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Ecology

New Research

Yellowstone Bison Engineer an Endless Spring to Suit Their Grazing Needs

The cycle of grazing and fertilizing prolongs spring-like vegetation in grasslands and makes green-up more intense in following years

City noise can throw off a bat's ability to use echolocation.

Noise Pollution Impacts a Wide Range of Species, Study Finds

From tiny insects to large marine mammals, animals are affected by noise in ways that might threaten their survival

A humpback whale basks in sunlight at the ocean's surface in Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

South Atlantic Humpback Whales Have Rebounded From the Brink of Extinction

A new study estimates that the group’s population has grown from 440 individuals in 1958 to nearly 25,000 today

Pack rats near their nest, or midden, in the City of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho.

From Ancient Seeds to Scraps of Clothing, Rats’ Nests Are Full of Treasures

Material gathered and preserved in a pack rat’s midden helps researchers open new windows on the past

Understanding plankton is essential to studying how ocean life is sustained.

This Device Has Been Measuring the Ocean’s Plankton Since the 1930s

Largely unchanged since it was invented, the Continuous Plankton Recorder collects plankton as it is towed behind a ship

An aye-aye lemur.

Extra Thumb Discovered on Aye-Aye Lemurs, Giving These Primates Six Fingers

Used for gripping limbs, a “pseudo-thumb” makes the hands of these bizarre primates even creepier

By collecting images and GPS data from citizen divers, scientists can get a better sense of the health of the entire Great Barrier Reef.

Massive Citizen Science Effort Seeks to Survey the Entire Great Barrier Reef

Only about 1,000 of 3,000 individual reefs have been documented, but the Great Reef Census hopes to fill in the gaps

The 'blob' now lives in a terrarium where it loves warm temperatures and humidity.

Paris Zoo Unveils Bizarre, Brainless ‘Blob’ Capable of Learning—and Eating Oatmeal

Physarum polycephalum is known as a slime mold, but it is not in fact a fungus. It’s also not a plant. Or an animal.

Summer snowpack at Zackenberg in 2018.

New Research

Extreme Snowfall Prevented Arctic Species From Breeding Last Year

Snow coverage persisted through late July, which prevented plants, insects and birds from reproducing normally

"An important first step is understanding how tropical forests worldwide, climate, and the food and other products that we consume are all interconnected on the global scale. Collectively we can have a real impact," says forest ecologist Kristina Anderson-Teixeira.

Yes, Tropical Forests Tragically Burned This Summer, but Here’s What You Can Do

Fires stoked worldwide anxiety, but Smithsonian forest ecologist Kristina Anderson-Teixeira offers a few practices for making a difference

Though the Iberian lynx seemed destined for extinction, a conservation effort in Spain and Portugal has helped the population stabilize.

How the Iberian Lynx Bounced Back From the Brink of Extinction

Two decades ago, fewer than 100 Iberian lynx remained, but thanks to captive breeding and habitat management, the population is recovering

The Global Change Environmental Research Wetland spans 173 acres in Edgewater, Maryland.

Marshes Grow Stronger When Faced With Increased Carbon Dioxide

Marsh plants respond to increased CO2 by growing many small stems, creating a denser wetland that may protect against sea level rise

Three green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, on a coral reef, Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

Coral Reefs Face the Dual Threats of Ocean Acidification and Erosion

As coral tissues die off, the exposed calcified skeleton becomes vulnerable to organisms that eat away at the dying reefs

One of the Dinizia excelsa or angelim vermelho trees, which can grow over 80 meters. The tallest, as measured by satellite, towered 88.5 meters above the forest floor.

Researchers Discover the Tallest Known Tree in the Amazon

Satellite images and a trek into the rainforest reveal a group of trees over 80 meters, or about 260 feet, and one as tall as 88.5 meters

The crypt-keeper brainwashes victims, then consumes them from the inside out

Parasitic Crypt-Keeper Wasp Manipulates the Minds of Seven Fellow Insect Species

The ‘hypermanipulator’ is named after Set, the Egyptian god of war and chaos

In Northern California, purple sea urchins are decimating kelp forests. Though the species of urchin causing problems may vary by region, the damage is the same.

Could Eating Sea Urchins Help Revive Kelp Forests?

A Norwegian ‘urchin ranching’ company wants to take the echinoderms from the wild, fatten them up and sell them to restaurants

Birds are considered an indicator species, representing the health of entire ecosystems.

North America Has Lost Nearly 3 Billion Birds Since 1970

The staggering population loss of 29 percent of North American birds could signal an ecological crisis

Moonlight Helps White Barn Owls Stun Their Prey

Researchers were surprised to find that brilliant white plumage, which makes the owls more visible at night, did not impact the birds’ ability to hunt

Blindfolded insect larvae opted to perch on twigs matching their body coloring about 80 percent of the time

These Caterpillars Can Detect Color Using Their Skin, Not Their Eyes

In experiments, peppered moth caterpillars successfully camouflaged themselves even when blindfolded

Females of the species boast blue-hued legs, as well as an iridescent sheen on their outer shell and abdomen

Turquoise-Tinted Tarantula Discovered in Sri Lanka

The species is only the second member of its genus ever found in the South Asian country

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