According to new research, the climate crisis may result in more small-bodied bees but fewer bumblebees, with potentially “cascading” implications on plant pollination and ecosystems. Over the course of eight years, scientists in the United States trapped and studied more than 20,000 bees in a region of the Rocky Mountains to see how different varieties […]
Tag: climate change
Canada’s commercial hunting has devolved into the unnecessary slaughter of threatened harp seals
Ocean waves pound on the sides as a lone seal pup sleeps on a frail ice floe. He’s only two weeks old and can’t swim for lengthy periods of time, thus he won’t be able to survive without this ice platform. However, the delicate floe is melting quickly, and storms are hastening its demise. He […]
Darwin’s hypothesis that birds’ feathers get more colorful closer to the equator proved by researchers
If you’ve ever traveled to a tropical location, you’ve probably noticed that the birds’ feathers are brighter than in other regions of the world. The hue of a bird’s plumage appears to vary depending on latitude. Phys.org reported that three European scientists who went on expeditions to the tropics during the 1800s — English naturalist […]
Where is the threshold of environmental change that biodiversity can withstand before it is destabilized and collapses planetwide?
Biodiversity. When you hear this word, what do you picture? Iconic animals like African elephants, gray wolves and humpback whales? Or multicolored coral species that make up a reef system? Or bacteria and microbes that regulate nutrients in the soil, or oxygen-releasing phytoplankton that live in the ocean’s sunlit zones? While biodiversity does embrace all […]
Too many of our wildlife species are critically endangered and approaching extinction
Elephants, tigers, and rhinos may come to mind when you think about endangered species. While there are hundreds of species around the world that are on the verge of extinction and need our help, there are numerous animals in our own country which are experiencing population declines. Learning about these creatures is crucial to assisting […]
Florida panthers critically endangered as numbers fall below 200
I’m driving through southwestern Florida with photographer Carlton Ward Jr, on a busy highway outside of Naples. The roadways are lined with palm and pine trees, and the early humidity is oppressive. As he drives, backcountry supplies and camera equipment rattle in the backseat. We’re tracking down the elusive Florida panther. Scientists estimate that about […]
Shark warning: Great Whites ‘more than likely’ swimming in UK waters – ‘They’re not pets’
GREAT WHITE sharks and other species of shark and fish could be lurking in UK waters due to the warmer temperatures being experienced across the country. According to a fisherman who runs boats off the Devonshire coast, it is “more than likely” that Great Whites could already be swimming in UK waters. Ashley Lane, a […]
EPA plans to allow the use of insecticides devastating to bees and butterflies to continue in America for the next 15 years
Despite steps by the European Union to limit the use of poisons responsible for widespread insect losses, the US Environmental Protection Agency is prepared to allow the use of four of the most harmful compounds to bees, butterflies, and other insects in America for the next 15 years. Despite “ecological hazards of concern, notably to […]