ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

New survey method proves Rhode Island's rarest frog may not be so rare

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 03:56 PM PDT

A study by researchers using a seldom-used methodology turned up many more Eastern spadefoots, an endangered primitive frog, than they expected.

New health benefits of red seaweeds unveiled

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 03:55 PM PDT

Red seaweeds have been prevalent in the diets of Asian communities for thousands of years. Researchers have now shown how these algae confer health benefits.

As climates change, prepare for more mosquitoes in winter

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 03:55 PM PDT

In places on the front lines of climate change, these disease-spreading insects may become a year-round problem.

More than a bumpy ride: Turbulence offers boost to birds

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 03:55 PM PDT

By combining wind speed data with the measured accelerations of a golden eagle outfitted with GPS tracking instruments, researchers suggest that, rather than hindering flight, turbulence is a source of energy that birds may use to their advantage.

Rocky mountain forests now burning more than any point in past 2,000 years

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 12:39 PM PDT

Following 2020's extreme fire season, high-elevation forests in the central Rocky Mountains now are burning more than at any point in the past 2,000 years, according to a new study.

Making a meal of DNA in the seafloor

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 12:39 PM PDT

While best known as the code for genetic information, DNA is also a nutrient for specialized microbes. An international team of researchers has discovered several bacteria in sediment samples from the Atlantic Ocean that use DNA as a food source. One bacterium newly named by the team in fact is a true expert in degrading DNA.

Persistence pays off in the human gut microbiome

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 12:39 PM PDT

The human gut microbiome is a complex community of trillions of microbes that are constantly interacting with each other and our bodies. It supports our wellbeing, immune system and mental health -- but how is it sustained?

An unusual symbiosis of a ciliate, green alga, and purple bacterium

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 12:39 PM PDT

The intracellular purple sulfur bacterium 'Candidatus Thiodictyon intracellulare' has lost the ability to oxidize sulfur and now supplies a ciliate with energy from photosynthesis.

What does it take to discover a new species of cicada?

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 10:12 AM PDT

An observation of an insect exoskeleton on a potted plant may lead to the identification of a new species of cicada.

Huge prehistoric croc 'river boss' prowled waterways

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 10:12 AM PDT

A new species of large prehistoric croc that roamed southeast Queensland's waterways millions of years ago has been documented.

Too many forewing eyespots are bad for butterflies

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 10:12 AM PDT

Biologists sought to understand the impact of uneven distribution of eyespots on butterflies. The team found that the location of these eyespots is key to their protective function.

Irish potato famine pathogen stoked outbreaks on six continents

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Researchers tracking the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s show that the historic lineage called FAM-1 was found in nearly three-fourths of the 140 historic and modern samples tested and was found on all six continents.

Plant-based diet protects from hypertension, preeclampsia

Posted: 14 Jun 2021 08:08 AM PDT

A plant-based diet appears to afford significant protection to rats bred to become hypertensive on a high-salt diet, scientists report. When the rats become pregnant, the whole grain diet also protects the mothers and their offspring from deadly preeclampsia.

A better understanding of 'wet markets' is key to safeguarding human health, biodiversity

Posted: 11 Jun 2021 05:56 AM PDT

The term 'wet market' is often laced with negative undertones, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the majority of these markets -- like the one featured above in Taipei, Taiwan -- pose very little risks to human health and biodiversity, according to a new study.

For bay oysters, protection plus restoration creates healthiest reefs

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Actively restoring oyster reefs -- beyond simply protecting them from harvest -- can create big payoffs for habitat quality and the other species that flock to them. A new study compared restored, protected and harvested areas using photos and video footage from roughly 200 sites.

Indigenous mortality following Spanish colonization did not always lead to forest regrowth, study finds

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

New research shows that disruptions to Indigenous land management following Iberian colonization did not always result in widespread forest regrowth in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, as has been recently argued.

Declining growth rates of global coral reef ecosystems

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

If the trend of declining coral growth continues at the current rate, the world's coral reefs may cease calcifying around 2054, a new study has found. Drawing on research from the late 1960s until now, the paper reveals the global spatiotemporal trends and drivers of coral reef ecosystem growth (known as calcification).