All articles tagged with #ecosystems
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.
A new study argues that fossilized poop (coprolites) played a key role in the Cambrian Explosion by boosting nutrient cycling and stimulating more complex digestive systems, leading to faster diversification of life about 540 million years ago.
Scientists argue aquatic deoxygenation could be Earth’s 10th tipping point, supplementing the existing Planetary Boundaries. Warming temperatures and nutrient runoff are reducing dissolved oxygen across lakes, reservoirs, and oceans, with notable declines such as 40% oxygen loss in midwaters off California since 1960. If widespread, this trend threatens marine life, fisheries, and global climate feedbacks, underscoring the need to cut emissions and curb nutrient pollution to safeguard ecosystems and economies.
New dating of fossils from New Mexico suggests dinosaurs thrived until the asteroid impact, challenging previous beliefs that they declined long before the mass extinction, and revealing diverse ecosystems in the late Cretaceous period.
Scientists have discovered a widespread 'hidden order' in drylands worldwide, where plants self-organize into a disordered hyperuniform pattern that optimizes resource use and enhances survival in extreme conditions, with implications for ecosystem resilience and early warning signs of environmental stress.
The article highlights the increasing pressure on Europe's water resources due to pollution, droughts, and floods, emphasizing the importance of ecosystem protection and better wastewater management through a series of reports and debates by Euronews.
Research indicates that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the world's largest ocean current, may shift its location and change its strength over the coming centuries due to natural cycles and climate change, potentially impacting global climate, sea levels, and ecosystems.
The study finds that phages with broad host ranges are common across various ecosystems, supported by extensive metagenomic data and advanced genomic analysis pipelines, highlighting their ecological significance and diversity.
Climate change poses a severe threat to Arctic reindeer populations, with potential declines of nearly 60% globally and over 80% in North America by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, impacting biodiversity, indigenous communities, and Arctic ecosystems.
The article highlights various critical issues on the brink of collapse, including ecosystems like the Salish Sea's salmon populations, water shortages due to droughts, aging infrastructure, societal systems such as education and the economy, and broader concerns like climate change, AI's impact on critical thinking, and insect extinction, emphasizing that these problems are often overlooked despite their severity.
Researchers highlight the urgent need to protect Earth's underground fungal networks, which are vital for ecosystem health, carbon storage, and agriculture, but are largely unprotected and threatened by human activities, calling for immediate conservation efforts.
ESA's new Biomass satellite has released its first images, showcasing Earth's most intact ecosystems like forests, deserts, and glaciers, using advanced radar technology to provide unprecedented insights into carbon storage, climate change, and environmental health, marking a significant advancement in global environmental monitoring.
New research suggests that all life on Earth follows a hidden rule, with life radiating from core areas within bioregions, which could enhance our understanding of ecosystems and aid conservation efforts.
New research suggests that all life on Earth follows a hidden rule, originating from a core area in each bioregion and radiating outward, which could enhance our understanding of ecosystems and aid conservation efforts.
A new study provides empirical evidence that all life on Earth follows a 'core-to-transition' organization, where most species originate from biodiversity-rich core regions and expand outward, with environmental factors like heat and drought influencing their spread, offering insights into biodiversity patterns and responses to climate change.