Ecology & Zoology

How Fish Figure Where They Fit

A male fish can size up potential rivals, and even rank them from strongest to weakest, simply by watching how they perform in territorial fights with other males, according to a new study by Stanford University scientists. The researchers say their disco ...

Article - Administrator - Apr 9 2007 - 6:34pm

Why Are Lions Not As Big As Elephants?

Carnivores are some of the widest ranging terrestrial mammals for their size, and this affects their energy intake and needs. This difference is also played out in the different hunting strategies of small and large carnivores. ...

Article - Administrator - Jan 29 2007 - 6:07pm

How Does One Sex Grow Larger Than The Other?

Why are males larger than females in some animal species (such as most mammals), females larger than males in others (such as most insects), and why are the sexes alike in yet other species (such as several birds)? Further, how is such sexual size dimorph ...

Article - Administrator - Jan 30 2007 - 3:08am

What Fish Can Teach You About Trusting Friends

Sometimes it is better to follow the advice of others rather than your own mind even though you seem to have things under control. Not only humans but also fish follow this doctrine as shown by ecologists Jörgen Johnsson and Fredrik Sundström of Göteborg ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 1 2007 - 12:40pm

Break-up Of Antarctic Ice May Expose Marine Life To More Sunlight And Alter Food Chain

Despite the icy cold and darkness, beneath the frozen surface of the sea in Antarctica thrives a rich and complex array of plants and animals. But what will happen to all those creatures if global warming reduces the ice-cover, as is predicted for coming d ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 16 2007 - 3:10pm

What Recognizes What In Plant Disease Resistance?

Plants have an immune system that resists infection, yet 10% of the world's agricultural production is lost annually to diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Understanding how disease resistance works may help combat this scourge. In a new ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 15 2007 - 3:59pm

Is Biodiversity The Future Of Farming?

Industrial agriculture faces painful challenges: the end of cheap energy, depleted water resources, impaired ecosystem services, and unstable climates. Scientists searching for alternatives to the highly specialized, energy intensive industrial system mig ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 19 2007 - 11:16am

Ecologists Ask To Abolish Fuel Subsidies That Help Deep-Sea Fishing

At a 9 am press conference at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting (AAAS) on February 18th, an international team of leading fisheries economists, biologists, and ecologists will call for the abolition of government fuel ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 19 2007 - 11:17am

Size Really Does Matter To Females

At least to female swordfish. Scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Glasgow today reveal how some females become sexually mature more quickly if they see attractive males. The researchers studied a captive population of green swordtail fish, a sp ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 17 2007 - 11:58pm

Scientists Warn Of Climate Change Risk To Marine Turtles

North American marine turtles are at risk if global warming occurs at predicted levels, according to scientists from the University of Exeter. An increase in temperatures of just one degree Celsius could completely eliminate the birth of male turtles from ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 19 2007 - 11:56pm