African Wildlife Poop Sheds Light on What Shapes the Gut Ecosystem

Photo Credit: James C. Beasley

A study of elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in Namibia’s Etosha National Park underscores the ways in which the environment, biological sex, and anatomical distinctions can drive variation in the gut microbiomes across plant-eating species. Because the gut microbiome plays a critical role in animal health, the work can be used to inform conservation efforts.

“This study is valuable because Etosha gave us the opportunity to sample such a large number of species under different environmental conditions,” says Erin McKenney, co-author of a paper on the work and an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. “That gives us meaningful insight into the role the environment plays in shaping the gut microbiome of herbivores.

“Unfortunately, this study may also be important for a second reason,” McKenney says. “Etosha is experiencing devastating wildfires affecting a huge section of the park. Because our samples were taken before the wildfires, these findings could inform recovery efforts by helping us understand how species’ microbiomes are adjusting to changes in diet that stem from the fire’s impact on the landscape.”

Lessons from Ascension’s shark troubles could help boost conservation

Sharks at the coast of Ascension Island.
Photo Credit Kate Downes

Understanding people’s attitudes to interactions with sharks could help halt the global decline of shark numbers, according to new research carried out on Ascension Island.  

In 2017, there were two non-fatal shark attacks at Ascension – a UK territory in the South Atlantic with a population of about 800 people.

Large numbers of sharks – mostly silky and Galapagos sharks – have affected the island’s recreational fishers, who often lose tackle and hooked fish before they can be landed.

The research team, led by the University of Exeter and ZSL, interviewed 34 islanders to assess perceptions of sharks.

“We found that human-shark conflict is driven by lots of different factors beyond just attacks – and understanding this is vital if we want shark conservation to work,” said Dr Claire Collins, from ZSL and the University of Exeter.

Critically endangered shark meat sold in US stores

Image Credit: Gillie Sibrian/UNC-Chapel Hill

Critically endangered shark meat is being sold at American grocery stores — often under misleading labels — according to a new study conducted by researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The researchers purchased and DNA barcoded 29 shark meat products from stores in North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Florida and Georgia and from online vendors. DNA testing revealed 11 different species of shark, yet 93% of the samples were ambiguously labeled as “shark” or “mako shark” at stores with no species-level identification.

Of the 11 species sold in stores, three are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature — the great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead and tope. Another species sold in stores, the shortfin mako shark, is listed as endangered by the IUCN.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only requires sellers to label shark meat as “shark,” with no specific species name required.

3D-printed shelters increase baby coral survival rates

Researchers place the modules onto experimental tables in Kāneʻohe Bay.
Photo Credit: Jessica Reichert

To dramatically increase coral survival rates, scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) have developed innovative 3D-printed ceramic structures that provide crucial protection for baby corals. These new designs offer a low-cost and scalable solution to enhance reef recovery worldwide.

The discovery, published in Biological Conservation, addresses a critical challenge in reef restoration—the low settlement and survival rates of juvenile corals, which often die before adulthood due to predation, being overgrown by algae or being swept away by waves.

“We developed structures that help baby corals find safe homes in the reef,” said Josh Madin, principal investigator at HIMB’s Geometric Ecology Lab and co-author of the study. “Our new designs, with small spiral-shaped shelters called ‘helix recesses,’ give young corals the protection they need during this critical stage.”

Global ‘Noahʻs Ark’ to safeguard coral reefs, led by UH scientists

Acropora muricata, Heron Island, Australia.
Photo Credit: Claire Lager, Smithsonian

In a landmark effort to combat the devastating effects of climate change, a new global alliance with key leadership from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has been established to create a “Noahʻs Ark” for coral reefs. The initiative, detailed in a publication in BioScience, focuses on building a worldwide network of coral biorepositories to safeguard the genetic diversity of these vital ecosystems.

The research, led by Mary Hagedorn of the UH Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, highlights the critical need for a proactive conservation strategy. With global carbon emissions continuing to rise, the alliance aims to provide a critical safeguard against extinction by preserving coral genetic material in biosecure facilities.

Grassland Butterflies – Important Indicators of the State of Nature

Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), a species for which the index shows a positive trend.
Photo Credit: Werner Messerschmid

With the Grassland Butterfly Index for Germany, UFZ scientists are providing important input for the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

One of the goals of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which came into force in 2024, is to halt species loss and preserve important ecosystem services provided by agricultural landscapes. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), in collaboration with the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI), have now calculated the Grassland Butterfly Index for Germany – an indicator of the state of biodiversity proposed in the EU regulation. The results, published in the journal Nature Conservation, show a negative trend, especially in recent years. For their calculations, the researchers were able to draw on 4 million observation data collected at the UFZ over the last 20 years as part of the ‘Butterfly Monitoring Germany’ program.

Wolf protection downgrade highlights need for adaptive conservation frameworks

The protected category means greater flexibility in managing wolf populations
Photo Credit: Marcel Langthim

Following the European Parliament’s historic vote to move wolves from the strictly protected to protected category, experts are calling on policymakers to ensure the change becomes a catalyst for fairer, more adaptive and transparent wildlife management to meet the challenges of successful species recovery.

The protected category means greater flexibility in managing wolf populations

The reclassification reflects a remarkable recovery of the wolf population, having increased by 58% in a decade, with populations of brown bears, lynxes and wolverines also on the rise. 

The protected category affords member states greater flexibility in managing expanding wolf populations, but although protections remain in place, the move has raised fears among conservation groups of widespread culling. 

At the same time, farming and hunting communities and landowner associations see it as necessary to regulate the population and enable management that is adapted to local conditions. 

Coral reefs set to stop growing as climate warms

Dead reef crest on Mexico's Caribbean coast.
Photo Credit Chris Perry

Most coral reefs will soon stop growing and may begin to erode – and almost all will do so if global warming hits 2°C, according to a new study in the western Atlantic.

An international team, led by scientists from the University of Exeter, assessed 400 reef sites around Florida, Mexico and Bonaire.

The study, published in the journal Nature, projects that more than 70% of the region’s reefs will stop growing by 2040 – and over 99% will do so by 2100 if warming reaches 2°C or more above pre-industrial levels.

Climate change – along with other issues such as coral disease and deteriorating water quality – reduces overall reef growth by killing corals and impacting colony growth rates.

To understand how changing reef ecology is impacting reef growth potential – in other words, how the balance of living organisms translates into vertical “accretion” (reef-building) – the team analysed fossil reefs from across the tropical western Atlantic region to improve understanding of how reef growth rates vary depending on the types of coral present.

Genetic diversity is on the decline, but this trend can be slowed

Photo Credit: Tomáš Malík

Genetic diversity is crucial to the ability of animals and plants to adapt to changes in the climate and environment. A major international meta-analysis, published in the journal Nature, shows that genetic diversity is declining globally. But there is hope – effective conservation measures can slow this trend.

For a species to adapt to changes in its environment, a high degree of genetic variation between individual entities is crucial. The greater the diversity, the more likely it is that certain genes will make, for example, a plant more resistant to drought or an animal better adapted to higher temperatures. These genes can then be passed on to future generations and contribute to the survival of the species.

An international research team that includes Uppsala University, Stockholm University and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has analyzed genetic changes in 628 species over a period of more than 30 years. The study is based on data from more than 80,000 scientific papers and shows that genetic diversity is declining globally, especially among birds and mammals. At the same time, there are conservation measures that have proven to be effective.

“Overall, the study shows that there are effective conservation methods and data that allow for strategic targeting of actions. But then the genetic component needs to be considered,” says Sara Kurland, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Earth Sciences and one of the researchers behind the study.

New technology lights way for accelerating coral reef restoration

Improving coral feeding habits can have a positive domino effect on the marine ecosystem.
Photo Credit: Francesco Ungaro

Scientists have developed a novel tool designed to protect and conserve coral reefs by providing them with an abundance of feeding opportunities. 

The device, dubbed the Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array (UZELA), is an autonomous, programmable underwater light that works to draw in nearby zooplankton, microscopic organisms that coral feed on. 

After testing the submersible on two species of coral native to Hawaii over six months, researchers found that UZELA could greatly enhance local zooplankton density and increase the feeding rates of both healthy and bleached coral. Importantly, providing coral with greater amounts of food makes them stronger and more likely to be resilient against certain environmental threats, like heat stress or ocean acidification.

This result is impressive, especially at a time when rising ocean temperatures are forcing entire coral reefs to the cusp of collapse, said

Mount Rainier White-Tailed Ptarmigan Finally Receives a ‘Threatened’ Species Designation

An adult Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan in brown summer plumage. Its feathers change seasonally—white in the winter, white and brown in the spring. Its tail remains white year-round.
Photo Credit: Pete Plage/USFWS

In July, the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan was officially listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 14 years after the Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned for its listing. This designation is meant to help preserve the bird, whose survival depends on the glaciers of the Cascade Mountains of Washington State and British Columbia. It also reflects the complex challenges that alpine-adapted birds face in a warming world.

With its feathered, snowshoe-like feet that allow it to walk on high mountain terrain and its seasonal plumage that provides camouflage year-round, Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigans are adapted to high elevation regions above the treeline. They are frequently spotted in areas with mixed rock, snow and alpine plants. Their diet consists of twigs, leaves, buds and seeds of alpine tundra vegetation that only grow in treeless, cold and dry mountainous regions that receive critical moisture from spring snowmelt and summer glacier runoff.

Warming temperatures are accelerating glacier retreat and endangering the bird’s habitat: glaciers in the North Cascades shrunk 56 percent between 1900 and 2009. Mauri Pelto, director of the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project, told GlacierHub that ptarmigans are often spotted along the Shuksan and Ptarmigan Ridges near Mount Baker. In a study, Pelto found that seven of the 13 glaciers along those ridges have disappeared since the mid-1980s. Retreating glaciers risk reduced soil water availability for tundra vegetation and long-term habitat loss associated with warming temperatures.

Life cycles of some insects adapt well to a changing climate. Others, not so much.

A grasshopper, Melanoplus boulderensis, typical of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Photo Credit: ©Thomas Naef, 2022

As insect populations decrease worldwide in what some have called an “insect apocalypse,” biologists are desperate to determine how the six-legged creatures are responding to a warming world and to predict the long-term winners and losers.

A new study of Colorado grasshoppers shows that, while the answers are complicated, biologists have much of the knowledge they need to make these predictions and prepare for the consequences.

The findings, published in the journal PLOS Biology, come thanks to the serendipitous discovery of 13,000 grasshoppers collected from the same Colorado mountain site between 1958 and 1960 by a biologist at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). After that scientist’s untimely death in 1973, the collection was rescued by his son and donated to the CU Museum, where it languished until 2005, when César Nufio, then a postdoctoral fellow, rediscovered it. Nufio set about curating the collection and initiated a resurvey of the same sites to collect more grasshoppers.

New study could help tackle hidden hunger in Malawi

Fields in Blantyre, Malawi
Photo Credit: Dr Charlotte Hall

Growing fruit trees on farms in rural Malawi could directly improve people’s diets, according to new study by a University of Stirling researcher.

 Around 20% of the population of the African country are undernourished and far more suffer from hidden hunger, meaning they consume enough calories but lack essential micronutrients, such as iron, zinc and vitamin A.

Around 80% of Malawians are involved in smallholder agriculture and a large proportion of the food they consume comes from their own production.

However, conventional agri-food policies continue to promote the increased production of staple cereal crops, and very rarely promote the benefits of fruit trees.

Conservation paradox: Invasive species are often threatened in their native range

The wild rabbit is endangered in its native Europe. In other parts of the world, such as Australia, this species has been introduced and has large populations.
Photo Credit: ©Alexis Lours

Non-native animals are a threat to biodiversity, yet many are themselves threatened with extinction in their areas of origin

Non-native species introduced by humans are among the main causes of global species decline – they were partly responsible for 60 percent of the species that have become extinct worldwide in recent decades. In Central Europe, non-native mammals include species such as the Norway rat, the mouflon and the mink. Now a study led by biologists from the University of Vienna and La Sapienza University in Rome shows that some of these species introduced by humans are themselves endangered in their native range. The study has been published in the current issue of the journal Conservation Letters.

The globalization of the earth is contributing to the introduction of many animal and plant species into new parts of the world. Invasive species can displace native species through competition or transmit new diseases. At the same time, however, some of these non-native species are threatened with extinction in their native ranges. This creates a conservation paradox – because the question now is, should non-native occurrences of species that are endangered in their native range be protected or controlled? However, it was previously unknown how many non-native mammal species this paradox actually applies to. In the new study, the scientists have now quantified this in order to come one step closer to an answer to this paradox.

Older trees help to protect an endangered species

The longest-lived trees in the Pyrenees facilitate the survival of wolf lichen, a species threatened throughout Europe.
Photo Credit: Ot Pasques

The oldest trees in the forest help to prevent the disappearance of endangered species in the natural environment, according to a study led by the University of Barcelona. This is the case of the wolf lichen — threatened throughout Europe —, which now finds refuge in the oldest trees in the high mountains of the Pyrenees. This study reveals for the first time the decisive role of the oldest trees in the conservation of other living beings thanks to their characteristic and unique physiology.

Conserving the oldest trees in forests will be essential to protect biodiversity in forest ecosystems, which are increasingly affected by the impact of global change. This is stated on a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study is signed by the experts Sergi Munné-Bosch and Ot Pasques, from the Faculty of Biology and the UB Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio).

Canada lynx historic range in US likely wider than previously thought

The lynx might do well in the future in parts of Utah, central Idaho, and the Yellowstone National Park region.
Photo Credit: Zdeněk Macháček

A broader past could mean a brighter future for Canada lynx in the U.S., according to recent research.

The study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, indicates that lynx might do well in the future in parts of Utah, central Idaho and the Yellowstone National Park region, even considering climate change and the lack of lynx in those areas now.

Using a model validated by historic records, researchers first found that in 1900, Canada lynx had more suitable habitat in the U.S. than the few northern corners of the country where they are found currently. The study showed the elusive big cat likely roamed over a larger area in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes region and parts of New England.

“History matters even for wildlife,” said lead author Dan Thornton, a Washington State University wildlife ecologist. “As part of the criteria for species recovery, we have to understand their historic distribution. Otherwise, how can we help recover a species, if we don’t know what we’re recovering to?”

Having a more accurate picture of a species’ past can also help avoid an effect known as “shifting baseline syndrome,” Thornton added, which is a gradual change in what people accept as normal for the environment, or specifically in this case, a species’ habitat.

Rice biologists uncover new species of tiger beetle: Eunota houstoniana

Eunota houstoniana, with male on left and female on right.
Photo Credit: Rice University

Rice University evolutionary biologist Scott Egan and his research team have unearthed a new species of tiger beetle, deemed Eunota houstoniana, honoring the Houston region where it predominantly resides.

The team employed cutting-edge genetic sequencing technology alongside traditional measurements of their physical appearance and geographic range data to redefine species boundaries within the Eunota circumpicta species complex. This approach, known as integrative taxonomy, allowed them to identify distinct biological entities previously overlooked.

The study is published online in Nature Scientific Reports.

“It is amazing that within the city limits of Houston, we still don’t know all the species of insects or plants we share our region with,” Egan said. “I’m always interested in learning more about the biodiversity of the Gulf Coast.”

The Eunota houstoniana was once considered synonymous with the more common Eunota circumpicta, but the team’s research revealed significant differences, emphasizing the need for a refined process to species delineation.

Eunota houstoniana exhibits distinct genetic and physical characteristics. It is slightly smaller in size, its metallic coloring is more subdued, and it has unique behavior and habitat preferences.

New rapid method to predict effects of conservation actions on complex ecosystems

From left: Dr Matthew Adams, Sarah Vollert, Professor Drovandi
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Queensland University of Technology

A new way to analyze the effects of conservation actions on complex ecosystems has cut the modelling time from 108 days to six hours, QUT statisticians have found:

• Some conservation efforts backfire, eg eradicating feral cats could lead to rabbit explosion

• Modeling predicts the cascading effects through species in a complex ecosystem, but is computationally slow

• New method cuts prediction time from 3.5 months to six hours

PhD researcher Sarah Vollert, from the School of Mathematical Sciences and the QUT Centre for Data Sciences, said it was impossible to predict exactly how conservation actions would affect each species.

“Though well-intentioned, conservation actions have the potential to backfire,” Ms. Vollert said.

“For example, if decision-makers decide to eradicate feral cats, it could lead to explosive populations of their prey species, like rabbits.

“Uncontrolled rabbit populations could then have devastating effects on the vegetation, destroying the habitat native species need to survive.

Honey bees at risk for colony collapse from longer, warmer fall seasons

WSU researchers and students collect samples and perform honey bee colony health assessments in orchards near Modesto, CA.
Photo Credit: Brandon Hopkins

The famous work ethic of honey bees might spell disaster for these busy crop pollinators as the climate warms, new research indicates.

Flying shortens the lives of bees, and worker honey bees will fly to find flowers whenever the weather is right, regardless of how much honey is already in the hive. Using climate and bee population models, researchers found that increasingly long autumns with good flying weather for bees raises the likelihood of colony collapse in the spring.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, focused on the Pacific Northwest but holds implications for hives across the U.S. The researchers also modeled a promising mitigation: putting colonies into indoor cold storage, so honey bees will cluster in their hive before too many workers wear out.

“This is a case where a small amount of warming, even in the near future, will make a big impact on honey bees,” said lead author Kirti Rajagopalan, a Washington State University climate researcher. “It’s not like this is something that can be expected 80 years from now. It is a more immediate impact that needs to be planned for.”

Bees need food up to a month earlier than provided by recommended pollinator plants

Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris).
Photo Credit Matthias Becher

New research from the Universities of Oxford and Exeter has revealed that plant species recommended as “pollinator friendly” * in Europe begin flowering up to a month too late in the spring to effectively contribute to bee conservation.

This “hungry gap” results in low colony survival and low production of queens for the following year.

The results showed that pollen and nectar availability during the early colony founding stage is a critical, and previously under-appreciated, factor in bee colony success. **

The study has been published in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity. 

Senior author Dr Tonya Lander (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) said: “The results give us a simple and practical recommendation to help bees: to enhance hedgerows with early blooming species, especially ground ivy, red dead-nettle, maple, cherry, hawthorn, and willow, which improved colony success rate from 35% to 100%. This approach focuses on existing hedgerows in agricultural land and doesn’t reduce farm cropping area, so can appeal to land managers whilst also providing important conservation outcomes for pollinators.” 

These were assessed using the BEE-STEWARD model, which integrates data and runs simulations to predict how changes in different factors may impact bee populations over time.