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Environment - 24.10.2024
More resources needed to protect birds in Germany
More resources needed to protect birds in Germany
Citizen scientists enable Göttingen researchers to analyse effectiveness of protected areas   Member states of the European Union are obliged to designate Special Protection Areas (SPAs) as part of the Natura 2000 network. These areas are designed to guarantee the preservation and restoration of bird populations.

Environment - 21.10.2024
Plant Guard Cells can Count Environmental Stimuli
Plant Guard Cells can Count Environmental Stimuli
Plants adapt their water consumption to environmental conditions by counting and calculating environmental stimuli with their guard cells. Plant researchers from Würzburg report this in 'Current Biology'. Plants control their water consumption via adjustable pores (stomata), which are formed from pairs of guard cells.

Environment - 17.10.2024
Biodiversity change amidst disappearing human traditions
Biodiversity change amidst disappearing human traditions

Life Sciences - Environment - 15.10.2024
Animal life beneath the seafloor
Animal life beneath the seafloor
Scientists discover worms and snails in cavities and caves around hydrothermal vents Scientists discovered significant numbers of animals living in cavities and caves below the deep-sea seafloor, some growing up to half a meter of length. The discovery, which underlines how many secrets still hide in the inaccessible deep sea and how important it is to protect this ecosystem, was aided by the support of data scientists André Luiz de Oliveira from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.

Environment - Chemistry - 12.10.2024
How thunderstorms and plant transpiration produce condensation nuclei
How thunderstorms and plant transpiration produce condensation nuclei
News from The rainforest in the Amazon basin transpires vast amounts of gaseous isoprene. Until now, it was assumed that this molecule is not transported far up into the atmosphere, as it rapidly declines when exposed to light conditions. However, the CAFE-Brazil measurement campaign provided data for two studies - now published as the Nature cover story - which demonstrate that nocturnal thunderstorms transport the isoprene to an altitude of up to 15 kilometres.

Environment - 11.10.2024
Nitrogen pollution drives forest plants west
Nitrogen pollution drives forest plants west
Climate change not main driver of shift in distribution of European forest plants   The movement of plant species across Europe has mainly been attributed to climate change. However, a new study shows that other environmental factors play an important role. An international research team led by the University of Ghent, with the participation of the University of Göttingen, examined the biodiversity of forests in relation to climate change and the input of nitrogen and sulphur.

Environment - 10.10.2024
European forest plants are migrating westwards
European forest plants are migrating westwards
New research reveals nitrogen deposition, and to a lesser extent climate change, unexpectedly as the key driver behind surprising westward shifts in the distribution of plants. These are the results of a study published in the journal Science, in which three researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) were involved, among them Professor Dr Markus Bernhardt-Römermann from the University of Jena.

Environment - 09.10.2024
Light Pollution Disturbs Moths Even in the Dark
Light Pollution Disturbs Moths Even in the Dark
Light pollution is more serious than expected: Moths not only lose their orientation directly under street lamps. Their flight behaviour is also disturbed outside the cone of light. The increasing use of artificial light at night is one of the most dramatic man-made changes on earth. Streetlights and illuminated buildings are significantly changing the environment for nocturnal animals.

Life Sciences - Environment - 30.09.2024
Symbiotic interactions in marine algae
Symbiotic interactions in marine algae
In a recent study, researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena have shown how they can investigate the growth and interactions of the green algae "Ulva" and its bacterial community non-invasively and non-destructively using Raman spectroscopy.

Environment - 27.09.2024
More CO2 in the atmosphere during El Niño
More CO2 in the atmosphere during El Niño
A recent study challenges previous assumptions about the connection between CO2 in the atmosphere and temperatures in the tropics. Between 1959 and 2011, the CO2 content in the atmosphere responded twice as strongly to temperatures in the tropics than before. This has often been attributed to increasing droughts in the tropics and to changes in carbon cycle responses caused by climate change.

Life Sciences - Environment - 23.09.2024
When darkness never falls
When darkness never falls
Artificial light at night changes the behavior of fish, even into the next generation Scientists have shown that light pollution-especially light in the blue spectrum-can alter the behavior of fish after only a few nights, and have knock-on effects for their offspring. The team studied how female zebrafish responded after being exposed to artificial light at night, which is considered to be the main source of the world's light pollution.

Environment - Chemistry - 23.09.2024
Heavy Metal Pollution, Herbicide, Microplastics: Anthropogenic Factors in Soil Ecosystems Have Greater Impact the More Dissimilar and Numerous They Are
Heavy Metal Pollution, Herbicide, Microplastics: Anthropogenic Factors in Soil Ecosystems Have Greater Impact the More Dissimilar and Numerous They Are
Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin examine the effects of multiple, co-acting global change factors on soil biota and functions in new "Nature Communications" study A research team from Freie Universität Berlin has discovered that soil properties are severely impacted when subjected to a large number of different environmental stressors.

Environment - 20.09.2024
Megadiverse flowering plant family on isolated islands
Megadiverse flowering plant family on isolated islands
International research team find highest speciation in Asteraceae family on oceanic islands Asteraceae, a family of flowering plants which includes daisies, sunflowers and asters, are the most diverse group of flowering plants in the world. This plant family comprises around 34,000 species, some of which are well-known, such as artichokes, chamomile, dahlias and lettuce.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 17.09.2024
Pollen affects cloud formation and precipitation patterns
Pollen affects cloud formation and precipitation patterns
Pollen not only plays a role in allergies, but also influences the local weather. Especially in spring, when large amounts are released, it contributes to the formation of ice in clouds, which can increase rainfall. A recent study led by the Institute for Meteorology at Leipzig University is the first to prove this outside the laboratory.

Environment - Life Sciences - 16.09.2024
Flying like an eagle
Flying like an eagle
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, in collaboration with the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Switzerland and the University of Vienna in Austria, investigated how young golden eagles improve their flight skills as they age. Their results, published in eLife, show that as golden eagles improve their flying skills, they become able to explore a broader area within their range in the central European Alps.

Environment - Chemistry - 16.09.2024
How is the hole in the ozone layer?
How is the hole in the ozone layer?
In 1974, scientists first sounded the alarm about the destruction of the ozone layer caused by human activities. Yet it would take several more years for the global community to reach a consensus on banning ozone-depleting chemicals. At the time, Paul Crutzen and his research team played a pivotal role in bringing this issue to the world's attention.

Environment - 16.09.2024
How gaps in the canopy of a floodplain influence microclimate and soil biological activity
How gaps in the canopy of a floodplain influence microclimate and soil biological activity
Canopy gaps in a mixed floodplain forest have a direct effect on forest soil temperature and moisture, but only have a minor impact on soil biological activity. This is the conclusion of a study by Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, which was recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Environment - 16.09.2024
How gaps in the canopy of a floodplain forest influence microclimate and soil biological activity
How gaps in the canopy of a floodplain forest influence microclimate and soil biological activity
Canopy gaps in a mixed floodplain forest have a direct effect on forest soil temperature and moisture, but only have a minor impact on soil biological activity. This is the conclusion of a study by Leipzig University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, which was recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Environment - Health - 15.09.2024
Energetic costs of the migratory lifestyle in blackbirds
Energetic costs of the migratory lifestyle in blackbirds
The birds save more energy prior their migration to the south than they consume during the flight itself Millions of birds migrate every year to escape winter, but spending time in a warmer climate does not save them energy, according to research by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, Germany.

Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 12.09.2024
Greenwashing in food labelling
Greenwashing in food labelling
Researchers at Göttingen University find climate traffic light system prevents consumer deception A research team led by the University of Göttingen found that the label 'climate neutral' makes food appear significantly more climate-friendly than it actually is. Even when information about how the damage to the climate is being offset was explained, this did not stop consumers having the wrong perception about the product.