biodiversity

The eRNA detection method could one day be used to catch early warning signs of distress in wild ecosystems. 

In the book's introduction, author Carol Gigliotti makes the case that intricate behavioral patterns can be just as important to conserve as species’ genomes.

Aridity appears to configure landscapes with a greater diversity of plant species that rely on symbiotic bacteria for nitrogen.

When species disappear, more than their genomes are lost. The potential for their creative innovation to benefit ecosystems vanishes as well.

Despite recent advances in the study of eukaryogenesis, much remains unresolved about the origin and evolution of the most complex domain of life.

A lot happened in the hundreds of millions years separating the first and last eukaryotic common ancestors, but when and how most features arose remains a mystery.

A new modeling technique aims to help scientists and policymakers detect declines in genetic diversity based on habitat loss.

After years of work, conservationists have successfully eliminated two invasive rat species from the Tetiaroa Atoll in French Polynesia.

Today’s extinction rates are sky-high. But scientists debate if that’s sufficient evidence to conclude that Earth is undergoing a mass extinction event—or whether that’s even a helpful designation.

Extinction is a natural part of life on Earth. But occasionally, extinction rates have surged far beyond usual levels, driving mass extinction events that have reshaped the trajectory of life.

Insect populations and species diversity are drastically reduced in areas affected by both climate change and agriculture-related habitat destruction, according to a new study.

A new study of tree biodiversity estimates that Earth boasts 14 percent more tree species than previous efforts have identified.

The movements of so-called jumping genes can generate the genetic diversity needed to drive evolutionary change in populations over time.  

The famous ecologist was a lifelong champion for conservation.

The naturalist was recognized for his work on social behavior and pheromones in ants and as a champion of wildlife conservation.

The offspring of crosses between related species can sometimes fill a new environmental niche, and such hybridizations may even lead to speciation.

The species include the first reptile to be listed and the Christmas Island pipistrelle, a bat last seen in 2009.

Scientists who work with foreign biological specimens face a patchwork of permits that threaten to block their projects, with potentially harmful consequences for the ecosystems they study.