News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Gall fly outmaneuvers host plant in game of “Spy vs. Spy”

Over time goldenrod plants and the gall flies that feed on them have been one-upping each other in an ongoing competition for survival. Now, a team of researchers has discovered that by detecting the plants’ chemical defences, the insects may have taken the lead.

Learning about penguin’s diet may save marine life, study finds

Researchers at Monash University and Phillip Island Nature Parks develop a novel index to determine the prey availability of little penguins which can help inform the sustainable future of their food supply.

New study reveals rarity of the Spirit Bear and gaps in their protection in the Great Bear Rainforest

New research has identified that the small genetic change responsible for Spirit bears - a rare, white-coated form of black bears – is up to 50% rarer in the Great Bear Rainforest than previously estimated. The study also indicates that geographic hotspots, where the Spirit bear version of the gene was especially prominent lack adequate protection from resource extraction.

How to bring conservation messaging into wildlife-based tourism

A new study from the University of Helsinki suggests that wildlife-based tourism operators should be key partners in educating and inspiring tourists to take informed conservation action. The study, published in People and Nature, introduces a toolbox of ideas for improving wildlife-based tourism operations.

Wild bees depend on the landscape structure

A Research team led by University of Göttingen finds flower strips, organic farming and small crop fields combine to encourage bees and hoverflies.

Daniel Becker wins the British Ecological Society’s Sidnie Manton Award

The British Ecological Society (BES) announced today that Daniel Becker, postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University, has been awarded the Sidnie Manton Award for the best review article in Journal of Animal Ecology by an early career researcher.

Sample management for biologists

In biology, even small errors in labelling and data management can lead to severe consequences, particularly when dealing large complex projects like tracking COVID-19. To reduce potential error, researchers at Queen’s University in Canada have developed a new software package called ‘baRcodeR’.

University of Hong Kong - codeveloped automated laser-scanning ‘hunter drone’ seeks out fossils, minerals and biological targets

Science fiction has machine-intelligent hunter drones and they have now become science fact with a new University of Hong Kong (HKU) - codeveloped autonomous ‘hunter drone’ that seeks out targets at night using a scanning laser.

Wind beneath their wings –study finds albatrosses fine-tuned to wind conditions

A new study of albatrosses has found that wind plays a bigger role in their decision to take flight than previously thought, and due to their differences in body size, males and females differ in their response to wind.

How fish got onto land, and stayed there

Research on blennies, a family of fish that have repeatedly left the sea for land, suggests that being a ‘jack of all trades’ allows species to make the dramatic transition onto land but adapting into a ‘master of one’ allows them to stay there.

African lion numbers are being overestimated by survey methods

Two Griffith led collaborations published this week indicate that Lion populations in Africa may be lower than current estimates suggest.

Research shows recovering pine marten population benefits red squirrels, but the grey squirrel still poses a problem in urban areas

Research led by Queen’s University Belfast has found that whilst red squirrels are responding positively to the increased presence of the pine marten across Ireland and Britain, its ability to control the grey squirrel is limited by the lack of forest cover and the presence of urban refugia.

Human presence weakens social relationships of giraffes

Living close to human settlements disturbs the social networks of giraffes. They have weaker bonds with other giraffes and fewer interactions with other members of the species, an international study led by the University of Zurich on the social structure of over 500 female giraffes in Tanzania has shown.

New evidence on bed bug burden in urban neighborhoods

Researchers at UMass Amherst find more risk of bed bugs in poorer, crowded urban areas.

Birds, bees and butter – new study underlines importance of biodiversity for crop production and West African livelihoods

Shea trees are in important crop in Senegal and Uganda and they benefit from bees pollinating their flowers to produce fruit. New research finds that in sites with low tree and shrub diversity, fruit production is severely limited by a lack of pollination.