Tag

ecosystems

Bees' ability to forage decreases as air pollution increases

Air pollutants interact with and break down plant-emitted scent molecules, which insect pollinators use to locate needed food, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State. The pollution-modified plant odors can confuse bees and, as a result, bees’ foraging time increase
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As Oceans Become More Acidic, Mussels Could Lose Ability to Hang On

Rising carbon dioxide emissions have caused the world’s oceans to become 30 percent more acidic since the Industrial Revolution, affecting everything from marine life’s ability to build shells to the pH level of fishes’ blood. Now, scientists have discovered that more acidic water als
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66 Million Dead Trees in California Increases Wildfire Risk

Those orange tree patches pictured aren’t harbingers of winter. They are dying or dead trees in California, most likely the result of pine beetle forest damage. It’s hot now in much of the golden state, and as temperatures continue to rise, something else is happening: Trees are dying
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California droughts caused mainly by changes in wind, not moisture

Droughts in California are mainly controlled by wind, not by the amount of evaporated moisture in the air, new research has found. The research increases the understanding of how the water cycle is related to extreme events and could eventually help in predicting droughts and floods.
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Characteristics improving bean resistance to drought identified

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important food legume in the tropics. It is an inexpensive source of proteins and minerals for almost 400 million people, mainly from Africa and Latin America. It is generally cultivated by small farmers and subject to conditions lim
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Penguin colonies at risk from erupting volcano

A volcano erupting on a small island in the Sub Antarctic is depositing ash over one of the world’s largest penguin colonies. Zavodovski Island is a small island in the South Sandwich archipelago and its volcano Mt Curry has been erupting since March 2016. The island is home to over o
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Ocean circulation implicated in past abrupt climate changes

There was a period during the last ice age when temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere went on a rollercoaster ride, plummeting and then rising again every 1,500 years or so. Those abrupt climate changes wreaked havoc on ecosystems, but their cause has been something of a mystery. Ne
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In hot water: Climate change is affecting North American fish

Climate change is already affecting inland fish across North America — including some fish that are popular with anglers. Scientists are seeing a variety of changes in how inland fish reproduce, grow and where they can live, according to four new studies published today in a spe
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Is your makeup killing sharks?

Most animal lovers wouldn’t dream of harming an animal for fashion. Fur? No, thank you. Leather? I don’t think so. Yet they might be unknowingly killing sharks — and highly endangered kinds on top of that — for their beauty routine. Unbeknownst to most, one little ingredient in produc
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New study shows impact of man-made structures on Louisiana's coastal wetlands

<!– –> As Louisiana’s wetlands continue to disappear at an alarming rate, a new study has pinpointed the man-made structures that disrupt the natural water flow and threaten these important ecosystems. The findings have important implications for New Orleans an
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