Boots On The Ground Conservation

species

Climate change will cause widespread global-scale loss of common plants and animals, researchers predict

Climate change will cause widespread global-scale loss of common plants and animals. More than half of common plants and one third of the animals could see a dramatic decline this century due to climate change, according to new research.

Revealing hidden fungal species using DNA: The importance of recognizing cryptic diversity

In contrast to traditional approaches using morphological characters to delimit species, five new lichen-forming fungal species were described from what was traditionally considered a single species using genetic data exclusively. The new species can be identified using DNA barcoding. This pioneering study marks an alternative approach for discovering species and will promote effective research through correct specimen identification in closely related species groups.

New Red List developed for threatened ecosystems

Scientists have developed a new Red List system for identifying ecosystems at high risk of degradation, similar to the influential Red List for the world's threatened species.

The Black Sea is a goldmine of ancient genetic data

When one marine paleoecologist was mining through vast amounts of genetic data from the Black Sea sediment record, he was amazed about the variety of past plankton species that left behind their genetic makeup (i.e., the plankton paleome).

Is the humble fig more than just a fruit?

Figs and fig trees are familiar to a wide cross-section of human society, both as a common food and for their spiritual importance. What is less well understood is the global nature of this association between figs and humans, which is maintained across species, continents and societies.

Of Ants and Elephants

The majestic animals most closely associated with the African savanna -- fierce lions, massive elephants, towering giraffes -- may be relatively minor players when it comes to shaping the ecosystem. The real king of the savanna appears to be the termite.

The finding, published in the journal PLoS Biology, affirms a counterintuitive approach to population ecology: Often it's the small things that matter most.

The Ecological Value of Scattered Oaks

Conservationists often place the greatest value on protecting large contiguous habitat areas. However, as two new studies (here and here) in the journal Biological Conservation show, single, isolated trees on agricultural lands can give a big boost to bird and bat species. According to the second study,

"Our results suggest that oak savanna restoration in agricultural systems does not necessarily need to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Large savanna-form oak trees scattered in agricultural fields have wildlife value, particularly for many oak-associated birds. Moreover, individual trees have a relatively small physical footprint thus allowing minimal impact on agricultural production and contributing to biological diversity at a small cost to production."