Tag: Ecology

Osterinsel (Rapa Nui) – Wie Pazifische Ratten die Insel entwaldeten
A single moai in front of the Ahu Tongariki platform on Rapa Nui: the iconic stone statues now stand in a largely treeless landscape—a stark contrast to the dense palm forests that once covered the island before invasive rats and human use fundamentally changed the ecosystem.

Easter Island: How Introduced Rats Made Rapa Nui’s Forests Disappear

When the Dutch navigator Jakob Roggeveen reached the coast of a remote island in the South Pacific on Easter Sunday in 1722 as the first Western European to do so, he must have been surprised. Before him lay a subtropical volcanic island—but instead of the dense forests one would expect

Continue reading
Rotfuchs als invasiver Räuber
A red fox carrying a squirrel in its mouth, a symbol of the hunting success of this highly adaptable predator, which in Australia became a threat to numerous endemic animal species. (© NPS Photo/Kent Miller, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

From 60 to 1.7 Million: How the Red Fox Conquered Australia in Just 60 Years

When European settlers of British origin brought the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) to Australia from around 1870 onward, they were thinking of tradition, not ecological consequences. Hunting foxes with packs of hounds, then a deeply rooted social ritual in England and now banned, was meant to continue in the new

Continue reading
Truffles (Gallacea scleroderma) and moas
Gallacea scleroderma: a truffle-like fungus endemic to New Zealand whose spores were once dispersed by moas and which plays a central role in the forest ecosystem. (© Zac Sanson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What links extinct moas, colorful truffles, and climate change?

New Zealand, known for its unique wildlife and flora, holds many secrets from the past. One of them was revealed by a recent study in Biology Letters: the extinct upland moas (Megalapteryx didinus) were not only majestic birds, but also played a central role in dispersing colorful, truffle-like fungi such

Continue reading
Wildkaninchen: in Deutschland bedroht, in Australien eine Plage
The European rabbit—threatened in Europe, a pest in Australia: An example of the conservation paradox, in which invasive species thrive in new habitats while they are endangered in their native range. (© Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Conservation Paradox: When Invasive Species Are Threatened Themselves

According to the IPBES report from last year, invasive species are among the main drivers of global species extinction. They are responsible for 60% of all documented extinctions. Several of these alien species have also become established in Germany, including the raccoon from North America, the coypu from South America

Continue reading
Ectopistes migratorius Wandertaube
The passenger pigeon was once the most common bird in North America. Today, it exists only in historical records and museum samples. Now modern gene-editing technologies are supposed to help bring the species back. (© Hayashi and Toda (artists), Charles Otis Whitman (author)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Revival of the Passenger Pigeon: A Project by Revive & Restore

The passenger pigeon, once the most common bird in North America, has been extinct for more than a century. Now, biologists from the nonprofit organization Revive & Restore have set a goal to bring the species back using cutting-edge gene-editing technologies. Under the leadership of Ben Novak, efforts are underway

Continue reading