Environment
19 Aug 2020
Plastic debris releases potentially harmful chemicals into seabird stomach fluid
Plastic waste is toxic for seabirds: Frontiers in Environmental Science
155 news posts in Environment
Environment
17 Aug 2020
Effects of nutrient pollution in marine ecosystems are compounded by human activity
Climate change worsens effect of eutrophication on coastal ecosystems: Frontiers in Marine Science
Environment
05 Aug 2020
Bird nests attract flying insects and parasites due to higher levels of carbon dioxide
By Nora Belblidia, science writer Researchers in Spain have examined bird nests in order to understand how flying insects and parasites detect gases as a way to locate their hosts. The study found that nests that had higher concentrations of carbon dioxide attracted more biting midges, a type of insect that carries a common blood parasite that infects local birds. The findings have implications regarding how diseases spread, which will be affected as carbon levels rise due to climate change. Flying insects and parasites are often vectors for disease, but a mosquito needs to first find someone before they can bite them. In a recent study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers examined bird nests in order to understand how insects and parasites detect gases such as carbon dioxide and methane as a way to locate their hosts. The researchers focused on blue tit bird nest boxes located in a deciduous forest in central Spain. They found that the nests contained more biting midges when concentrations of carbon dioxide were higher inside the nest compared to the forest air. “This is important because biting midges are the main vector of Haemoproteus, the most abundant blood parasite infecting birds […]
Environment
05 Aug 2020
Tracking humanity’s latest toxins in stranded whales and dolphins
High levels of anthropogenic toxins found in stranded cetaceans: Frontiers in Marine Science
Environment
14 Feb 2020
Satellite image data reveals rapid decline of China’s intertidal wetlands
Study shows a loss of nearly 40% of wetlands since the 1970s and calls for new legislation for their protection: Frontiers in Earth Science
Environment
14 Jan 2020
eDNA expands species surveys to capture a more complete picture
Casting a genetic net identifies more marine vertebrates than traditional surveys but has limits: Frontiers in Marine Science
Environment
10 Dec 2019
NASA space data can cut disaster response times, costs
Using near-real-time satellite data could improve emergency management: Frontiers in Environmental Science
Environment
09 Dec 2019
Gulf Coast corals face catastrophe
Only rapid reduction of greenhouse gases will save Gulf of Mexico corals: Frontiers in Marine Science
Environment
27 Nov 2019
Palm oil: Less fertilizer and no herbicide but same yield?
International team investigates environmentally sustainable palm oil production: Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Environment
15 Oct 2019
Face palm: are palm oil boycotters hypocrites?
Oil palm is alternatively seen as a gift from god or a crime against humanity – according to science, it is neither; Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Environment
27 Aug 2019
Study documents impacts of selective logging on Congo’s intact forest landscapes
Logging in the timber-rich forests of northern Congo is a major driver of the region’s economic development — and its ecological impoverishment; Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Environment
13 Aug 2019
Growing existing forests essential in mitigating global crises
“Proforestation” has significant potential in the United States; Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Environment
01 Jul 2019
Young frogs that were stressed as tadpoles move less on land, putting their survival at risk
New Oregon State University research shows that juvenile northern red-legged frogs that have experienced climate-related stress as tadpoles are less likely to move on land, putting their survival at risk; Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Environment
19 Jun 2019
Research shows cattle ranching could help conserve rare African antelope, lions
Endangered African antelope and the lions that prey on them may benefit from certain cattle ranching practices in Kenya; Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Environment
23 May 2019
How light from street lamps and trees influences the activity of urban bats
The team found that the response of bats to artificial light was intensified in areas with high tree cover. Credit: Christian Giese. A German study sheds new light on how exactly ultraviolet (UV) emitting and non-UV emitting street lamps influence the activity of bats in the Berlin metropolitan area, and whether tree cover might mitigate the effects of light pollution — by Forschungsverbund Berlin Artificial light is rightly considered a major social, cultural and economic achievement. Yet, artificial light at night is also said to pose a threat to biodiversity, especially affecting nocturnal species in metropolitan areas. It has become clear that the response by wildlife to artificial light at night might vary across species, seasons and lamp types.A study conducted by a team led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) sheds new light on how exactly ultraviolet (UV) emitting and non-UV emitting street lamps influence the activity of bats in the Berlin metropolitan area and whether tree cover might mitigate any effect of light pollution. The study is published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Tree Cover Mediates the Effect of Artificial Light on Urban Bats► Read original article► Download original article (pdf) Natural sunlight […]