Ecology news

Jellyfish swarm northward in warming world (AP)

Jellyfish swarm northward in warming world

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 15, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (15) | comments 1

(AP) -- A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net. Within minutes, hundreds more were being hauled up, a pulsating ...


The six elephants in Sierra Leone were shot and "crudely butchered"

S.Leone elephants 'wiped out' by poachers: official

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 26, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 6

Poachers "wiped out" the entire elephant herd in Sierra Leone's only wildlife park, wildlife managers said Thursday after police said they had arrested a gang of 10 poachers.


The two species now endangered are the flapper skake and the blue skate

Mislabelling drives skate to brink of extinction

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 0

A species of common skate is to become the first marine fish species to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing, due to an error of species classification 80 years ago, reveals research published today ...


Asian carp may have breached barrier protecting Lake Michigan

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Two feared species of Asian carp have zoomed beyond the $9 million electric barriers built to keep them out of Lake Michigan. Now, the only thing left between the carp and the Great Lakes is a lock and dam in southern Chicago.


Can biodiversity persist in the face of climate change?

Can biodiversity persist in the face of climate change?

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 06, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (8) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Predictions made over the last decade about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity may be exaggerated, according to a paper published in the journal Science.


California's Ancient Kelp Forest

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 10, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The kelp forests off southern California are considered to be some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, yet a new study indicates that today's kelp beds are less extensive and lush ...


15,000 reasons to worry about invasive species

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 09, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

A day at the beach in Wisconsin's North Woods didn't used to go like this. Candy Dailey spent a Fourth of July holiday splashing with grandkids on the sandy shore of Lake Metonga when she felt a nasty sting on her foot.


Fish food fight: Fish don't eat trees after all, says new study

Fish food fight: Fish don't eat trees after all, says new study

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- What constitutes fish food is a matter of debate. A high-profile study a few years ago suggested that fish get almost 50 percent of their carbon from trees and leaves, evidence for a very ...


Unknowlingly consuming endangered tuna

Unknowlingly consuming endangered tuna

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 2

While most of us would never willingly consume a highly endangered species, doing so might be as easy as plucking sushi from a bento box. New genetic detective work from the Sackler Institute for Comparative ...


King crab family bigger than ever

King crab family bigger than ever

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Sally Hall, a PhD student at the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES) at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) has formally described four new species of king ...


Sharks under threat as environmental change bites hard

Sharks under threat as environmental change bites hard

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Their size and fearsome appearance have made them the stuff of nightmares, but new research just published suggests that sharks may not be as tough as they appear.


Redback spiders were first spotted in Japan in 1995

Venomous Aussie redback spiders invading Japan

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Australia's venomous redback spiders are on the march in Japan, where they are believed to have arrived years ago as stowaways on cargo ships, a wildlife expert warned Wednesday.


Marine aquaculture could feed growing world population

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 01, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

The oceans could become the source of more of humanity's food if steps are taken to expand and improve marine aquaculture, according to a study published in the December 2009 issue of BioScience.


Scientists Find Ozone Levels Already Affecting Soybean Yields

Scientists Find Ozone Levels Already Affecting Soybean Yields

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Current atmospheric ozone levels are already suppressing soybean yields, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and university cooperators studying the effect of global ...


Destruction spreads 'like a disease'

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- People have cleared more than a quarter of the world’s forests and half of its grasslands, according to a paper published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society by researchers from The University of Que ...