envirobites

Parasitic plants are a bit like vampires; they suck the sap out of other plants. Because of their unusual lifestyle, these plants’ impacts on their community of neighboring plants and animals can be complicated and surprising. A team of researchers in Chile asked an interesting question: Do parasitic plants benefit from the cascading effects they have on their communities of neighboring plants and animals?

Animal behavior Ecosystems

June 16, 2025 Kevin Neumann

Infecting robot locusts with pathogens to study social immunity

Researchers observed the responses by live locusts to robot locusts infected with a fungal pathogen

Case Studies Ecosystems Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health Remote Environments Science through time

April 25, 2025 Christina Andrea Alvear

Diving Deep for Volcanic Deposits: What the Hunga Volcanic Eruption Teaches Us About the Deep Sea

According to Chaknova and colleagues, the Honga Volcano eruption was the largest in the modern satellite era. It produced a 58 km plume, a 20 m high tsunami, and a pressure wave that propagated around the world.

A green iguana resting on a log with green leaves in the background

Animal behavior Case Studies Remote Environments

April 6, 2025 Lauren Glevanik

Island-dwelling Iguanas First Arrived in Fiji by Rafting Across 5000 Miles of Open Ocean

Genetic analyses suggest that a population of island-dwelling iguanas in Fiji first arrived by rafting across 5000 miles of open ocean. Traveling from the homeland of their closest relatives in western North America, this journey breaks records for the longest known overwater dispersal of any land animal.

Animal behavior Ecosystems Environmental Science Science through time Sustainabililty

March 25, 2025 Christina Andrea Alvear

Discovery of a Shortfin Mako Nursery

Featured Image Caption: Two shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) by MarkConlin, public domain from U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration