Ecosystems in Biological News

Scientists find universal rules for food-web stability

... levels. The computations also reveal that small ecosystems follow other rules than large ecosystems: ... webs, but destabilize larger webs. Natural ecosystems consist of interwoven food chains, in which ... long term," says Thilo Gross from MPIPKS. Complex ecosystems can thus be simulated and analyzed under almost ...

New hope for fisheries

... to succeed in five of the ten large marine ecosystems that they examined. The paper, which appears in ... Iceland and New Zealand. "These highly managed ecosystems are improving" says Hilborn. "Yet there is still ... term it benefits fish, fishermen, and our ocean ecosystems as a whole." Key among the group's ...

Yale study: Most polluted ecosystems recoverable

... New Haven, Conn.Most polluted or damaged ecosystems worldwide can recover within a lifetime if ... ONE . The Yale researchers found that forest ecosystems recovered in 42 years on average, while ocean ... than 10 years. When examined by disturbance type, ecosystems undergoing multiple, interacting disturbances ...

Rules proposed to save the world's coral reefs

... to protect or enhance the resilience of reef ecosystems in the face of existing and unavoidable future ... they say. The key to saving threatened coral ecosystems is to maintain the links (connectivity) between ... to the resilience of coral reefs and other ecosystems to which they are linked," says Dr McCook. "The ...

A big lesson from the reef

... for his pioneering work in understanding how ecosystems develop and maintain their amazing diversity. ... lies at the heart of stable ecosystems. Since ecosystems help to support humanity in many ways with food, ... to support us is vital, he argues. "As a rule, ecosystems with many species are more stable over time. ...

Study finds most wars occur in Earth's richest biological regions

... people live in hotspots and depend on healthy ecosystems for their survival, so there is a moral ... on the resources and services provided by natural ecosystems for their daily survival. Environmental concerns ... in conserving global biodiversity and keeping ecosystems healthy. It also called for integrating ...

Historical photographs expose decline in Florida's reef fish, new Scripps study finds

... can not only help describe the structure of ecosystems that existed in the recent past, but can be used ... research for her doctoral thesis on coral reef ecosystems of the Florida Keys, McClenachan came across what ... exists showing that even the Florida Keys ecosystems of the 1950s were not pristine. Commercial ...

What we don’t know still hurts us, environmental researchers warn

... hundreds of scientists to develop a view of ecosystems through the lens of services those ecosystems provide humanity, said Thomas Dietz, director of ... "In only a few cases are the abilities of ecosystems to provide human well-being holding steady, and ...

Grazing animals help spread plant disease

... point once again to the complexity of natural ecosystems and the many ways in which plants, animals and ... professor of zoology at OSU. "But in natural ecosystems we're finding it's not nearly that simple, and to ... researchers said, because so many elements of ecosystems are undergoing rapid change, from human ...

Time running out on coral reefs as climate change becomes increasing threat

... decline in the health of the planet's coral reef ecosystems according to the findings in an international ... more that that nearly half of U.S. coral reef ecosystems are considered to be in "poor" or "fair" ... regional assessments of the health coral reef ecosystems found throughout the world, the threats they ...

Dune and dirty: Hurricane teaches lessons through ecosystem research

... brews around mending hurricane-slashed coastal ecosystems from the standpoint of people who choose to live ... process. "The coast is one of the most dynamic ecosystems there is, and it can totally change in a ... parched. "Marshes are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. They are full of organic materials, ...

Expeditions reveal gulf of California's deep sea secrets, as well as human imprints

... unprecedented details of vibrant sea life and ecosystems in the Gulf of California, including ... Rica, reveal much more marine life and healthier ecosystems than those studied in the Gulf of California that ... are reaching down deeper and modifying the deeper ecosystems and their communities as well," said ...

Alpine rivers hold important clues for preserving biodiversity and coping with climate change

... climate change, which are tampering with existing ecosystems and changing both the physical and biological ... biochemical processes that keep rivers and their ecosystems healthy, according to Professor Angela Gurnell, ... same forces, with the potential for tipping whole ecosystems into new states when certain thresholds are ...

Marine invasive species advance 50 km per decade, World Conference on Marine Biodiversity told

... as well as exciting discoveries of novel ecosystems in extreme ecosystems, particularly in the deep ... and 400 morphological species of chemosynthethic ecosystems which form on the carcasses of whales," points ... have been more efficient to maintain the ecosystems than traditional marine protected areas, Castilla ...

Marine invasive species advance 50km per decade, World Conference on Marine Biodiversity told

... as well as exciting discoveries of novel ecosystems in extreme ecosystems, particularly in the deep ... and 400 morphological species of chemosynthethic ecosystems which form on the carcasses of whales," points ... have been more efficient to maintain the ecosystems than traditional marine protected areas, Castilla ...

Cold water corals conference to be held in Woods Hole

... during the past decade has shown that deep coral ecosystems host extremely high biological diversity that are ... and production. Once lost, recovery of these ecosystems can take decades to centuries as these corals are ... throughout the Atlantic. "Understanding how these ecosystems are interconnected, whether through the migratory ...

Northwest climate change is target of $3.2M in grants to University of Oregon

... effort to understand potential threats to prairie ecosystems in Oregon and Washington with a $1.8 million, ... the magnitude of climate change, but about how ecosystems will respond to those changes and, in turn, how ... about 2 percent still exist. They are imperiled ecosystems as are the species within them. On top of that we ...

Current mass extinction spurs major study of which plants to save

... "Given that we are losing species from ecosystems around the world, we need to know which species ... approximately 40 important studies of grassland ecosystems around the world. They reconstructed the ... than others in preserving the functions of ecosystems and that these species tend to be those that are ...

Snakes, salamanders and other creatures thrive in areas with higher deer populations

... that higher deer activity is modifying forest ecosystems in unexpected ways. Out of several species of ... deer populations can negatively impact forest ecosystems through eating plants that many smaller animals ... we're actually indirectly impacting forest ecosystems without even knowing the possible effects," said ...

Diversity of plant-eating fishes may be key to recovery of coral reefs

... in addition to having enough herbivores, coral ecosystems also need the right mix of species to overcome ... approach to resource managers," Hay added. "If ecosystems were managed for critical mixes of herbivorous ... that coral reefs really don't exist as functional ecosystems in the Caribbean anymore," Hay said. "The best ...

BioScience tip sheet, October 2008

... present a scheme for analyzing the effects on ecosystems of expected changes in patterns of precipitation. Moist ecosystems can be expected to suffer more water stress, while arid ecosystems are thought likely to have increased water ...

Evolving designer ecosystem sheds light on unintended consequences

... land cover and hydrology on surrounding native ecosystems and biodiversity? This question forms the ... on riparian species, the "integrity of native ecosystems and the continued delivery of goods and services ... and function of natural streams and arid ecosystems and how they are impacted by human-altered ...

Southern Sierra Science Symposium planned for Visalia

... "agents of change" affecting the Southern Sierra ecosystems which include giant sequoia groves. The array of ... and challenges facing the southern Sierra Nevada ecosystems in relation to climate change. Exhibits and ... AND FUTURE EFFECTS OF INVASIVE ORGANISMS ON ecosystems IN THE SIERRA NEVADA: ASSESSMENTS; COMPLEXITIES, ...

Study of islands reveals surprising extinction results

... by this team studying how humans have altered the ecosystems of the planet. Gaines and Sax started the ... might cause some to wonder if the health of the ecosystems might not be better because the number of species ... human colonization has had a massive impact on ecosystems of islands, with the introduction of new, exotic ...

Oceans on the precipice: Scripps scientist warns of mass extinctions and 'rise of slime'

... large animals are being converted into simplistic ecosystems dominated by microbes, toxic algal blooms, ... his analysis by constructing a chart of marine ecosystems and their "endangered" status. Coral reefs, ... are critically endangered, I looked at entire ecosystems as if they were a species," said Jackson. "The ...

Study reveals air pollution is causing widespread and serious impacts to ecosystems

... Threats From Above: Air Pollution Impacts on ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United ... is needed if we plan on preserving functioning ecosystems for future generations." Pollutants poison ... as the maximum level of deposited pollution that ecosystems can tolerate before harmful effects occur. By ...

Study: Future snowmelt in West twice as early as expected; threatens ecosystems and water reserves

... new water management challenges for agriculture, ecosystems and urban populations. Researchers, including ... lead to more severe wildfires and changes in the ecosystems of the West. "Early snowmelt and warmer soil ... "If these projections become reality, then the ecosystems of the northern and central Rockies will undergo ...

NOAA report states half of US coral reefs in 'poor' or 'fair' condition

... Lauderdale, Fla. Nearly half of U.S. coral reef ecosystems are considered to be in "poor" or "fair" ... The report issued today, The State of Coral Reef ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely ... of the report. The scientists graded the coral ecosystems on a five tier scale: excellent, good, fair, poor ...

BBVA Foundation Awards for Biodiversity Conservation

... to both scientists 60% of the services that ecosystems perform have suffered some impairment, including ... from a species-centered approach to one based on ecosystems and the services they provide to humanity. Mooney ... and interactions are the two phenomena that shape ecosystems and modulate their responses to climate change ...

Scientists may have solved an ecological riddle

... process in controlling responses of many ecosystems particularly boreal and temperate forests to ... and geographically-defined terrestrial ecosystems right around the world," he says. The team ... predict the effect of climate change on different ecosystems and the interactions between terrestrial ...

Researchers explain nitrogen paradox in forests

... cycles through the environment may determine how ecosystems respond to global warming. But certain aspects of ... species would have a competitive advantage in ecosystems where nitrogen is in low supply, but not where ... the better we'll be able to manage Earth's ecosystems in the coming decades, especially in the face of ...

Coastal management cooperation, enforcement key to avoid pending crisis for millions: UN experts

... are ineffective and their continuation endangers ecosystems that support the economies on which over half the ... management immediately. Coastal marine ecosystems have declined progressively in recent decades due ... ecological processes that sustain coastal ecosystems are impeded by our careless alterations of ...

Coastal management cooperation, enforcement key to avoid pending crisis for millions: U.N. experts

... are ineffective and their continuation endangers ecosystems that support the economies on which over half the ... management immediately. Coastal marine ecosystems have declined progressively in recent decades due ... ecological processes that sustain coastal ecosystems are impeded by our careless alterations of ...

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity- TEEB

... climate change, biodiversity is declining, our ecosystems are being continuously degraded and we, in turn, ... continue and in some cases even accelerate. Some ecosystems are likely to be damaged beyond repair. With a ... the real beneficiaries of many of the services of ecosystems and biodiversity are predominantly the poor. The ...

Ancient ecosystems organized much like our own

... provide insights for modern ecology--such as how ecosystems will respond to biological extinctions and ... novel results. By getting a better idea of how ecosystems behaved in the past, we may better comprehend and mitigate what is happening to ecosystems today and in the future." ...

Experts prove the geochemical origin of part of the CO2 emissions in semiarid climates

... and in the conservation of one of the richest ecosystems of Spain. One of the most recent studied on the ... Carbon and water balance in Mediterranean thicket ecosystems in Andalusia: Effect of the climatic change ... 10 and 20 times lower than arable land and tree ecosystems respectively). Extreme climate What is the ...

Scientists show that streams are critical to preservation of oceanic coastal zones

... distribution and abundance, and designed aquatic ecosystems in cities have revealed that many ecological ... interplay that exists between human action and ecosystems dynamics and capacity, and emphasizes the ... to streams and protecting or restoring stream ecosystems to maintain or enhance their nitrogen removal ...

Lowly Icelandic midges reveal ecosystem's tipping points

... unpredictable and irreversible changes on ecosystems of all kinds with very little effort. Lake ... play a valuable model for understanding discrete ecosystems of all kinds. "These forces involve few ... They become an important test bed for looking at ecosystems in general." ...

2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting -- media advisory 2

... Standard Time. Human impacts on coastal ecosystems Monday, 3 March 1200 ecosystems that encompass watersheds and their coastal ... could change dramatically, portending future reef ecosystems markedly different from current ones. Other ...

Map is first to track global human influences on ocean ecosystems

... first global map of human influences on marine ecosystems by gathering and interpreting massive amounts of ... advocate zoning oceans to protect the hidden ecosystems below the surface. "By seeing where different ... it, how forceful that touch has been and which ecosystems are there. Their results suggest that coral ...