Tag

Biodiversity

All articles tagged with #biodiversity

science4 hours ago•11 min saved

Tiny on the scales: all wild land mammals weigh about 20 million tonnes, far less than humans and livestock

A 2023 study estimates the total wet biomass of all wild land mammals at about 20 million tonnes (roughly 3 kg per person), which is far smaller than humanity’s ~390 million tonnes and well below the combined weight of livestock (~630 million tonnes). The weight is concentrated in a few species—white-tailed deer, wild boar, and African elephants—with bats representing the majority of individuals but only a small fraction of total weight. The figure is uncertain and should be read as a ratio illustrating humans’ dominance and livestock impact, not a full biodiversity assessment.

via Space Daily|

#biodiversity #biomass #conservation

environment1 day ago•20 min saved

Orange Peel Restoration: How 12,000 Tons Freed a Costa Rican Park from Desolation

In 1997, ecologists Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs partnered with a juice company to dump about 12,000 tons of orange peel and pulp on a deforested pasture near Área de Conservación Guanacaste in Costa Rica. Beginning in 1998, the nutrient-rich waste transformed the barren site into a thriving forest, boosting aboveground biomass by roughly 176% in a 3-hectare study area and attracting wildlife such as tayras and a giant fig tree. The surprising ecological revival illustrates how scientifically guided waste rehabilitation can regenerate ecosystems, while researchers caution against unplanned dumping and emphasize learning how to apply such findings to waste management and restoration projects.

via Diario AS|

#biodiversity #conservation #costa-rica

science3 days ago•10 min saved

Forgotten Forest Trial Finds Thinning Boosts Growth, Carbon, and Habitat

A long-forgotten 1980s silvicultural experiment in Victoria, Australia compares clearfell, small patch clearfell, heavy thinning, and unharvested stands. Thirty years on, large clearfell patches regrew vigorously, while heavily thinned forests produced enormous trees and stored as much or more carbon than untouched areas. Thinning also improved fire resilience and created habitat for wildlife like Leadbeater’s possum, found in all silvicultural plots but not in fully unharvested areas. The study argues thinning can deliver wood, carbon, and biodiversity benefits, and cautions that there is no single silver bullet for forest management.

via SciTechDaily|

#biodiversity #carbon-storage #clearfell

environment5 days ago•3 min saved

Warm European seas lure swimmers as ecosystems reel from warming, study finds

Europe’s oceans are warming rapidly due to climate change, adding about 2°C to the Mediterranean this summer and roughly 1.3–1.4°C to Western European waters, driving widespread marine heatwaves and ecological disruption. Species are shifting north, food webs are reassembling, and coastal fisheries and aquaculture face risks, with potential land heat implications from higher sea surface temperatures. While warmer seas may attract swimmers in cooler countries, the deeper ecological costs are substantial.

via Euronews.com|

#biodiversity #climate-change #environment

science9 days ago•5 min saved

Atolls: Coral Ringlands Built Over Millennia, Home to a Million and Under Threat from Rising Seas

Atolls are ring-shaped coral islands surrounding lagoons, formed over 1–30 million years through Darwin’s subsidence model (volcanoes rise, reefs grow, island sinks) or the antecedent karst model. About one million people live on atolls, which host substantial seabird populations (≈37 species and ~31 million nesting birds). Notable examples include Great Chagos Bank (largest total area), Kwajalein Atoll (largest lagoon), Kiritimati (largest land area), and Huvadhu Atoll (most islands). They are highly vulnerable to climate change due to sea-level rise and warming, though sediment redistribution can alter land area.

via discoverwildlife.com|

#atoll #biodiversity #climate-change

science9 days ago•7 min saved

AI Consensus, Martian Gem, and Biodiversity's Diet Challenge

This week’s science roundup highlights: AI agents spontaneously reach a consensus in a controlled experiment, Perseverance reveals corundum gemstones on Mars, dolphins in Australia’s waters demonstrate shell-assisted hunting, a PNAS study links vegetable biodiversity to healthier diets as varieties decline, and early human data suggest fecal microbiota transplants could help treat peanut allergies; plus drought-driven heat threatens Pinot Noir and other wine regions.

via ScienceAlert|

#ai #biodiversity #dolphins

environment12 days ago•2 min saved

Tiny legends compete for 2026 Invertebrate of the Year

Readers are invited to vote for the 2026 Invertebrate of the Year from a ten‑species shortlist (including the common woodlouse, immortal jellyfish, Lord Howe Island stick insect and neon flying squid). Voting runs until midnight August 16, with the winner announced August 18, highlighting the crucial ecological roles of spine-free creatures from pollination to nutrient cycling.

via The Guardian|

#biodiversity #ecosystems #environment

science14 days ago•1 min saved

Tiny patch, colossal age: Earth's oldest rocks lie beneath Canada's tundra

The Acasta Gneiss Complex in Canada's Northwest Territories may date back as far as 4.03 billion years, making it among the oldest rocks on Earth; despite surface exposure of only about 800 square metres, the surrounding landscape supports a diverse range of wildlife—from polar bears and grizzly bears to wolves, musk ox, and various birds—showing ancient geology coexisting with a modern Arctic ecosystem.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#acasta-gneiss #biodiversity #canada

science15 days ago•16 min saved

Amazon Discovery Reveals Two New Anaconda Species and Pollution's Toll

During a National Geographic shoot in the Amazon with Will Smith, scientists encountered a 7.5-meter green anaconda and revealed that what was once considered a single species is actually two: the Ecuadorian and Brazilian green anacondas. Ecuadorian snakes are longer on average; pronounced male–female size differences influence their prey choices; heavy-metal testing found males carry up to ten times more lead and cadmium due to oil pollution, illustrating how contaminants move up the food chain and threatening biodiversity, especially the Brazilian species with its smaller range.

via Earth.com|

#amazon-rainforest #anaconda #biodiversity

environment15 days ago•2 min saved

Patagonian giant bumblebee fights for survival amid invasive rivals

The Patagonian giant bumblebee Bombus dahlbomii, the region’s largest pollinator, is facing rapid declines as non-native European bumblebees (Bombus ruderatus and Bombus terrestris) outcompete it and bring pathogens; it also uniquely detects red flowers and is being highlighted as invertebrate of the year to raise awareness and conservation efforts.

via The Guardian|

#biodiversity #bombus-dahlbomii #environment

environment15 days ago•47 min saved

Bezos and DiCaprio's $200M Biodiversity Pledge Sparks Greenwashing Debate

Jeff Bezos and Leonardo DiCaprio unveiled the Phoenix Species Project, pledging $200 million to protect 100 of the world’s most endangered species across 30 countries, a move that drew polarized reactions with critics accusing it of greenwashing given the billionaires’ own environmental footprints, while supporters argue it could bolster biodiversity and climate-positive impacts.

via Yahoo|

#bezos #biodiversity #environment

science19 days ago•66 min saved

Climate reshapes butterfly ranges worldwide, with expansions outpacing contractions

Global butterfly ranges are shifting widely in response to climate change, with 1,758 species across 105 countries documented in 6,182 range-shift reports. About 80% of species expanded their ranges, and 79% of shifts are linked to climate change and extreme weather; 27% contracted and 22% shifted elevationally, with expansions strongest in the tropics and contractions and elevational shifts more common in Europe and North America. The study stresses biases from uneven data and the value of integrating non-English literature and expert assessments, and urges expanded monitoring, citizen science, and conservation planning that accounts for range dynamics, microrefugia, and habitat connectivity to buffer biodiversity against climate- and land-use change.

via nature.com|

#biodiversity #butterflies #climate-change

environment20 days ago•2 min saved

Beetle’s poo shield and patient volunteers reveal Wales’s hidden wildlife

In a West Wales Wildwatch morning, volunteers and recorders identify a range of species—from a dark giant horsefly to marmalade hoverflies and a Rosa micrantha—before spotting a tortoise beetle larva whose prehensile anus forms a self-made fecal shield to deter predators, illustrating how dedicated citizen scientists uncover extraordinary wildlife in ordinary fields.

via The Guardian|

#biodiversity #citizen-science #conservation

science20 days ago•6 min saved

A tiny Amazon patch could house 40,000 insect species, many undiscovered

A Brazilian megaproject is surveying insects across a 10,000‑hectare central Amazon site from ground to canopy, deploying multi‑level traps and a blitz of methods. After 14 months they’ve collected about 5.5 million specimens, with around 600,000 slated for DNA sequencing, and preliminary data suggest as many as 40,000 species may inhabit this patch—roughly 0.7% of the world’s estimated six million insect species—work being carried out by ~400 taxonomists who will describe and name new species, often drawing on Indigenous languages, rivers and regional history.

via Nature|

#amazon-rainforest #biodiversity #dna-barcoding

environment20 days ago•116 min saved

DiCaprio and Bezos back a $200M fund to save 100 threatened species

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos unveiled a $200 million fund to protect 100 of the planet’s most threatened species, a large-scale effort aimed at advancing biodiversity conservation worldwide.

via AP News|

#biodiversity #conservation #endangered-species