as a fertilizer and employ no-till agriculture for improved soil health, lower fuel and labor costs, less dust and erosion, and better water conservation.
To better guide these farmers, a team of Penn State ... Read more ...
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NOAA shares first data from GOES-19 EXIS instrument - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 26, 2024) |
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Sep 26, 2024 · The Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) onboard NOAA's GOES-19 satellite, which launched on June 25, 2024, are powered on, performing well, and observing the sun.
EXIS measures light from the sun in extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray (lower energy) wavelengths and identifies the magnitude and location of solar flares. Solar flares are huge eruptions of energy on the sun and often produce clouds of plasma traveling more than a million miles per hour.
When these plasma clouds reach Earth, they can cause radio communications blackouts, disruptions to electric power grids, errors in GPS navigation, and hazards to satellites and astronauts. Additionally, ... Read more ...
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Cricket study suggests mating filter narrows when males are trying to save energy - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · A trio of biologists at the University of Minnesota has found that when male crickets need to save energy, they narrow their mating filter, to focus more exclusively on females.
In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jon Richardson, Isabelle Hoversten and Marlene Zuk describe experiments they conducted with sexual filters in Pacific field crickets on varied diets and what they learned from them.
Such behavior is under investigation because it tends to take up a lot of energy and may even put some creatures at risk, without an apparent evolutionary advantage. In this new study, the research team focused their efforts on the idea ... Read more ...
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Discovery of a stable single-electron covalent bond between two carbon atoms validates a century-old theory - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · Covalent bonds, in which two atoms are bound together by sharing a pair of electrons, form the scaffolding that underpins the majority of organic compounds. In 1931, the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling suggested that covalent bonds made from just a single, unpaired electron could exist, but these single-electron bonds would likely be much weaker than a standard covalent bond involving a pair of electrons.
Since then, single-electron bonds have been observed, but never in carbon or hydrogen - the hunt for one-electron bonds shared between carbon atoms has stymied scientists.
Now, a team of researchers from Hokkaido University has isolated a compound in which a single ... Read more ...
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Fossils from the Adriatic Sea show a recent and worrying reversal of fortunes - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · If you'd stopped monitoring the Adriatic Sea's marine life in the mid-20th century, the outlook would have been promising. Snails and the clams they hunt for food increased in abundance for several decades during the late 1800s and early 1900s, evidence of a vibrant and healthy ecosystem.
Then, a threshold was crossed. Populations of both predator and prey abruptly plummeted and in some cases disappeared entirely. They were replaced by the common corbulid clam (Varicorbula gibba), which has the ability to slow down its metabolism in unfavorable conditions. Whenever paleontologists find an abundance of this species in the marine fossil record, it often means the environment ... Read more ...
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Heat, animal illness and erosion risks to affect NZ agriculture with changing climate - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · Scientists at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research have worked closely with researchers from NIWA, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research to model the likely risks of a warming climate across different agricultural sectors in New Zealand. The study is published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand .
The results - which broadly indicate that current crop ranges move south, and animal health issues intensify and also move south - are available as geographical information systems (GIS) layers for people to download at the Whitiwhiti Ora Data Supermarket.
To create the maps, a set of models ranging in complexity were developed to outline risks and opportunities for ... Read more ...
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New study backs conservation at landscape scale to protect a near threatened bird species - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · Understanding the factors that influence how species select their habitats is crucial to inform conservation strategies, especially for vulnerable species. A new study about how wintering individuals of the Kirtland's Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) in the Bahamas use available space and food resources showed that the home range and core area of several populations within this island are tightly linked with the age of the vegetation and the way food resources are distributed in the environment.
Factors like food availability, predation risk, and competition between individuals of the same species influence how species use space. With birds that migrate from breeding grounds in ... Read more ...
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Researchers explore novel approach to map forest dieback in satellite images - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · Forests and woodlands cover one third of Earth's surface and play a critical role in carbon sequestration, water regulation, timber production, soil protection, and biodiversity conservation. Accelerated by climate change, the decline of these and other key forest ecosystem services is caused by various biotic and abiotic disturbances. Among them, insect infestations and disease outbreaks can induce massive tree dieback and significantly disrupt ecosystem dynamics.
Forest surveillance is crucial to monitor, quantify and possibly prevent such events. However, most common strategies primarily rely on laborious and time-consuming field surveys, restricting geographical coverage ... Read more ...
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Rising waters, waning forests: Scientists are using tree rings to study how rising sea levels affect coastal forests - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · Sunlight filters through the canopy of pines, holly, sweet gum, and red maple while bird calls echo in the distance. These coastal forests may seem like others in the Mid-Atlantic, but a hidden challenge looms. Standing tall next to their salt marsh neighbors, where the wind carries the sharp scent of sulfidic seawater, these trees are more than just part of the landscape - they are living monuments to a rapidly changing environment.
As sea levels rise, the future of these forests is uncertain. While the adjacent salt marshes can adapt to encroaching waters, the trees, vulnerable to the increasing frequency of saltwater flooding, face a grimmer prospect. Additionally, ... Read more ...
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With curtailed carbon emissions, corals can survive climate change, say researchers - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 25, 2024) |
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Sep 25, 2024 · In a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers at the UH Hawai?i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Toonen- Bowen "ToBo" Lab have identified scenarios under which eight of the most common species of coral found in Hawai?i can adapt to and survive ocean warming and acidification.
The corals in the study are prevalent throughout the Indo-Pacific, a region that comprises more than two-thirds of the coral reefs on planet Earth, and were found to be capable of surviving a "low climate change scenario," where laboratory conditions reflect a global reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Critically, none of the species in the study could withstand a ... Read more ...
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Scientists studying impact of painting wind turbine blade black to reduce bird collisions - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 24, 2024) |
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Sep 24, 2024 · Oregon State University researchers are part of a team looking at reducing bird collision risks with wind turbines by painting a single blade of the turbine black.
Wind energy has a significant role during a time of climate change, rising energy demands and a transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, but it poses risks to birds and bats due to collision fatalities. Previous studies estimate that hundreds of thousands of birds and bats die each year as a result of collisions with wind turbine blades.
The Oregon State researchers, working with federal, industry and nonprofit partners, are building on recent research in Norway that found a nearly 72% decline in bird ... Read more ...
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Improved cement shows promise for protecting coastline ecosystems - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 24, 2024) |
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Sep 24, 2024 · Coastlines are vital to our world's ecology and economy. Coastal ecosystems help maintain biodiversity, provide natural barriers against erosion, storms, and flooding, and act as large carbon sinks to reduce greenhouse gases. Sustainable fisheries and seaside tourist venues support local economies.
Natural coastlines, including coral reefs, marshes, and mangroves, are complete and stable, capable of self-regulation and restoration. That is, unless human interventions, such as urbanization, overdevelopment, pollution, and human-made erosion, make these areas vulnerable to devastation.
Artificial coastlines, including human-made dikes and other engineered constructions, ... Read more ...
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In the gateway to the Arctic, fat, ice and polar bears are crucial. All three are in trouble - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 24, 2024) |
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Sep 24, 2024 · And it's getting lower on polar bears.
There are now about 600 polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay, one of the most threatened of the 20 populations of the white beasts. That's about half the number of 40 years ago, says York, senior director of research and policy at Polar Bears International. His latest study, with a team of scientists from various fields, shows that if the world doesn't cut back more on emissions of heat-trapping gases "we could lose this population entirely by the end of the century," he says.
More than polar bears are threatened in this changing gateway to the Arctic, where warmer waters melt sea ice earlier in the year and the open ocean lingers ... Read more ...
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Researchers explore environmental impacts of genetically modified crops - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 24, 2024) |
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Sep 24, 2024 · Genetically modified (GM) crops are widely used around the world, but their effects on the environment need to be better understood.
"Increasing land productivity in the form of greater crop yields can make agricultural land more profitable overall, which can encourage agricultural expansion," explains co-author Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues, an associate professor and associate chair with the Department of Economics at University of Toronto Mississauga.
"However, increased supply may then reduce crop prices, which decreases the conversion of additional land to agriculture elsewhere. These changes have the potential to cause deforestation, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions ... Read more ...
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Volunteers help seedlings take root as New Mexico attempts to recover from historic wildfire - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 24, 2024) |
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Sep 24, 2024 · A small team of volunteers spent a few hours scrambling across fire-ravaged mountainsides, planting hundreds of seedlings as part of a monumental recovery effort that has been ongoing following the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history.
The Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon blaze was spawned in 2022 by a pair of botched prescribed burns that federal forest managers intended to lessen the threat of catastrophic fire in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Instead, large swaths of northern New Mexico were reduced to ash and rural communities were upended.
It rained overnight, making for perfect conditions for the volunteers in the mountains near the community of Mora. ... Read more ...
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Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 23, 2024) |
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Sep 23, 2024 · As a team of marine biologists, assessing the health of thousands of square meters of coral reef can be a daunting prospect. Often, we have to monitor some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, and there's a strict time limit due to the safety regulations associated with Scuba diving.
Accurately measuring and classifying even small areas of reefs can involve spending many hours underwater. And with millions of reefs around the world that need monitoring in the face of looming threats to their existence, speed is critical.
But now, a digital revolution for coral reef monitoring could be underway, enabled by recent advances in low-cost camera and computing ... Read more ...
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Citizen science data characterizes threat due to visits by swarms of jellyfish on the coast of the province of Malaga - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 23, 2024) |
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Sep 23, 2024 · A little-known threat to tourists in the form of stinging jellyfish could affect those who like to take a dip in between lazing in the heat on the sun-drenched beaches of Málaga (Spain). These sea creatures are of increasing concern along Spain's most tourism-dependent coastline, the Costa del Sol with more and more frequent outbreaks of jellyfish swarms since the summer of 2018.
While beachgoers are often preoccupied with sunscreen and sangria, it turns out that jellyfish are creating a new kind of trouble in paradise, according to research published in Progress in Industrial Ecology.
Francisco José Cantarero Prados and Ana Luisa de la Fuente Roselló of the Department ... Read more ...
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Deeper corals may help shallow reefs recover in the Florida keys - PHYS.ORG - Biology (Sep 23, 2024) |
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Sep 23, 2024 · Since the 1970s, coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) have experienced catastrophic declines in coral cover, with as much as a 50% reduction between 1998 and 2011 alone. Although coral reefs within the FKNMS have been heavily studied, research in the mesophotic zone, which extends from about 100 to 500 feet deep, has historically been more limited in this region.
Mesophotic coral ecosystems have the potential to be buffered from anthropogenic stressors due to their depth and/or relative isolation from shore in many regions. Moreover, mesophotic coral ecosystems may also function as refuges for depth-generalist coral species, providing viable larvae ... Read more ...
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