Island Conservation
On islands, small mammals become bigger and large mammals get smaller. Ecosystem make-up and food resources are believed to be the cause of these size-change patterns. The “Island Rule” describes the change in body size of mammals that migrate to islands: small mammals get bigger, and big mammals get smaller. Why is this? There is […]
Ecological models, rules, and genetic sequencing technology bring researchers to conclusion that almost one-trillion species live on Earth. Perhaps you remember as a child enjoying books with detailed illustrations of all kinds of animals. Many of us learned about the great diversity of species that we share the planet with at a very young age. We […]
Study finds that higher biodiversity enhances disease-resistance in ecosystems. A recent study published in the journal Ecology by Australian and Chinese researchers from University of Adelaide and Fudan University suggests that higher levels of biodiversity increase an ecosystem’s disease resistance. The researchers studied the relationship between biodiversity and the severity of a fungal disease. Alpine Meadow. Photo: […]
In the beginning, Tromelin Island, a small, remote land mass off the coast of Madagascar, was a healthy home for a variety of bird and plant species. The island was beautiful and thriving until one day when people accidentally introduced rats. The island’s ecosystem began to collapse–six of the eight bird species native to the island could not cope […]
When a rare animal species native to a biodiversity hotspot goes extinct, the entire ecosystem is at risk. The loss of a rare animal species has cascading effects on ecosystems, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Manaus, Brazil. Rare species occupy important environmental niches. These species often make specialized contributions to the […]
A few rare California grasslands have a unique quality–the soil contains the mineral serpentinite. That unusual trait has a surprising advantage for such grasslands. Serpentine soil is low in calcium and other common plant nutrients, while rich in elements toxic to plants. Very few plants, some of which are found nowhere else in the world, can grow in serpentine soil. […]