https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals en-us The latest science news on plants and animals Northern muriquis, which live in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, are one of the most endangered species of monkey in the world. Choosing good mates and rearing thriving offspring are key to the species' long-term survival. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-monkey-poop-endangered-species.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Aug 2023 03:54:13 EDT news610253635 When you are driving through a rain storm, traction is key. If your tires lack sufficient tread, your vehicle will slip and slide, and you won't have the grip needed to maneuver safely. When torrential rains hit near-shore, shallow water ecosystems, sea urchins experience a similar challenge. Heavy precipitation can alter the concentration of salt in the ocean waters, causing lower salinity levels. Even a slight change in salinity can affect the ability of sea urchins to securely attach their tube feet to their surroundings—like tires gripping the road. This becomes a matter of life and death for the small spiny creatures, as they rely on their adhesive structures to move in the wave-battered rocky area near the seashore. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-sea-urchins-struggling-climate-ecosystems.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Aug 2023 16:09:13 EDT news610211348 Contributing to the pursuit of sustainable farming, especially sugarcane growing, Brazilian researchers have shown that water bodies such as ponds and even puddles can maintain ecosystem services, provided there are tolerant animals in the vicinity to replace those most sensitive to agricultural practices. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-substitution-tolerant-sensitive-species-ecosystems.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Aug 2023 11:23:07 EDT news610194183 There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live. While today's blue whale has long held the title, scientists have dug up fossils from an ancient giant that could tip the scales. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-heaviest-animal-ancient-whale-peruvian.html Plants & Animals Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 02 Aug 2023 11:12:55 EDT news610193569 A study led by The University of Western Australia has revealed a tool used by prey to conceal 3D body shapes in nature, providing a different perspective on how camouflage works. The findings have been detailed in, " Camouflage using three-dimensional surface disruption," and published in Biology Letters. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-depth-camouflage.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:51:35 EDT news610181489 With mighty jaws and plate-like teeth, the whitespotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) can pretty much crunch on anything. In fact, hard clam farmers in Florida's Indian River Lagoon have considered this species a threat to their production efforts and profit margin. This assumption, however, is mostly anecdotal. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-dna-decodes-dining-shell-shucking-whitespotted.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:10:12 EDT news610121401 Birds can be electrocuted if they come into contact with two energized parts of a power line at once—which can happen when they spread their wings to take off from or land on a power pole. Because of this, energy companies invest substantial time and money into making sure power lines are avian safe, installing safe perches and insulating energized elements. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-illegal-responsible-birds-dead-power.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:00:01 EDT news610100853 Declawing house cats to keep them from scratching people and furniture is controversial—and even banned in some countries and areas in the U.S.—but the practice is not limited to house cats. In a new study, researchers looked at the effects of declawing on larger cat species and found that declawing disproportionately impacts their muscular capabilities as compared to their smaller brethren. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-shouldnt-declaw-tigers-big-cats.html Plants & Animals Veterinary medicine Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:51:27 EDT news610041083 A new computer program allows scientists to observe the behavior of multiple animals simultaneously and over extended periods, while automatically analyzing their motion. What may seem obvious marks a significant milestone, and paves the way for robust and accessible standardization and evaluation of such complex observations. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-machine-behavioral-neuroscience-precise-phenotyping.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:24:57 EDT news610028694 The REPLANT Act provides money for the US Forest Service to plant more than a billion trees in the next nine years. The World Economic Forum aims to help plant a trillion trees around the world by 2030. Many US cities have plans to shade their streets with millions of trees. Major government and private funding is being invested in planting trees as a powerful tool to fight climate change, protect water, clean air, and cool cities. In short, trees are hot. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-billions-trees-threatened-massive-undersupply.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:00:02 EDT news610014985 Increasing urbanization is reducing biodiversity with cities proving harsh places for many of Australia's native wildlife to live—not least magnificent birds of prey which face lack of habitat, high buildings and disturbance by car noise and night lights. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-cities-australian-eagles-smaller-raptors.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 12:19:03 EDT news610024741 It's one of the mysteries of nature: How does the axolotl, a small salamander, boast a superhero-like ability to regrow nearly any part of its body? For years, scientists have studied the amazing regenerative properties of the axolotl to inform wound healing in humans. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ultra-sensitive-on-off-axolotls-regrow-limbs.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:05:04 EDT news610020293 Researchers have shown from stable isotope ratios in the baleen of pygmy right whales that this species of baleen whales remains in waters off southern Australia year-round and feeds on Australian krill and copepods. Unlike larger relatives, they don't make seasonal migrations to Antarctic regions. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-enigma-pygmy-whales-habits.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 31 Jul 2023 10:10:06 EDT news610017001 Researchers, led by Dr. Li Hongju from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have revealed that the female gamete in flowering plants controls fertilization recovery by secreting pollen tube attractants. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-female-gametes-fertilization-recovery.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Fri, 28 Jul 2023 11:00:02 EDT news609695904 Some organisms, such as tardigrades, rotifers, and nematodes, can survive harsh conditions by entering a dormant state known as "cryptobiosis." https://phys.org/news/2023-07-genome-analysis-year-old-roundworm-siberian.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news609672059 An analysis of more than 2 million pet dogs living in the UK in 2019 has identified the most common overall breeds—topped by mixed-breeds, Labrador retrievers, and Jack Russell terriers—while also highlighting the popularity of breeds with physical features associated with increased health risks. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-mixed-breeds-labradors-jack-russell-terriers.html Plants & Animals Veterinary medicine Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:00:02 EDT news609580531 Many gardeners will tell you that aphids are the bane of their existence. According to a new study from the University of Florida, these tiny pests also pose problems for the iconic monarch butterfly. The study found that when oleander aphids infested tropical milkweed—a nonnative milkweed species commonly used across southern portions of the U.S. stretching from California to Florida—the butterflies laid fewer eggs on the plants, and caterpillars developing on those plants were slower to mature. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-aphids-tropical-milkweed-monarch-butterflies.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:00:02 EDT news609579716 What happens inside the carnivorous plant Venus Flytrap when it catches an insect? New technology has led to discoveries about the electrical signaling that causes the trap to snap shut. Bioelectronic technology enables advanced research into how plants react to their surroundings, and to stress. The work is published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-fast-electrical-bioelectronic-technology.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:00:02 EDT news609579654 All plants and lichens listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act are sensitive to climate change but there are few plans in place to address this threat directly, according to a new study by Amy Casandra Wrobleski of Pennsylvania State University and colleagues, published July 26, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-climate-threatens-endangered-lichen-species.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:00:02 EDT news609579572 Scientists have discovered the honey produced by Australian ants possesses unique anti-microbial activity against bacteria and fungi that could make the liquid useful medicinally. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-western-science-nations-medicinal-ant.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:34:06 EDT news609586418 A team of biologists and aquatic researchers from Suffolk University, Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources has found evidence suggesting that female bowhead whales may be pregnant for as long as 23 months. In their project, reported in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group studied hormones produced by whales killed by Inuit hunters over a 13-year period. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-bowhead-whales-pregnant-months.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:30:02 EDT news609584331 Arctic terns—which fly on the longest migrations of any animal on Earth—may be able to navigate the dangers posed by climate change, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-arctic-terns-climate-dangers.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 26 Jul 2023 05:00:01 EDT news609515882 African cuckoos may have met their match with the fork-tailed drongo, which scientists predict can detect and reject cuckoo eggs from their nest on almost every occasion, despite them on average looking almost identical to drongo eggs. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-egg-signatures-drongos-cuckoo-forgeries.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 25 Jul 2023 19:00:01 EDT news609494301 What impacts do agrochemicals have on the ongoing global insect decline? Biologists at the University of Konstanz have found out that aversive learning is impaired in bumblebees exposed to glyphosate. Their study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-glyphosate-impairs-bumblebees.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:15:04 EDT news609498901 Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena and Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, report in a new study in the journal PNAS that the symbiosis of beewolves with their bacterial helpers includes protection of the symbionts from toxic nitric oxide, which beewolf eggs release to disinfect the brood cavity. The white secretion from the antennae of female beewolves, which also contains the symbionts, provides an effective diffusion barrier. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-beewolf-symbiosis-shield-allies.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 25 Jul 2023 09:11:57 EDT news609495113 An international team of scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and the Water Research Group from the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at the North-West University in South Africa have discovered a new species of marine cryptofauna in the Florida Keys. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-isopod-species-florida-keys.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 25 Jul 2023 06:22:01 EDT news609484910 An international team of researchers has uncovered "unprecedented" snake venom resistance in an unexpected species—the legless amphibians known as caecilians. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-amphibian-survived-judgment-day.html Plants & Animals Evolution Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:46:03 EDT news609417961 Caecilians are an elusive type of amphibian that primarily live underground and look like a cross between a worm and a snake. One of the few things that is known about caecilians is their unique method for feeding their young. Mothers produce a special layer of fatty skin tissue, which juvenile caecilians tear off with baby teeth that evolved specifically for that purpose. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-wormlike-animals-amphibians-shown-microbes.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Mon, 24 Jul 2023 08:47:16 EDT news609407228 Male crickets sing in unison to attract females—but stop singing if a rival gets too close, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-male-crickets-court-females-unisonunless.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 21 Jul 2023 11:39:56 EDT news609158394 Water striders live on the water surface and their leg length ranges from several to over 100 millimeters. It is well known that they use their long hydrophobic legs and support their bodies on the surface without breaking it. Under each leg, the water surface bends down creating a dimple (meniscus). Heavier water striders create deeper dimples, which produce stronger upward force from the downward stretched water surface that supports the insect body. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-world-largest-striders.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 20 Jul 2023 15:32:12 EDT news609085922