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THE ECOLOGIST
On a savanna so acidic that experts called it dead, a Colombian community planted a forest of Caribbean pines for resin; under their shade, a rainforest nobody planted came back on its ownA Colombian community transformed acidic land into a thriving rainforest. Caribbean pine plantations, aided by a fungus, initiated this eco...
The strange landscape stretching hundreds of miles in America looks like Earth has goosebumps. Why the mystery still remains unsolvedEven after centuries of painstaking research, scientists have been unable to hit upon the origins of the oval shaped mounds that are found ...
Scientists thought the world's tallest trees would be the first to die in drought; New study reveals astonishing survival secret hidden inside their trunksA new study has revealed that giant dipterocarp trees have evolved highly efficient water transport systems that help them move water throu...
British settlers brought domestic cats to Australia in 1788 to control rats and mice around ships, farms, and settlements, but escaped cats now kill billions of native animals every year across the continentIntroduced by British settlers in 1788, cats rapidly spread across Australia, becoming a devastating invasive predator. Intended to control...
Fur traders released Arctic foxes across Alaska's Aleutian Islands in the late 1800s to boost the fur trade, but the predators wiped out millions of nesting seabirds before decades-long eradication campaigns beganA century-old decision to introduce Arctic foxes to Alaska's Aleutian Islands for fur farming led to ecological devastation. These predator...
Australia, in the late 1800s, introduced foxes for a hunting hobby, and scientists are still tracking the damage more than a century laterIntroduced for sport in the 1800s, European red foxes have become a devastating ecological crisis in Australia. These adaptable predators r...
Portugal in the 20th century planted millions of Australian eucalyptus trees for the paper industry, but scientists now say the country's forests are more fire-prone and far less biodiverse than native woodlandsPortugal's widespread eucalyptus plantations, established for industry, are now fueling devastating wildfires. These fast-growing trees, im...
Since 1978, China has planted 66 billion trees to fight the desert; scientists just found they are outpacing natural forests by 66%China's massive tree-planting initiative, aimed at combating desertification, has yielded surprising results. New research indicates these ...
Israel, in the mid-1900s, planted millions of pine trees, and ecologists later found that the Mediterranean shrubs that grew back underneath decided which birds would move inPine forests teeming with birdlife have a secret: it's not the trees, but the undergrowth. A study reveals that dense shrub layers dramatic...
Mountain lions left this suburb a century ago; one returned to Stanford's preserve in 2015, and woody plants grew 64-fold in just 11 yearsA Stanford study reveals that even a single visiting mountain lion can dramatically reshape ecosystems in small preserves. Researchers obse...
Against all odds, one of nature’s most colorful little survivors just made an incredible returnA vibrant blue gecko, once threatened by the pet trade and habitat loss, is making a remarkable comeback in Tanzania. Conservation efforts,...
For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolinsThe ghostly white creature curled up on a weighing scale is almost unrecognisable in the Facebook post offering it for sale. Some of the co...
12 scientists will drift across the Arctic, locked inside sea ice for 8 months to watch an ocean survive its darkest, coldest seasonA daring expedition is underway as 12 individuals will spend eight months adrift in the Arctic Ocean, encased in ice. This mission, Tara Po...
In 1859, English settlers released 24 wild rabbits; in 2024, scientists were shocked to find that the DNA of almost all the rabbits in Australia descended from those 24A seemingly simple request for hunting rabbits in 1859 by Thomas Austin in Australia unleashed a continental plague. While rabbits were int...
In 1944, the US Coast Guard released 29 reindeer on an Alaskan island as a food supply; 19 years later, scientists found them to be 6000, and next winter, only 42 were aliveIn 1944, 29 reindeer were introduced to Alaska's St. Matthew Island as a food source. Their population exploded to 6,000 by 1963, decimatin...
A shark that walks instead of swims? Scientists just found a new one in the wild, and it may already be facing extinctionScientists have identified a new species of 'walking' shark in Papua New Guinea, named Hemiscyllium dudgeonae. This unique shark uses its p...
Ants distracted by potato chips in Panama may be forgetting one of their biggest jobs, and scientists say that could slow the seed dispersal plants depend onHuman food scraps on hiking trails disrupt a vital ecological partnership. Ants, crucial for planting seeds, abandon their task for easy sn...
Study finds urban male bowerbirds in Queensland use human-made objects in courtship displays far more often than rural birdsMale bowerbirds in Australia are now using human-made trash to build their elaborate courtship displays. Researchers found urban birds pref...
Climate change, pollution push oceans to tipping point, UN report saysA new UN report reveals a "deepening crisis" in ocean health, driven by climate change, pollution, and overfishing. Rising sea levels, acid...
What happens when ants get addicted to junk food as much as we do? The consequences could be seriousAnts eating junk food behavior study: Tiny potato chip crumbs are a big distraction for ants. Researchers found ants are drawn to human sna...