After the presence of invasive non-native species of Prussian carp was confirmed in Alberta, scientists explored the species’ effect on the local freshwater ecosystems. In the present study, authors describe the carps’ impact on fish communities and benthic invertebrate communities, as well as evaluate whether the carp alter abiotic conditions in the regions where they are abundant. Their findings […]
Tag: ecosystems
80% of the world’s oceans would be affected by climate change by 2050
Four-fifths of the world’s marine ecosystems will be irreversibly damaged by 2050 if no immediate action is taken, a new study concludes. Researchers ran simulations to determine the effect of climate change on the main stressors of the ocean’s ecosystems—such as pH, temperature, oxygen concentration and food availability. If conditions remain as they are, in […]
Effects of climate change on the inhabitants of Borneo’s tropical rainforests
As global temperatures rise, unique ecosystems within tropical rainforests need to adapt to the changes. A new study looked at several species’ activity at each hour at each location on the landscape and projected how the spatio-temporal habits might change in a warmer environment. Results predicted a negligible effect on large animals; but smaller animals, […]
Plants – what’s eating them?
A new analysis of over 1000 plant species shows that on average, only about 5.3 percent of their leaves are eaten by insects and vertebrate grazers – less than a third of previous estimates. This means that most of the energy captured by photosynthesis doesn’t go ‘up’ the food chain, but instead is passed on […]