Tag

Ecology

All articles tagged with #ecology

science1 day 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

science1 day ago•12 min saved

Leopard Predation Near Mumbai Could Reduce Rabies Deaths, Study Suggests

A modeling study around Mumbai's 104 sq km Sanjay Gandhi National Park estimates leopards kill about 1,500 stray dogs per year, which could prevent roughly 1,000 dog bites and 90 rabies deaths annually and save about $18,000 in dog-management costs. But results are model-based, not an experimental test, and leopards near cities can still pose risks; the real impact varies by proximity to the park.

via Space Daily|

#ecology #leopards #mumbai

lifestyle2 days ago•30 min saved

Tick Eradication Isn’t Feasible: The Ecological and Public-Health Impasse

A NY Post piece examines the rising tick threat and why eradicating ticks is not practically or environmentally feasible. It highlights CDC data showing more tick bites, surveys the ecological risks of broad-spectrum controls, and reviews targeted strategies—deer and rodent management, biological controls, and experimental genetic approaches—while noting legal and ethical hurdles. The takeaway is that ticks cannot be eliminated quickly or cleanly; public health should focus on reducing exposure and advancing research rather than pursuing a wholesale tick purge.

via New York Post|

#ecology #lifestyle #lyme-disease

science6 days ago•8 min saved

Acorns Signal Lyme Risk More Than Deer Counts

A long-term study in New York’s Hudson Valley finds deer abundance does not predict Lyme disease risk; acorn-driven mouse populations and the broader small-mammal community shape tick abundance and infection, making acorn cycles a key predictor of future risk, with warmer years altering these dynamics.

via CIDRAP|

#acorns #ecology #lyme-disease

science7 days ago•2 min saved

Miocene Megacrocodiles Dominated South America's Pebas Wetlands

In the Middle Miocene Pebas megawetland of northwestern South America, enormous crocodylians such as Purussaurus neivensis dominated the ecosystem, preying on abundant megafauna like giant sloths and rhinoceros relatives. Fossil bite marks indicate ambush predation by these crocs, while scavengers such as sebecids fed on their leftovers, underscoring Purussaurus' key ecological role in shaping tropical wetlands of the era.

via Nautilus | Science|

#crocodilians #ecology #miocene

science9 days ago•11 min saved

Trail-Cam Wolf Solves Submerged Crab Trap, Expanding Canid Foraging Skills

A female wolf in British Columbia was captured on trail cameras swimming to a buoy, dragging a fully submerged crab trap ashore and opening the bait cup to reach food—the three-minute clip, noted as unprecedented for wild canids, has sparked debate among experts about whether it constitutes tool use or a complex problem-solving event. The observation highlights wolves’ reliance on marine resources and may influence how researchers monitor coastal foraging, including camera placement and expectations for repeat behavior.

via Space Daily|

#british-columbia #ecology #marine-foraging

science9 days ago•14 min saved

Raccoons in Germany: debunking Nazi-origin myths and tracing an urban invasion

New research shows that Germany’s raccoons were released in 1934 for wildlife enrichment, not personally by Hermann Göring, and later DNA analysis reveals additional releases creating distinct gene pools; today about two million raccoons span Germany and parts of Europe, fueling debate over their ecological impact while scientists say evidence of major harm to native species is inconclusive and managers pursue options from hunting to sterilisation to coexistence.

via BBC|

#ecology #germany #invasive-species

science11 days ago•6 min saved

Why Dinosaurs Never Got Tiny: Ecology, Not Biology, Shaped Their Size

New research argues that the scarcity of tiny non‑avian dinosaurs results from ecological competition with small mammals rather than physiology; energy-based models fail to predict the dinosaur size distribution, implying an ecological size floor. The study also notes that birds—dinosaurs that evolved flight—could become much smaller by exploiting new niches, suggesting a symmetrical dynamic: mammals kept dinosaurs from shrinking while flight unlocked tiny bird sizes.

via SciTechDaily|

#birds #dinosaurs #ecology

science20 days ago•1 min saved

Europe’s 6,000-km Ant Megapolis: The World’s Largest Invasive Supercolony

The Argentine ant Linepithema humile forms vast, interconnected supercolonies that stretch along 6,000 km of Europe’s coast (Portugal to Italy), housing millions of nests and billions of workers, with urban-like features such as ventilation, food storage, nurseries, toilets and highways, illustrating how an invasive species can organize into a city-scale ecosystem.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#ants #ecology #invasive-species

environment22 days ago•109 min saved

Aspen groves could act as nature’s firebreaks amid worsening wildfire seasons

A new Canadian study shows trembling aspen stands can slow and contain wildfires more effectively than conifer forests. Aspen dominates fire perimeters more than interiors, and larger aspen-dominated areas burn less each day, suggesting that expanding aspen buffers around communities could reduce fire spread. Effective buffering likely requires dense stands (roughly 100–300 meters wide). The findings support promoting mixed hardwood forests over monoculture conifer plantations to boost landscape resilience in a warming world, though individual aspen trees burn easily and require thick stands to act as barriers.

via Live Science|

#aspen #climate-change #ecology

science1 month ago•10 min saved

Serendipitous Quebec Crater Discovery Triggers a Burst of Surprising Science

An amateur using Google Maps spotted a 15.5-mile, ~390-million-year-old meteorite crater in Quebec, with planetary geologists set to present findings; the digest also surveys a range of science stories—from contagious fish melanoma and a parasitoid ant life-cycle to extreme high-altitude adaptations in Andean leaf-eared mice, deep-water Lake Malawi larvae, a new hyperparasitoid wasp, coffee’s liver-health benefits, and asthma improvements linked to replacing gas stoves, plus the Astronomy Photographer of the Year finalists.

via Daily Kos|

#astronomy #biology #ecology

science1 month ago•5 min saved

First Global Map Reveals Earth's Hidden Fungal Highway

A global team mapped the underground mycorrhizal network, estimating about 110 quadrillion kilometers of fungal filaments and 300 megatons of carbon; these networks transfer roughly 4 billion tonnes of CO2 into soil each year (about 11% of human-emitted CO2) and support ~70% of plant species. The map, produced from 322 studies and 16,000 soil samples using machine learning and advanced imaging, shows that natural ecosystems host denser networks than agricultural lands, with grasslands holding a large share of biomass. Widespread habitat loss could weaken soil carbon storage and nutrient cycling, highlighting fungi as a planetary circulatory system.

via WIRED|

#climate-change #ecology #fungi

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Tiny California preserve reveals how mountain lions reshape local ecosystems

Stanford researchers at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve documented increased mountain‑lion (puma) activity from 2015–2020, including daytime sightings, alongside a drop in deer and signs of vegetation recovery (oak saplings), pointing to a trophic cascade in this suburban enclave. As big cats moved in, coyotes and bobcats declined while fox activity rose, potentially affecting rabbits. The findings, published in Ecology and Evolution, suggest even small preserves connected to larger wildlands can show pronounced ecological ripple effects and underscore the importance of preserving predator habitats.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#ecology #jasper-ridge-biological-preserve #mountain-lions

science2 months ago•10 min saved

When Packs Strike: Ten cooperative hunters that outsize their prey

The article catalogs ten species that hunt in groups—from wolves and African wild dogs to Harris’s hawks, sailfish, driver ants, social spiders, Cuban boas, Volta’s electric eels, and orcas—showing how teamwork, sheer numbers, and specialized roles enable them to take down prey larger than any single hunter, with notes on methods, efficiency, and trade-offs across different ecosystems.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#animal-behavior #cooperative-hunting #ecology

science2 months ago•41 min saved

Global map uncovers a 62 quadrillion-mile underground fungal web

Scientists mapped underground fungal networks and found they total about 62 quadrillion miles in length within the top 15 cm of soil; the new interactive map shows hotspots in grasslands and wetlands and aims to protect fungi as part of conservation efforts, noting that dense networks support plant nutrition and carbon storage while intensive agriculture reduces hyphae density; more than 8,000 fungal species are known, but most have not been assessed for endangerment.

via Good News Network|

#conservation #ecology #fungi