ecology

Nature Water, Published online: 05 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s44221-026-00646-5 Endocrine-disrupting progestogens pose risks to ecosystems through their biological activity. A chemoproteomics study shows that many phytoplankton species can transform these chemicals into forms that may be even more biologically active, potentially increasing ecological risk.

Nature Communications, Published online: 05 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72058-8 Paleo-depositional history and hydrogeological evolution fundamentally dictate microbial. landscapes and groundwater quality in the Pearl River Delta. This study links ancient sedimentary processes to modern-day ammonium dynamics in global deltas.

It is well known that biological invasions can be severely harmful to native biodiversity - preventing the damage they cause is a global conservation priority. A new University of Bristol study highlights a different type of impact that they cause - the often-overlooked animal welfare consequences of biological invasions. The research, published in Nature Communications today [5 May], reveals t…

BackgroundEuschistus heros and Piezodorus guildinii are major soybean pests across the Americas. Gut-associated bacteria influence insect nutrition, detoxification, and stress tolerance, potentially enhancing adaptation to diverse hosts and management regimes. We investigated how host genetics and environment shape gut microbiome structure and functional potential in these species.ResultsWe seque…

Gut and skin microbiota impact host physiology and can be influenced by environmental changes, however, their reactions to rising environmental temperatures remain unclear. In this study, Bufo gargarizans tadpoles were exposed to 22 °C (control) and 27 °C (high-temperature) and the gut and skin microbiota were sampled at 24, 72, and 144 h to assess the effects of short-term elevated temperatures.…

_Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science_ 60. 2026In this article, we theoretically explore the role of biophilia for morality, challenging and expanding recent moral psychological models that struggle to account for this relationship. We conceptualize the psychological trait of Nature Relatedness as a comprehensive biophilic orientation or mode of being that enables individuals to integ…

The feline’s population has declined by more than 95% due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and retaliatory killings

Eerie omens haunt this absorbing group portrait set over six months in an English village Sitting stoned on a hill above his village, a young man muses on his place in the world. Connor is proud to have fenced pastures while his mates have been away at university. But it’s overwhelming to think of all their lives being equally real and urgent. Are they part of the same story or separate ones? A p…

Buxton, Derbyshire: A glimpse of gloop in the water, a hasty net purchase, and it was confirmed – palmate newts have moved in. But how long had they been there? It has been a source of excitement for weeks that we have found ourselves custodians of newts. Judging by the numbers present and the age of our pond, they have probably been here at least a decade. Yet neither our neighbours nor our pred…

Powerstock Common, Dorset: I’m hopeful that the mixed habitats here and bright weather will bring them out in their droves – and I’m not disappointed The recent pulse of warm, sunny weather has encouraged butterflies to fly in large numbers in Dorset. They were everywhere when I visited Powerstock Common : the moment I opened the car door, a brimstone fluttered sulphur-yellow over the parking are…

May 4, 2026 Crab Team likes to shine a light on the creatures we encounter in our muddy environments, from the rare and far-out, to the common and familiar, each of the species in Washington estuaries plays a role in local ecology. They also have a story to tell when they appear in Crab Team monitoring traps. In September of 2025, two separate network monitoring sites in Grays Harbor both capture…

American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Published online: 4 May 2026; doi:10.3844/ajavsp.2026.21.01.007 Currently, the understanding of the One Health Approach among veterinary medicine students in Ecuador is necessary to ensure human, animal, and environmental health. This study aimed to assess student...

A new study reveals how orcas shape water into a tool to wash seals off ice floes

NASA-funded research is helping turn golden eagle journeys across mountains, grasslands, and borders into data for wildlife managers. The post NASA Science Supports Golden Eagles on the Move appeared first on NASA Science .

This blog post is provided by Felicia Keesing and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Climate warming, acorn masting, and the dynamics of rodent populations: Comparing long-term studies“, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. This study takes advantage of the accidental similarity between two long-term studies of acorns, rodents, and climate, exploring…

An 8-year-old's backyard find exposed a biological con game hiding in plain sight across every oak forest on earth.

Plant seeds can sense the vibrations generated by falling raindrops and respond by waking from...

Galápagos plants show repeated evolution and emerging species, emphasizing evolution’s flexibility and active role today. The Galápagos Islands have long stood as a living laboratory of evolution, but their story is far from finished. Nearly two centuries after Darwin’s famous finches reshaped our understanding of life, new research reveals that evolution on these remote islands [...]