It is critical that we understand all of the pieces of spillover events so that they can be predicted and ideally prevented. Scientists at Auburn University recently considered the two main hypotheses for spillover, and asked how do pathogens with the potential to spillover from wildlife to humans arise in damaged or altered landscapes?
Read MoreCrossing a stream on a drive may feel like a treat, but would bugs residing in the stream feel the
Read MoreWildlife reintroductions can ignite outrage between social groups, turning conservation goals into major conflicts. Understanding different stakeholder perceptions of beavers holds the key for those hoping to bring back this ecosystem engineer to the rivers of Scotland.
Read MoreMany large carnivores have been increasing in number along with people, which could lead to more conflicts between the carnivores and people. Wolves in particular are starting to make a comeback after their population sizes were reduced due to hunting and loss of prey. It is important to bring wolves back because they play an important role in maintaining the balance of an ecosystem by controlling the population size of their prey. Their reintroduction and increasing population sizes have led to research to figure out how wolves and people can live peacefully together.
Read MoreUp to 60 percent of all fish species may eventually be forced to find new mating areas due to traditional areas becoming too warm for them. By studying fish species from all over the world, experts released a new report suggesting that many fish have a low tolerance for heat during mating. Water temperature may have a larger than previously acknowledged effect on fish reproduction success. If global warming continues, fish populations may not be as strong or as plentiful as they once were unless they find new mating locations.
Read MoreIn a recent study using crowd-sourced data, Harvard researchers found that National Park visitors may increasingly visit the parks at the wrong time and the small window when most of the wildflowers bloom. At Mount Rainier National Park, early snowmelt means the plants flower before the majority of tourists visit the park. With climate change, these timing mismatches will become more common, however small changes to human behavior may put the flowers and and the humans that admire them back in sync.
Read MoreMicroplastics are prevalent in the news and in the oceans. Find out what effect they have on organisms at the bottom of the oceans… and the bottom of the food chain.
Read MoreHistorically humans have tilled the land for agriculture. Now, in the longleaf pine forests in the Southeastern United States, many are working to restore the land. Restoration is used to bring back the pre-agriculture plant communities but how do these interventions change the soil microbes?
Read Morehttps://link-springer-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1007/s10806-019-09815-x.pdf Biodiversity hotspots Without a doubt, New Zealand is a biodiversity hotspot. It consistsof two islands that have evolved independently
Read MoreThe act of listening is an often-forgotten aspect of natural observation. When scientists listen to ecosystems, what do they learn?
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