Tag Archives: ecology
Feedback between organisms and the environment shape biodiversity
How does the environment shape biodiversity? This is a central question for both the scientific understanding of ecosystems and for practical initiatives in sustainability. Previous work has shown that a heterogeneous environment promotes diversity. For example, variation
Epigenetic phenotype diversification helps animals to adapt to changing and new environments
There is increasing evidence that epigenetic phenotype variation can contribute to environmental adaptation, speciation and evolution. Epigenetic changes of the phenotype are caused by differences in gene expression rather than by alteration of the genetic code. Epigenetic
Sub-Antarctic Fish – how do they do when things get warm?
Scientists are concerned about the fate of marine species, in particular fish, under future climate warming. Because fish body temperature varies as a consequence of variation in the ambient environmental temperature (they are “poikilotherms”), scientists expect that
Movements networks in field biology
We live in a world that is more and more connected. Fundamentally, this reflects a world of increasing information, of big data, where we use technology to log our health, our journeys, even our calorie intake and
Advantageous adventitious roots – ecology, economy, and our existence
Plants rely on roots for their supply of nutrients and water but not all roots are the same. Typically when asked to picture a plant root system we might think of the tap root with ‘lateral’ roots
Brown bear habitat selection personality
You maybe think that only humans have personality? But don’t be a fool, animals can have personality too. If you are a pet owner or a farmer, you probably have already noticed. Differences in personality in wild
Mold is meat: Microbes are trophically equivalent to animals in the food-chain
The biological world can be divided into two vast “empires:” 1) organisms that make their own food (i.e., autotrophs, such as plants, algae, phytoplankton), and 2) those that must eat other organisms to live (i.e., heterotrophs, such
