diversity
Will loss of plant diversity compromise Earth’s life-support systems?
Biodiversity around the world is increasingly threatened by global warming, habitat loss, and other human impacts. But what does this loss of species mean for the functioning of ecosystems that humans depend on for goods and services? Can ec…
Candid cameras give a chance to see wildlife as a scientist does
Researching animals in the wild can be challenging, especially if it involves a rare or elusive species like the giant panda or the clouded leopard. To remedy this, scientists rely heavily on camera traps — automated cameras with motion sensors…
Asthma tied to bacterial communities in the airway
Asthma may have a surprising relationship with the composition of the species of bacteria that inhabit bronchial airways, a finding that could suggest new treatment or even potential cures for the common inflammatory disease, according to a new UCSF…
Wealth of orchid varieties is down to busy bees and helpful fungi, says study
Scientists have discovered why orchids are one of the most successful groups of flowering plants – it is all down to their relationships with the bees that pollinate them and the fungi that nourish them. The study, published tomorrow in the Americ…
Scientists determine what makes an orangutan an orangutan
For the first time, scientists have mapped the genome–the genetic code–of orangutans. This new tool may be used to support efforts to maintain the genetic diversity of captive and wild orangutans. The new map of the orangutan genome may also be us…
‘Vive la difference!’ Seeing foreigners as foreign encourages local coworkers to assist them
“Vive la difference!” Seeing foreigners as foreign encourages local coworkers to assist them finds a Rotman study.
Toronto – Whether it’s a company with local and ex-pat employees, countries in need of aid, or the elderly interacting with the youn…
The ecosystem engineer: Research looks at beavers’ role in river restoration
MANHATTAN, KAN. — When engineers restore rivers, one Kansas State University professor hopes they’ll keep a smaller engineer in mind: the North American beaver.
Beavers are often called ecosystem engineers because they can radically alter stream …
Rodents were diverse and abundant in prehistoric Africa when our human ancestors evolved
Rodents get a bad rap as vermin and pests because they seem to thrive everywhere. They have been one of the most common mammals in Africa for the past 50 million years.
From deserts to rainforests, rodents flourished in prehistoric Africa, m…
Efforts underway to rescue vulnerable bananas, giant swamp taro, other Pacific Island crops
SYDNEY (22 October 2010) — Hoping to save the vulnerable varieties of bananas painted by the artist Paul Gauguin, rare coconuts, and 1,000 other unique varieties of staple fruit and vegetable crops across the Pacific, crop specialists from nin…
Disappearing glaciers enhanced biodiversity
Biodiversity decreases towards the poles almost everywhere in the world, except along the South American Pacific coast. Investigating fossil clams and snails Steffen Kiel and Sven Nielsen at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU) could s…
Toward resolving Darwin’s ‘abominable mystery’
What, in nature, drives the incredible diversity of flowers? This question has sparked debate since Darwin described flower diversification as an ‘abominable mystery.’ The answer has become a lot clearer, according to scientists at the Univers…
