Patchy shade helps lizards survive the heat
Lizards may be in even worse trouble than ecologists thought. The small, cold-blooded animals are highly sensitive to climate change, and researchers have predicted that around 20 percent of species...
Native bees struggle to compete in drought-stricken California
Introduced honey bees (Apis mellifera) may be hogging the flowers on California’s central coast, outcompeting native pollinators. When researchers surveyed bees in undisturbed meadows over 13 years, they saw alarming...
Kids document diseased amphibians in California
Young citizen scientists aged 4 to 16 have discovered that many frogs and toads on California’s northern coast are infected with the deadly chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). Seventeen percent of...
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New radar visualization shows the flow of bird migrations
A new visualization tool for radar data is revealing bird migrations as they have never been seen before. With the new tool, birds’ nocturnal journeys appear as blue streaks that...
Climate change, not land use, is driving deer north
The northward spread of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) may be unstoppable, according to new research. Deer have been creeping north for decades, invading Canada’s boreal forests and creating problems for...
WSB study: Citizen scientists dart cougars for population study
Hunters armed with biopsy darts may be the key to assessing cougar populations, according to a new study. Cougars (Puma concolor) live solitary lives in widely dispersed territories, and it’s...
Plover chicks survive harrowing adventures to fledge on new beaches
From New Jersey to Manitoba, young piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are learning to fly on beaches that haven’t seen plover nests in years. The birds’ expansion to new beaches is...
Cardinals may protect Atlanta residents from West Nile virus
In Atlanta, Georgia, West Nile virus (WNV) is rampant — but only in birds. Humans in the area are relatively free of the mosquito-borne illness, and they may have cardinals...
Massive biodiversity database reveals the value of protected areas
After more than a century of setting aside protected areas such as wildlife refuges, conservationists can finally be confident that the approach helps wildlife. In the largest-ever analysis of biodiversity...
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