All Ecology articles
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NewsWhat happens when a shoreline scavenger consumes microplastics?
Researchers report on what happens when wharf roaches, a common shoreline scavenger, eat expanded polystyrene (EPS). Analysis of the wharf roach gut microbiome showed little change, but several rare microbes were found only in the EPS-fed specimens.
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NewsMicroplastics may act as pollutant shuttles, carrying chemicals, pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes
A new review reveals how microplastics transport multiple pollutants across ecosystems and proposes a framework for identifying when these vector effects become serious ecological threats.
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NewsHidden DNA in medieval gospels reveal history of deadly livestock virus
New research shows that some of Europe’s most well-known historic manuscripts, including the York Gospels, have proven to be biological time capsules for uncovering the 3,500-year history of the sheeppox virus (SPPV).
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NewsWhere do dissimilatory iodate-reducing microorganisms live in the ocean?
Scientists have discovered that dissimilatory iodate-producing microorganisms do not live above marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) as long predicted - instead thriving within the OMZs, converting iodate into iodide and promoting the release of marine iodine into the atmosphere.
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NewsThe SETI Institute and ETH Zurich join forces to search for the origin of life
ETH Zurich and the SETI Institute have announced a strategic scientific partnership investigating the origins of life on planet Earth.
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NewsLoss of kelp forests reverberates down to microbial level
As one moves north, Maine’s kelp forests are being overtaken by dense mats of carpet-like turf algae. The steady decline of kelp, and transition into this new state, is altering the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study.
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NewsAntarctica is home to microbes found nowhere else on Earth
Researchers have found evidence that specific microbes in Antarctica’s soils are endemic — located on the continent and nowhere else on Earth.
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NewsHeat-tolerant corals may be more vulnerable to disease, study finds
Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off. Such corals keep their stress response system in a heightened state - and that can backfire.
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NewsGlacier retreat could promote the spread of diseases among bees
A new study shows that glacier retreat and the changing vegetation could influence the spread of certain pathogens between honeybees and wild bees.
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NewsSoil bacteria protect wheat from pathogenic fungus
New research shows that, when inoculated into the soil, bacterial species can alter the soil microbiome and protected plants from a fungus that causes root rot.
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NewsAntibiotic resistance is an environmental problem, not just a medical one
New research shows that wild farm mice carry around 50% of the antibiotic resistance genes found in livestock.
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NewsNative microbial team helps acidic soil recover while boosting crop growth
Researchers have developed a small, carefully selected community of native soil bacteria that can reduce acid stress while helping plants access essential nutrients.
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NewsNew study shows how Toxoplasma parasite evolved to adapt to crowded conditions in host cells
How Toxoplasma reshapes its metabolism to keep growing under crowded conditions in a tissue cyst has been unclear. A new study identifies a parasite-specific protein that helps coordinate this response, allowing Toxoplasma to manage oxidative stress.
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NewsOak leaves harbor distinct microbial worlds on their opposite surfaces
Researchers have discovered that the upper and lower surfaces of a single oak leaf function as two fundamentally different microbial habitats.
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NewsAmazonian ‘zombie’ fungus harbors a hidden stage inside forest mosses, new study reveals
Researchers have found evidence that the “zombie-ant” fungus, globally known for controlling ant behavior and forcing infected ants to bite onto plants before dying, also lives hidden inside mosses in the Amazon rainforest.
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NewsBiologist wins NSF CAREER Award to study the ocean’s most abundant microbe
Anne Thompson, an associate professor of biology, won a nearly $1.2 million NSF CAREER Award to answer a basic question about the ocean that science has largely left open: who eats the most abundant photosynthetic life form on Earth?
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NewsRock-eating fungi flourish deep below our feet
A new study is believed to be the first time fungal abundance has been successfully quantified in a deep subsurface site. It identified 689 unique species of fungi, including 13 species that have not been described before, in water samples drawn from gas well sites.
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NewsNIH grants $2.8M to develop tools for study of mosquito-microbe interactions
Researchers will use the funding to develop new tools to investigate the genetics underpinning the relationships between mosquitoes and various microbes.
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NewsLorMe: a unified framework for standardized microbiome analysis
An open-source R framework is designed to provide a unified approach for standardized microbiome analysis. The analytical platform enables the transition from raw microbiome data processing to publication-ready visualization through a streamlined workflow.
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NewsWeather and human activity impact lake extremophiles
Researchers found that extreme changes, both due to weather and human activity, are reshaping microbial communities in the Great Salt Lake that form the base for a large food web.