press release

Four gian tortises walk toward the camera with a second group following beind in the background.

Giant Tortoises Migrate Unpredictably in the Face of Climate Change

Unlike many migratory species, Galapagos giant tortoises do not use current environmental conditions to time their seasonal migration.

ESA Tipsheet for April 1, 2019

Upcoming research in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Woolly Stars Need Catastrophes to Live

In the Santa Ana River floodplain, an endangered plant needs the effects of intense flooding to grow and survive in loose soil

ESA Tipsheet for March 4,5, 2019

Upcoming research in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Pika survival rates dry up with low moisture

In the Pacific Northwest, dry air interacts with low snow conditions to affect pika abundances at different elevations February 4, 2019 For Immediate Release Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, gro.asenull@setnegz Although it has been ranked as the cutest creature in US National Parks, the American pika is tough, at home in loose alpine rocks in windswept mountain…

Why charismatic, introduced species are so difficult to manage

Researchers say mismatches of scale between social and ecological systems are a key contributor to many conflicts involving introduced-species management February 4, 2019 For Immediate Release Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, gro.asenull@setnegz Introduced and invasive species can present big problems, particularly when those species are charismatic, finds a recently published paper in the Ecological Society of America’s…

Elephants take to the road for reliable resources

In a national park, researchers study African elephant movement and vegetation using satellites January 9, 2018 For Immediate Release Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, gro.asenull@setnegz An elephant never forgets. This seems to be the case, at least, for elephants roaming about Namibia, looking for food, fresh water, and other resources. The relationship between resource availability and wildlife movement…

Does mountaintop removal also remove rattlesnakes?

Mining operations in Appalachia permanently alter habitat availability for rattlesnakes January 3, 2018 For Immediate Release Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, gro.asenull@setnegz On the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky, surface coal mining is destroying ridgelines and mountaintops, and along with them, the habitat of a surprisingly gentle reptile species – the timber rattlesnake. “Timber rattlesnakes may be…

Birds can mistake some caterpillars for snakes; can robots help?

Researchers observe a defense mechanism for caterpillars can attract unwanted attention December 17, 2018 For Immediate Release Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, gro.asenull@setnegz When a caterpillar disguises itself as a snake to ward off potential predators, it should probably expect to be treated like one. This is exactly what happened in Costa Rica earlier this year, when researchers witnessed a hummingbird defending its nest from what…

Ecologists Ask: Should We Be More Transparent with Data?

Open, readily-usable data sets and code will grow more important in future scientific research, saving time and effort for reviewers, investigators, and authors October 26, 2018 For Immediate Release Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, gro.asenull@setnegz Computational reproducibility – the ability to accurately reproduce outcomes from data sets using the same code and software – will be an…

In the January issue of Ecosphere, Bouwmeester et al. document the spawning timing of the tropical coral P. verrucosa in the central Red Sea, on reefs both from western reefs (i.e., Sudan) and from eastern reefs (i.e., Saudi Arabia), reporting for the ﬁrst time coral reproduction in Sudan with individuals from both coasts of the central Red Sea spawning within a 25-day window in the spring, following a period of rapidly increasing water temperatures.

Ecosphere

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Plant pirates of the Caribbean: Union professor part of research team studying biological invasions

Trade and tourism are among the most important factors in understanding the establishment of invasive species in Cuba, but the nation’s revolution and the subsequent U.S. embargo also influence the island’s biodiversity today.

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Ann Somers Publishes Groundbreaking Paper On Eastern Box Turtles

UNC Greensboro’s Ann Berry Somers, senior lecturer in biology, with John H. Roe, professor at UNC Pembroke, recently announced the release of a new paper on eastern box turtles, the North Carolina state reptile.

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New study reveals biodiversity important at regional scales

Research shows that biodiversity is important not just at the traditional scale of short-term plot experiments, but also when measured over decades and across regional landscapes as well.

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Biodiversity protects bee communities from disease, U-M study concludes

University of Michigan researchers netted and trapped more than 4,000 bees from 60 species to discover that the most diverse bee communities have the lowest levels of three common viral pathogens.

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Shrinking shark numbers on Great Barrier Reef unlikely to have cascading impacts

University of Queensland researchers offer new evidence suggesting that the ongoing overexploitation of ocean predators on the northern Great Barrier Reef is unlikely to have cascading impacts on corals. The findings introduce new layers of complexity to the paradigm of reef sharks being regarded as apex predators.

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Small mammals climb higher to flee warming temperatures in the Rockies

In a new study spanning nearly 13 years, researchers at UC Boulder discovered that the ground squirrel has joined many other small mammals in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains that are making an ominous trek: They’re climbing uphill to avoid warming temperatures in the state brought on by climate change.

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Why plant diversity is so important for bee diversity

Researchers at the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex show that honey bees and bumble bees dominate on different flower species and have found out why.

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