A new study shows that when free-ranging cats are more than a few blocks from forested areas in cities, such as parks, they’re more likely to prey on rats than on native wildlife.
Fungi that live on plant roots can help with the uptake of nutrients.
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Plants communicate with the fungi on their roots, but the effects on the ecosystem of deliberately adding fungi as a fertilizer are unknown — and might be harmful.
Alien pine trees, which use substantially more water than the native vegetation of the Cape Mountains, reduce river flows to dams that supply the city’s water.
Martin Kleynhans
New research finds 74% of land managers who reported releasing a powerful biocontrol release it during the peak rabbit breeding period. This can lead to rabbit populations actually increasing.
Macaques are regarded as alien species in Mauritius.
Fabian Faber/Shutterstock
What scientists learnt from analysing alien marine organisms that hitch-hike around the world on ships and other vessels that make their way into South African shores.
Introduced species that become invasive are clearly destructive, but many exotic species are not detrimental to the existing ecosystem – some become complementary or take on lost ecological roles.
While some invasive animals have breached Antarctica, the continent is still pristine. Our challenge is keeping it that way.
The effects of climate change are heightened in urban areas and impose a high financial burden to the municipalities.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Shoreline communities are already faltering under the weight of billions of dollars in damages — and worrying that climate change will continue to make things even worse.
The diaphanous wings and striking markings of this parasitic wasp (Arotes decorus) belie its gruesome nature.
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Parasitic wasps are body-snatchers — if you’re an insect. But these much-maligned creatures have saved millions of human lives by controlling the spread of the cassava mealybug.
Many trees were still green in Maine’s Grafton Notch State Park on Oct. 1, 2021, when the area’s foliage is typically near peak color.
Cappi Thompson via Getty Images
Warm autumn weather has produced dull leaf colors across the eastern US this year, but climate change isn’t the only way that humans have altered trees’ fall displays.
Fall armyworm devouring a soybean leaf.
Scott D. Stewart
Biological control strategies curb pests using other species that attack the invader. A biologist explains why it can take more than a decade to develop an effective biological control program.
Lionfish are now invading the western Atlantic Ocean, from North Carolina to Brazil.
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The lionfish has few natural predators, and its venomous spines deter potential predators. But there may still be ways to naturally control the growth of this invader’s population.
Not all Australian native species belong in all Australian environments. In fact, many Australian plant species have become pests in places far from their original homes. Could some be in your garden?