While wildfire initially disrupts life below ground, healthy and diverse soil communities drive ecosystem restoration.
Ecology
Beneath Bergmann’s Rule: Why burrowing owls grow bigger in the North
Bergmann’s rule is driven not only by evolution, but also early-life stress and short-term environmental shifts.
Plant diversity fell in the wake of the Black Death
A new study used the Black Death as a natural experiment, finding that medieval farming fostered Europe’s biodiversity.
Fruit flies are mapping the ecological cost of urbanization
A citizen science project in Vienna reveals how urbanization is reshaping fruit fly communities.
Airborne DNA reveals shifting reproductive timing in bryophytes
Reconstructing time from decades of air samples shows bryophytes releasing spores earlier as the climate warms.
Mediterranean lizards lighten their coloration to cope with wildfire heat
After fires strip away vegetation, common Mediterranean lizards rapidly shift color to reflect heat, darkening again once the landscape recovers.
Sun orchids successfully trick bees with false anthers
Bees fooled by mimicry help pollinate sun orchids, driving fruit production.
Fruit colour plays a smaller role in birds’ choice than previously thought
Field observations across the Americas show that birds’ choice of fruits depend on exploration, learning and context far more than fruit colour.
Hope for our oceans: fast, eco-friendly coral restoration
Conductive paste boosts the growth of coral fragments, accelerating restoration activities.
Honey bees boost crop pollination, but at a cost to wild bees
Honey bees compete with wild bees for resources in croplands, but nutritious wildflower plantings can mitigate these effects.
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