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New research concludes that by letting their cats outdoors, humans in Washington D.C. are placing cats at high risk for catching and transmitting disease, and are driving a reduction in native animal populations and overall ecosystem health. View the full article

Researchers have identified coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars in the Red Sea as distinct species that occurs only in this location. View the full article

The nearshore rocky reefs of the Santa Barbara Channel are dynamic places, with populations of fish, mollusks, algae and other assorted sea life shifting in response to currents, storms and a variety of other conditions. They wax and wane, typically returning to some sort of baseline composition -- a kind of standard demographic -- after disturbances temporarily disrupt the neighborhood, and then subside. View the full article

Researchers have assembled the first reference genome for the Nile rat -- a kind of genetic template of this species that may be used for laboratory and clinical studies. The hope is that it will be useful for those who investigate Type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders associated with a disrupted diurnal rhythm. The Nile rat is prone to diet-induced diabetes, and exhibits a clear diurnal pattern, unusual in rodents. View the full article

A research group has created a successful donkey embryo using in-vitro fertilization (IVF), which could save dozens of endangered donkey species. View the full article

Why are there more plant species in some places than in others? Why is diversity highest in the tropics? What is the connection between biodiversity and environmental conditions? To help answer these questions, an international team has reconstructed the distribution of plant diversity around the world and made high-resolution predictions of where and how many plant species there are. This will support conservation efforts, help to protect plant diversity and assess changes in the light of the ongoing biodiversity and climate crises. View the full article

Plants need light to grow. However, due to excess nutrients and/or the absence of herbivores less light can reach lower vegetation layers in grasslands. Consequently, few fast-growing species dominate and plant diversity declines. So far, this relationship has been established indirectly through experiments, but never directly by means of experimentally adding light in the field. Now biologists have been able to experimentally demonstrate the dominant role of light competition. View the full article

In the U.S. Geological Survey's Non-Indigenous Aquatic Species database, these so-called 'native transplant' fish are almost twice as common as fish introduced from outside the country. But a new review says native transplant fish, especially those that don't qualify as game fish, are rarely studied and their impacts poorly understood. View the full article

The invasive spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is a well-known pest in agriculture. A recent study by Swiss scientists now shows that the forest ecosystem is also affected by this alien insect. SWD infests the fruits of various forest plants and competes with other fruit-eating species. The decay of fruits attacked by SWD leads to a loss of resources, which can cause considerable ecological damage. View the full article

Invasive plants can have devastating effects on local ecologies, comparable to the effects wrought by global warming. And yet, there is currently no reliable understanding of how many invasive plant species there are in the world. New research comprehensively pinpoints the various unknowns that need to be addressed in order to intelligently manage invasive species around the world. View the full article

A recent experiment provides evidence of a bark beetle species' agricultural capability. The fruit-tree pinhole borer can suppress the growth of weed fungi and promote food fungi. View the full article

Researchers have published a comprehensive study on the significance of species differences for the most central cell maintenance mechanisms. The researchers used the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) and the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) as model organisms in their study. View the full article

Communication is everything -- and that applies for algae, too. However, their chemical language and its significance in aquatic ecosystems remain largely unknown. New research summarizes the current state of knowledge and identifies new approaches for future research in the language of algae and their ecological relationships. View the full article

New research conclusively shows that certain physical traits of flowers affect the health of bumble bees by modulating the transmission of a harmful pathogen called Crithidia bombi. In particular, the research shows that the length of a flower's corolla, or the flower's petals, affects how this pathogen gets transferred between bees because shorter corollas mean that fewer bee feces wind up inside the flower itself and in the path of the bees in search of nectar. View the full article

NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission can provide valuable information about the world's forests for wildlife scientists. View the full article

A study bu a conservation psychologist reveals overwhelming public ignorance of Australia's most threatened species, a factor that is contributing to the extinction crisis of endangered animals. View the full article

Scientists conducted a 7-year study on seedling recruitment and mortality in a national park in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand. During the study period, an extremely strong El Niño event occurred, leading to a stronger and longer drought than normal. Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs), which experience an annual dry season, are considered drought-tolerant. Nevertheless, the study found that seedling mortality increased in SDTFs when severe and prolonged drought occurred. View the full article

The efficient running of wastewater treatment plants is an essential part of modern society. Just like humans, wastewater treatment plants can get sick, due to viral attacks. Now, new research reveals the implications for the surrounding environment in case the plant catches a cold. From the study, the researchers have shown there is a clear relationship between virus concentration and the amount of dissolved organic carbon present in the effluent water. More of this carbon in the effluent water, means increased oxygen consumption in the surrounding bodies of water where the effluent is discharged. This could have potential negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystems nearby. View the full article

Scientists have developed a method for the direct observation of fine roots, which control the uptake of nutrients and water by trees. This provides a valuable addition to the existing knowledge of carbon and nutrient cycling in the forest floor, leading to further understanding of the carbon cycle from the view point of initial carbon input into the soil and aiding forest management and soil conservation. View the full article

Prescribed fire -- a tool increasingly used by forest managers and landowners to combat invasive species, improve wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem health -- also could play a role in reducing the abundance of ticks and the transmission of disease pathogens they carry, according to a team of scientists. View the full article

A new study shows for the first time that carefully placed no-fishing zones can help to restore tunas and other large, iconic fish species. View the full article

Researchers used artificial nests to test two methods for reducing the nest predation of vulnerable and endangered ground-nesting birds. The study showed that red foxes can be more easily deceived into not eating bird eggs than raccoon dogs. The methods could be used alongside hunting and offer an alternative, non-lethal solution for creating protection for vulnerable prey. View the full article

A new article adds a new chapter to the story of how some animals may respond to the warming oceans. View the full article

Jacks and barracuda in He?eia fishpond were found to feed on Australian mullet, an invasive species introduced to Oahu waters in the 1950s. This recently published finding suggests that these native predatory fish may provide a form of biocontrol on populations of the invasive mullet species in a traditional Hawaiian fishpond. View the full article

Genetic and genomic technologies have tremendous potential for protecting marine life, but are currently being underutilized, according to a new article. View the full article