Fish
Surrogate-reared sea otters helped restore threatened population
The population of threatened southern sea otters in Elkhorn Slough, an estuary in Central California, has made a significant comeback as a result of Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Program. A newly-published study documents 15 years of research showing how the program helped restore the population in the coastal estuary.
Read more'Tunabot: First robotic fish to keep pace with tuna
Mechanical engineers have created the first robotic fish proven to mimic the speed and movements of live yellowfin tuna.
Read moreActions to save coral reefs could benefit all ecosystems
Scientists say bolder actions to protect the world's coral reefs will benefit all ecosystems, human livelihoods and improve food security.
Read moreEcologists find strong evidence of fishing down the food web in freshwater lake
Research by ecologists shows strong evidence in a freshwater lake of 'fishing down the food web' – the deliberate shift away from top predatory fish on the food chain to smaller species closer to the base. While the effect has historically been observed almost exclusively in marine ecosystems and ocean fisheries, there has been little evidence of the effect in freshwater ecosystems.
Read moreThe life aquatic made clear with freshwater lens
A doctoral student has found a way to view the life of plants and animals in murky waters – by using a lens of freshwater.
Read moreGuppies teach us why evolution happens
New study on guppies shows that animals evolve in response the the environment they create in the absence of predators, rather than in response to the risk of being eaten.
Read moreNorth Atlantic haddock use magnetic compass to guide them
A new study found that the larvae of haddock, a commercially important type of cod, have a magnetic compass to find their way at sea. The findings showed that haddock larvae orient toward the northwest using Earth's magnetic field.
Read moreShark pups lose gains in stressed environments
Scientists compared the growth and body condition of one species of shark in two different environments. They found larger shark pups on degraded reefs grow less and perform worse than smaller pups on pristine reefs. Human-induced stressors, including climate change, put shark populations at risk — they may not be able to adapt fast enough to keep pace with the changes that are happening in their environment.
Read moreScientists identify previously unknown 'hybrid zone' between hummingbird species
We usually think of a species as being reproductively isolated — that is, not mating with other species in the wild. Occasionally, however, closely related species do interbreed. New research documents the existence of a previously undiscovered hybrid zone along the coasts of California and Oregon where two related bird hummingbirds are blurring species boundaries, and researchers hope that studying cases such as this one could improve their understanding of how biodiversity is created and maintained.
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