News and Opinion

Fishing for Mammals: How DNA from rivers could revolutionise mammal detection on land

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Fishing for Mammals: How DNA from rivers could revolutionise mammal detection on land

Scientists from the University of Salford have identified that DNA collected from river water is a new and effective way of monitoring the entire community of mammals on the landscape.

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Why a focus on constant change is more important than a focus on stability

Why a focus on constant change is more important than a focus on stability

We talk and think in terms of things and entities that are stable and unchanging. This is understandable, but misguided, researchers argue.

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Smaller fields and diversified crops can help spontaneous plants to make a comeback, even in the middle of fields

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Smaller fields and diversified crops can help spontaneous plants to make a comeback, even in the middle of fields

Scientists from INRAE and the CNRS, working with colleagues from Germany, Spain, the UK and Canada, find that increasing field border lengths could be a highly effective measure to complement agri-environmental schemes, maintaining and restoring plant diversity right to the centre of fields.

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Human activities and underlying mechanism of green tide formation

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Human activities and underlying mechanism of green tide formation

Research proposes a novel mechanism behind the formation of green tides, which can be ecologically damaging, and explores the relationship between this mechanism and human activities.

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Dragonflies are efficient predators that consume hundreds of thousands of insects, locally

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Dragonflies are efficient predators that consume hundreds of thousands of insects, locally

Researchers quantify the staggering number of insects dragonflies and damselflies can consume.

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Conservation translocation: trade-offs for species survival and biodiversity

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Conservation translocation: trade-offs for species survival and biodiversity

As efforts to help wildlife ramp up after the devastating bushfire season, University of Canberra researchers warn that removing species under pressure from immediate threat must be done in a measured, species-dependent way.

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Lava flows tell 600-year story of biodiversity loss on tropical island

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Lava flows tell 600-year story of biodiversity loss on tropical island

A natural experiment created by an active volcano gives new insight into the long-term negative impacts of human colonisation of tropical forest islands.

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Watching TV helps birds make better food choices

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Watching TV helps birds make better food choices

By watching videos of each other eating, blue tits and great tits can learn to avoid foods that taste disgusting and are potentially toxic, finds new study. Seeing the ‘disgust response’ in others helps them recognise distasteful prey by their conspicuous markings without having to taste them, and this can potentially increase both the birds’ and their prey’s survival rate.

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Amazon forest disturbance is changing how plants are dispersed

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Amazon forest disturbance is changing how plants are dispersed

New research finds tropical forest disturbance goes beyond species loss and includes a shift towards smaller seeds and an increase in the proportion of trees dispersed by animals, impacting how the ecosystem functions. 

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Call for policy makers to protect pollinators

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Call for policy makers to protect pollinators

Pollinating insects could thrive if improvements are made to agri-environment schemes across Europe, new study led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) finds.

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New software program could boost protections for animals on the move on land and at sea

New software program could boost protections for animals on the move on land and at sea

An international team of conservation scientists has developed an innovative software program to improve protections for wildlife as they roam on land and at sea.

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Orb-weaver spiders’ yellow and black pattern helps them lure prey

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Orb-weaver spiders’ yellow and black pattern helps them lure prey

Being inconspicuous might seem the best strategy for spiders to catch potential prey in their webs, but many orb-web spiders, which hunt in this way, are brightly coloured. New research finds their distinct yellow and black pattern is actually essential in luring prey.

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New study: are teen seabirds safe?

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New study: are teen seabirds safe?

Seabirds have an exploratory adolescent phase, often looking for food in ocean areas quite different to breeding adults. A new collaborative BirdLife study warns that current seabird protection measures should not neglect such crucial stages of seabird development.

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Feeding bluebirds helps fend off parasites

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Feeding bluebirds helps fend off parasites

If you feed the birds in your backyard, you may be doing more than just making sure they have a source of food: you may be helping baby birds give parasites the boot

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British Ecological Society launches new journal: <em>Ecological Solutions and Evidence</em>

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British Ecological Society launches new journal: Ecological Solutions and Evidence

The British Ecological Society (BES), in partnership with its publisher John Wiley & Sons, is delighted to announce the launch of a new international journal.

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