Research Highlight |
Featured
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Article |
Trait-based sensitivity of large mammals to a catastrophic tropical cyclone
A study that tracked mammal populations before, during and after a severe storm in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park finds that behavioural responses and survival are linked to body size, with increased mortality of small species owing to limited mobility and changes in food availability.
- Reena H. Walker
- , Matthew C. Hutchinson
- & Ryan A. Long
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Research Briefing |
Impact of a catastrophic tropical cyclone on large African mammals
In 2019, Cyclone Idai caused devastating flooding in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park when ecological studies of mammals were already under way. Small-bodied species and those in low-lying areas were affected most, suggesting that animals’ sensitivity to extreme weather depends on traits such as body size and habitat use.
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Where I Work |
Manatees and conservation: how I protect these massive, vulnerable animals
Nataly Castelblanco Martínez works to raise awareness of the perils faced by the much-loved marine mammals.
- Nikki Forrester
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Article
| Open AccessIntegrated global assessment of the natural forest carbon potential
Analysis of ground-sourced and satellite-derived models reveals a global forest carbon potential of 226 Gt outside agricultural and urban lands, with a difference of only 12% across these modelling approaches.
- Lidong Mo
- , Constantin M. Zohner
- & Thomas W. Crowther
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Article
| Open AccessRevising the global biogeography of annual and perennial plants
The prevalence of annual plants worldwide rises in response to hot-dry summers, year-to-year variations, and disturbances, potentially impacting the future of ecosystem services provided by perennials.
- Tyler Poppenwimer
- , Itay Mayrose
- & Niv DeMalach
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News |
How to keep wildcats wild: ancient DNA offers fresh insights
Ancient-genomics studies are boosting efforts to save Scotland’s endangered ‘Highland tigers’ — and keep them separate from domestic cats.
- Ewen Callaway
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News |
How AI can help to save endangered species
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to fight biodiversity loss by analysing vast amounts of data, monitoring ecosystems and spotting trends over time.
- Tosin Thompson
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News & Views |
Convictions show scale of wildlife hunting in China
An analysis of convictions reveals that around one-fifth of China’s terrestrial vertebrate species were illegally hunted over a six-year period. Improved efforts to reduce such crimes are needed to control this threat to biodiversity.
- David P. Edwards
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Nature Podcast |
Sounds of recovery: AI helps monitor wildlife during forest restoration
System aids researchers measuring biodiversity levels in Ecuador, and how people can follow basic instructions while fast asleep.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Shamini Bundell
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Article |
Assessing the illegal hunting of native wildlife in China
Analysis of a database of convictions for illegal hunting in China reveals the scale of the threat to biodiversity posed by illegal hunting in China.
- Dan Liang
- , Xingli Giam
- & David S. Wilcove
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Correspondence |
Britain and Ireland’s largest lake is dying in plain sight
- Neil Reid
- & Mark C. Emmerson
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Correspondence |
Quantify wild areas that optimize agricultural yields
- Iris Berger
- , Lynn V. Dicks
- & Francisco d’Albertas Gomes de Carvalho
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News & Views |
Assessing the scale of rubber deforestation in southeast Asia
Understanding the extent of deforestation associated with agriculturally harvested crops has implications for conservation efforts. A method to assess satellite data offers an accurate way to estimate rubber deforestation.
- Carlos Souza Jr
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News |
Mysterious mouse mummies found atop lofty volcanoes
Naturally freeze-dried leaf-eared mice found above 6,000 metres show mammals can dwell at extraordinary heights.
- Anil Oza
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Article
| Open AccessHigh-resolution maps show that rubber causes substantial deforestation
Satellite data used to generate high-resolution maps across Southeast Asia show that rubber-related deforestation is at least twofold to threefold higher than suggested by estimates used for setting policy.
- Yunxia Wang
- , Peter M. Hollingsworth
- & Antje Ahrends
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Article |
The episodic resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus
Recent resurgences of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 viruses have different origins and virus ecologies as their epicentres shift and viruses evolve, with changes indicating increased adaptation among domestic birds.
- Ruopeng Xie
- , Kimberly M. Edwards
- & Vijaykrishna Dhanasekaran
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Correspondence |
Making conventional farming more biodiversity friendly
- Tobias Kuemmerle
- , Patrick Meyfroidt
- & Florence Pendrill
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News Feature |
Apple revival: how science is bringing historic varieties back to life
Exploring the genomes of half-forgotten and heirloom apple varieties could help to ensure the future of the incomparable fruits.
- Christopher Kemp
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News |
Australia’s feral horses need ‘urgent’ control: scientists welcome latest report
Ecologists have praised government recommendations, but some say more concrete action — including a cull — is needed.
- Dyani Lewis
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News |
Reproducibility trial: 246 biologists get different results from same data sets
Wide distribution of findings shows how analytical choices drive conclusions.
- Anil Oza
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Nature Index |
Where is the strongest research focus on the environment?
The alignment of high-quality research to Sustainable Development Goals on climate and conservation varies widely between the world’s regions.
- Simon Baker
- & Bec Crew
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Where I Work |
My quest for hidden treasures in Sri Lanka’s flora
Sri Lankan taxonomist Bhathiya Gopallawa tapped into a network of early-career researchers to unearth a botanic gem in the tropical forest undergrowth.
- Manasee Weerathunga
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Article
| Open AccessOngoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats
The second Global Amphibian Assessment finds that the status of amphibians is continuing to deteriorate globally, driven predominantly by climate change, disease and habitat loss.
- Jennifer A. Luedtke
- , Janice Chanson
- & Simon N. Stuart
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Research Briefing |
Climate change and habitat loss push amphibians closer to extinction
Amphibians are the most vulnerable vertebrates worldwide, with 41% of species threatened with extinction. Habitat loss is the most common threat, and climate change is the main driver of increased extinction risk. Investment in amphibian conservation must be scaled up drastically and urgently to prevent further extinctions and reverse declines.
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News & Views |
Cichlid fish seized an ecological opportunity to diversify
The analysis of fossils in sediment cores from Lake Victoria, Africa, reveals that a group of cichlid fish rapidly diversified as the lake got larger and provided new ecological niches, whereas the other fish there did not diversify.
- Martin J. Genner
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Article
| Open AccessA continuous fish fossil record reveals key insights into adaptive radiation
This study presents a continuous fossil record, extracted from a series of sediment cores, that shows how haplochromine cichlids came to dominate the fish fauna of Lake Victoria in Africa.
- Nare Ngoepe
- , Moritz Muschick
- & Ole Seehausen
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Editorial |
Seize the moment: researchers have a rare opportunity to make progress in protecting global biodiversity
A quiet revolution is taking place to incorporate the costs of biodiversity loss into economic planning. It needs researchers to be engaged.
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Where I Work |
How damaged are coral reefs? I dive to investigate climate change
Marine biologist Long Ying studies how warmer, more-acidic oceans are affecting these ‘trees of the seas’.
- Nic Fleming
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long read: These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
Researchers are testing a controversial strategy to relocate threatened animals whose habitats might not survive climate change.
- Clare Watson
- & Benjamin Thompson
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News & Views |
Measuring the ecological benefits of protected areas
Are protected areas slowing down global biodiversity declines? A global analysis provides evidence that they are, although effects vary across groups of species, and what happens outside protected areas matters, too.
- Ana S. L. Rodrigues
- & Marie-Morgane Rouyer
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News & Views |
The geography of climate governs biodiversity
To explain the interplay of climate, area and isolation that underlies the marked global differences in biodiversity, a switch in focus from geographic space to climatic space offers a way forwards.
- Antonin Machac
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Article |
Protected areas slow declines unevenly across the tetrapod tree of life
An analysis of 2,239 terrestrial vertebrate populations shows that they decline more slowly in protected areas than outside protected areas, but the benefits vary across vertebrate classes and depend on the regional context of the protected area.
- A. Justin Nowakowski
- , James I. Watling
- & Luke O. Frishkoff
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Article
| Open AccessThe geography of climate and the global patterns of species diversity
Nearly 90% of global variation in species richness of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles is shown to be explained by the joint effects of climate and the geographic structure (area and isolation) of climate.
- Marco Túlio P. Coelho
- , Elisa Barreto
- & Catherine H. Graham
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Article |
Weather explains the decline and rise of insect biomass over 34 years
Insect biomass data covering 27 years were reanalysed using sample-specific information on weather conditions during sampling and weather anomalies during the insect life cycle, finding that biomass is driven by complex weather conditions.
- Jörg Müller
- , Torsten Hothorn
- & Annette Menzel
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Article
| Open AccessUniquely preserved gut contents illuminate trilobite palaeophysiology
Fossilized gut contents of an Ordovician trilobite shed light on the feeding habits of one of the most common and well-known extinct arthropods.
- Petr Kraft
- , Valéria Vaškaninová
- & Per E. Ahlberg
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Matters Arising |
Global effects of marine protected areas on food security are unknown
- Daniel Ovando
- , Owen Liu
- & Cody Szuwalski
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News |
World recommits to 2030 plan to save humanity — despite falling short so far
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres proposes US$500-billion annual stimulus package to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Jeff Tollefson
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Global effects of marine protected areas on food security are unknown
- Enric Sala
- , Juan Mayorga
- & Boris Worm
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Article |
Projected decline in European bumblebee populations in the twenty-first century
A quantitative study of past, present and future ecological suitability of Europe for bumblebees finds that for 38–76% of species now considered non-threatened, suitable territory could decrease by at least 30% by 2061–2080.
- Guillaume Ghisbain
- , Wim Thiery
- & Simon Dellicour
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Where I Work |
Protecting peccaries, preserving a people’s knowledge
While working to safeguard habitat for pig-like animals in Argentina, Micaela Camino relies on the region’s Indigenous communities.
- Patricia Maia Noronha
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News |
Colombia considers ban on most research and education using live animals
A bill and a constitutional amendment that seek to extend the rights of animals could jeopardize ecological studies.
- Amanda Heidt
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News |
Legacy of racist US housing policies extends even to bird data
A discriminatory strategy called redlining, which was implemented in the 1930s, has repercussions today for records of urban biodiversity.
- Anil Oza
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Comment |
Four steps to curb ‘ocean roadkill’
There is increasing evidence that ship strikes are a major cause of mortality for whales, sharks and other ocean giants. With the global fleet growing, some simple actions can turn things around.
- Freya C. Womersley
- , Alexandra Loveridge
- & David W. Sims
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Comment |
With the arrival of El Niño, prepare for stronger marine heatwaves
Record-high ocean temperatures, combined with a confluence of extreme climate and weather patterns, are pushing the world into uncharted waters. Researchers must help communities to plan how best to reduce the risks.
- Alistair J. Hobday
- , Michael T. Burrows
- & Thomas Wernberg
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Editorial |
Hypocrisy is threatening the future of the world’s oceans
A few powerful nations are undermining progress towards global ocean sustainability. Scientists can help hold them to account.
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News Feature |
These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
Some of the most threatened animals might not survive in their current habitat because of climate change. Researchers are testing a controversial strategy to relocate them before it’s too late — starting with Australia’s rarest reptile.
- Clare Watson
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Research Highlight |
The right kind of farm helps forest birds prosper
Species in Costa Rica decline on large-scale industrial farms — except species that tend to thrive in degraded habitats.
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