Nature – Page 9 – PossibleThreat Articles

When laying their eggs, tobacco hawkmoths avoid plants that smell of caterpillar feces

October 8, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Behavioral Science, Botany, Endangered Plants, Genetics, Insects (including Butterflies), Molecular Biology, Nature

Scientists have demonstrated that not only plant odors determine the best oviposition site for egglaying hawkmoths, but also the frass of other larvae. They specified the repelling substance in the feces which signals the presence of competing conspecifics. Moreover, the researchers identified an odorant receptor which is involved in the detection of the typical smell of larval frass and thereby governs competition avoidance during oviposition.

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Ancient Maya canals and fields show early and extensive impacts on tropical forests

October 8, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Climate, Ecology, Ecology Research, Food and Agriculture, Forest, Global Warming, Nature

New evidence in Belize shows the ancient Maya responded to population and environmental pressures by creating massive agricultural features in wetlands, potentially increasing atmospheric CO2 and methane through burn events and farming, according to geographical research.

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Big data reveals extraordinary unity underlying life's diversity

October 8, 2019 0 Comments Charles Darwin, Evolution, Evolutionary Biology, Fossils, Fungus, Nature, Origin of Life, Soil Types

Limits to growth lie at the heart of how all living things function. The diversity of life is staggering. From microscopic algae to elephants, life has devised countless ways to thrive in every environment on the planet. But while biologists have tended to focus on the many varied forms that species have evolved, the age of 'big data' offers an unprecedented view of some surprisingly common features shared by all creatures, great and small.

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Was early stick insect evolution triggered by birds and mammals?

October 7, 2019 0 Comments Earth Science, Environmental Policy, Evolutionary Biology, Exotic Species, Geography, Insects (including Butterflies), Nature, Trees

Stick and leaf insects are a strikingly bizarre group of insects with a worldwide distribution. They are famous for their impressively large body size and their remarkable ability to camouflage themselves as twigs, leaves or bark in order to hide from potential predators. A team of international researchers has now generated the first phylogenomic tree of these insects.

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Nodulation connected to higher resistance against powdery mildew in legumes

October 7, 2019 0 Comments Acid Rain, Agriculture and Food, Botany, Endangered Plants, Exotic Species, Grassland, Nature, Sustainability

Scientists have long known that nodulation is important to plant health. Nodulation occurs when nodules, which form on the roots of plants (primarily legumes), form a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that deliver nutrients to the plant. This process is a key part of sustainable agriculture and makes legumes an important source of protein for much of the world. However, recent research shows that nodulation might positively impact the plant's microbiome in other ways.

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Early breeding season for some Arctic seabirds due global warming

October 7, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Ecology Research, Endangered Animals, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Issues, Global Warming, Nature, New Species

The breeding season of some seabirds in Arctic regions takes place earlier as a result of the temperature rise caused by climate change, according to a new article.

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Another casualty of climate change? Recreational fishing

October 7, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Environmental Awareness, Fish, Fisheries, Global Warming, Marine Biology, Nature, Weather

Another casualty of climate change will likely be shoreline recreational fishing, according to new research. The study finds some regions of the U.S. may benefit from increasing temperatures, but those benefits will be more than offset by declines in fishing elsewhere.

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The last mammoths died on a remote island

October 7, 2019 0 Comments Early Mammals, Endangered Animals, Extinction, Extreme Survival, Fossils, Nature, Origin of Life, Paleontology

Isolation, extreme weather, and the possible arrival of humans may have killed off the holocene herbivores just 4,000 years ago.

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Daddy daycare: Why some songbirds care for the 'wrong' kids

October 4, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Behavioral Science, Birds, Botany, Frogs and Reptiles, Mating and Breeding, Nature, Trees

Interspecific feeding — when an adult of one species feeds the young of another — is rare among songbirds, and scientists could only speculate on why it occurs, but now, researchers have new insight into this behavior.

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First maps of areas suitable for spotted lanternfly's establishment in US and world

October 4, 2019 0 Comments Agriculture and Food, Botany, Food and Agriculture, Insects (including Butterflies), Nature, New Species, Pests and Parasites, Trees

Maps identifying the areas suitable for establishment of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) in the United States and other countries have been published.