#biodiversity
Researchers find hurricanes drive the evolution of more aggressive spiders
Raging winds can demolish trees, defoliate entire canopies and scatter debris across forest floors, radically altering the habitats and reshaping the selective pressures on many organisms.
19 Aug 2019 ⋅ Nature Ecology & Evolution
These migratory birds will risk their lives for a good nap
Birds in better shape stop and sleep with their head facing forward, untucked, and more alert.
19 Aug 2019 ⋅ Current Biology
Rapid metabolism change helped mammals to thrive in colder climate
Hedgehogs, rabbits, primates and even giraffe have all benefitted in the evolutionary race due to their ability to adapt their metabolism to cope with a changing climate, according to new research.
14 Aug 2019 ⋅ Nature
Asian carp capable of surviving in much larger areas of Lake Michigan than previously thought
Some previous studies suggested that low food levels in Lake Michigan could be a barrier to the establishment of bighead and silver carp, which typically feed on algae and other types of plankton.
12 Aug 2019 ⋅ Freshwater Biology
Despite habitat protection, endangered owls decline in Mount Rainier National Park
The Northern Spotted Owl population in Washington's Mount Rainier National Park has declined sharply in the past two decades despite the long-term preservation of habitat within the park.
8 Aug 2019 ⋅ The Condor: Ornithological Applications
NZ big bird a whopping ‘squawkzilla’
Meet 'Hercules' - the giant parrot that dwarfs its modern cousins.
6 Aug 2019 ⋅ Biology Letters
‘Mega-fires’ may be too extreme even for a bird that loves fire
Climate change is fostering larger, more homogeneous fires with reduced pyrodiversity.
6 Aug 2019 ⋅ The Condor: Ornithological Applications
Road verges provide refuge for pollinators
Roadside verges provide a vital refuge for pollinators - but they must be managed better, new research shows.
5 Aug 2019 ⋅ Journal of Applied Ecology
It would take 50 million years to recover New Zealand’s lost bird species
The biodiversity observed today is the result of millions of years of evolutionary time. Extinctions caused by human activities erase this history.
5 Aug 2019 ⋅ Current Biology
Intense look at La Brea Tar Pits explains why we have coyotes, not saber-toothed cats
The most detailed study to date of ancient predators trapped in the La Brea Tar Pits is helping Americans understand why today we’re dealing with coyotes dumping over garbage cans and not saber-toothed cats ripping our arms off.
5 Aug 2019 ⋅ Current Biology