Latest news with #EcologyLetters
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Stable forests key to south India's unique biodiversity
HYDERABAD: A mix of stable tropical forests and ancient climate changes led to peninsular India's unique biodiversity over millions of years, according to a study by researchers at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now By examining 33 groups of animals and plants, scientists discovered that some species slowly evolved thanks to long-term ecosystem stability, while others were shaped by drastic changes in climate and landscape between 11 and 3 million years ago. Peninsular India extends from the Aravalli mountains southwards, including the Satpuras and Vindhyas, the Eastern Ghats, the Deccan Plateau and global biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats. It harbours highly diverse groups of animal and plant species, many of which do not occur anywhere else in the world. The study published in Ecology Letters uncovered how species evolved and disappeared across South Asia and the wider Asian region. By analysing the 33 well-studied groups of animals and plants using mathematical models, the team traced patterns of species formation (speciation) and loss (extinction) across the region. "Each of the groups comprises closely related endemic species and a common ancestor that existed at some point in time. Through millions of years, their descendants spread across the landscape and diversified into multiple species, many of which exist today," said CCMB scientist Dr Jahnavi Joshi. The researchers found a high disparity in how species are formed or lost across groups of animals and plants. They found evolutionarily related groups, such as different kinds of lizards, exhibited similar rates of forming and losing species. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They also found that half of animal and plant groups accumulated diversity gradually over millions of years. "The stability of the tropical forest ecosystems in Peninsular India has allowed for such steady diversification. As a result, this area has served as a refuge for species from severe climate changes," said Joshi. Pragyadeep Roy, first author of the study, added: "The stability of this ecosystem is surprising given the turbulent geo-climatic past of the landmass. Peninsular India was once part of the Gondwanaland supercontinent with land masses such as Africa and Australia. It broke away 100 million years ago, drifted northward, and collided with Asia, forming the Himalayas. Despite drastic geo-climatic shifts from this movement, the biodiversity changed steadily. This highlights the resilience of its forest habitats." "Global temperatures have been very dynamic across millions of years, and our analysis suggests earth's temperature strongly influences how species are formed in many groups," explained Roy. The study found that some groups experienced abrupt changes in the rates of forming new species within the time range of 11 to 3 million years ago. "This period was marked by high aridification and monsoon seasonality in Peninsular India with a major expansion of grasses, leading to shrinkage of evergreen forests to the Western Ghats and mountaintops of the Eastern Ghats. These events inflicted changes in the ranges and habitats of organisms, disrupting their earlier evolutionary trends," the study said.
New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
CCMB study sheds light on species evolution in Asia
HYDERABAD: A recent study by researchers at the CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has uncovered how species evolved and disappeared across South Asia and the wider Asian region. The study, led by Dr Jahnavi Joshi's lab, was published in Ecology Letters and represents the first large-scale evolutionary analysis of its kind for Asia. Dr Joshi explained, 'Our team analysed 33 well-studied groups of animals and plants using mathematical models to trace patterns of speciation (the formation of new species) and extinction across the region. Each group includes closely related endemic species that share a common ancestor. Over millions of years, their descendants dispersed across landscapes and diversified into the many species we see today.' What makes this discovery particularly striking is the ecological stability observed in the region, despite its turbulent geo-climatic history.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What goes ‘bump' in the night is actually helping to ensure humanity's survival
When you're asleep, the world remains awake. Thousands of nocturnal species are crawling, flying, leaping, swimming, and dancing through forests, caves, lakes, parks, and the urban environment. Without seeing them, people may not even know they're there. Even though they're largely unseen, a new research review has found that without the contribution of the world's nocturnal pollinators, humanity would struggle to survive. "We have this idea that all the magic happens during the day, because that's when we're active, and that's when we see bees and butterflies fluttering around flowers," Liam Kendall, a postdoctoral fellow at Sweden's Lund University, said in a statement. Kendall and fellow researcher Charlie Nicholson were the authors of the first-of-its-kind meta-analysis which was published this month in the journal Ecology Letters. Most people know about daytime pollinators, including birds, bees, wasps, and butterflies. They provide critical ecosystem services, working to fertilize flowers that can create fruit and seeds. Without their services, humanity would be in dire straits. One in three bites of the food Americans eat depends on pollinators. Furthermore, nearly 80 percent of global crop plants used to make food and other plant-based products require pollination by animals. For decades, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are largely pollinated during the day or at night. But, less attention has been given to the bats, months, nocturnal butterflies, and fireflies. To understand their role compared to their daytime counterparts, Kendall and Nicholson compiled data from 135 studies, finding that 90 percent of the 139 plant species that were examined in the studies had similar reproductive success, regardless of when the plants were pollinated. "We were definitely surprised by the number of plant species where it didn't matter. We found this really fascinating because it's easy to assume that a specific plant needs a specific pollinator. The analysis actually showed almost the opposite — there's much more flexibility. A different pollinator than expected can contribute enough for a plant species to reproduce," said Kendall. So, why has their impact taken so long to widely recognize? In fact, it hasn't been totally unrecognized. Moths have been called the 'unsung heroes of pollination,' many of which are tied to apple pollination. The white-lined sphinx moth, which is also known as the hummingbird moth, is a crucial pollinator for twilight-blooming flowers, according to Mass Audubon. They are widespread in North America. Plus, hundreds of species of plants rely on U.S. bats, including bananas, mangos, and agave. Kendall theorizes that daytime pollinators are seen by humans as more 'beautiful,' and attract more attention. Furthermore, he hypothesizes that many researchers may have had a certain idea for how pollination for a particular plant may occur. Of course, it is also notable that humans are most active during the daytime. The authors also highlighted that daytime species are better protected than nighttime species. Tackling artificial light at night — or excessive or poorly placed lighting that can interrupt the natural environment — may be one way to help protect them. They also face exposure to pesticides, disease, invasive species, climate change, and habitat loss. Climate change is disrupting the relationship between all pollinators and plants, with rising temperatures affecting when plants flower and potentially getting them out of sync with their pollinators. "Actions are often taken to protect daytime pollinators, such as spraying pesticides at night. There's an oversight there — sure, you're protecting the daytime insects, but you're also, theoretically, harming the nocturnal pollinators. This means we could be doing much more, but we haven't thought enough about it so far, and more research is needed," said Kendall.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
What goes ‘bump' in the night is actually helping to ensure humanity's survival
When you're asleep, the world remains awake. Thousands of nocturnal species are crawling, flying, leaping, swimming, and dancing through forests, caves, lakes, parks, and the urban environment. Without seeing them, people may not even know they're there. Even though they're largely unseen, a new research review has found that without the contribution of the world's nocturnal pollinators, humanity would struggle to survive. "We have this idea that all the magic happens during the day, because that's when we're active, and that's when we see bees and butterflies fluttering around flowers," Liam Kendall, a postdoctoral fellow at Sweden's Lund University, said in a statement. Kendall and fellow researcher Charlie Nicholson were the authors of the first-of-its-kind meta-analysis which was published this month in the journal Ecology Letters. Most people know about daytime pollinators, including birds, bees, wasps, and butterflies. They provide critical ecosystem services, working to fertilize flowers that can create fruit and seeds. Without their services, humanity would be in dire straits. One in three bites of the food Americans eat depends on pollinators. Furthermore, nearly 80 percent of global crop plants used to make food and other plant-based products require pollination by animals. For decades, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are largely pollinated during the day or at night. But, less attention has been given to the bats, months, nocturnal butterflies, and fireflies. To understand their role compared to their daytime counterparts, Kendall and Nicholson compiled data from 135 studies, finding that 90 percent of the 139 plant species that were examined in the studies had similar reproductive success, regardless of when the plants were pollinated. "We were definitely surprised by the number of plant species where it didn't matter. We found this really fascinating because it's easy to assume that a specific plant needs a specific pollinator. The analysis actually showed almost the opposite — there's much more flexibility. A different pollinator than expected can contribute enough for a plant species to reproduce," said Kendall. So, why has their impact taken so long to widely recognize? In fact, it hasn't been totally unrecognized. Moths have been called the 'unsung heroes of pollination,' many of which are tied to apple pollination. The white-lined sphinx moth, which is also known as the hummingbird moth, is a crucial pollinator for twilight-blooming flowers, according to Mass Audubon. They are widespread in North America. Plus, hundreds of species of plants rely on U.S. bats, including bananas, mangos, and agave. Kendall theorizes that daytime pollinators are seen by humans as more 'beautiful,' and attract more attention. Furthermore, he hypothesizes that many researchers may have had a certain idea for how pollination for a particular plant may occur. Of course, it is also notable that humans are most active during the daytime. The authors also highlighted that daytime species are better protected than nighttime species. Tackling artificial light at night — or excessive or poorly placed lighting that can interrupt the natural environment — may be one way to help protect them. They also face exposure to pesticides, disease, invasive species, climate change, and habitat loss. Climate change is disrupting the relationship between all pollinators and plants, with rising temperatures affecting when plants flower and potentially getting them out of sync with their pollinators. "Actions are often taken to protect daytime pollinators, such as spraying pesticides at night. There's an oversight there — sure, you're protecting the daytime insects, but you're also, theoretically, harming the nocturnal pollinators. This means we could be doing much more, but we haven't thought enough about it so far, and more research is needed," said Kendall.
Agriland
30-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
More ticks carrying Lyme disease bacteria in pheasant areas
New research has revealed that ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in areas where pheasants are released. The research was carried out by the University of Exeter and the UK Health Security Agency, which subsequently published the study titled 'The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk' in the journal Ecology Letters recently. According to Bird Watch Ireland, pheasants are not native to Ireland or the UK, but rather to Asia, where they were imported from and first introduced here as game birds in the 16th century by the Normans. Pheasants Researchers from the University of Exeter have claimed that approximately 47 million pheasants are released into the wild in the UK each year for recreational shooting. To conduct the research, scientists at the university studied ticks in 25 woodland areas in south-west England where pheasants were released and 25 nearby control sites where no pheasants were released. They discovered that Borrelia spp. – the bacteria that causes Lyme disease – was almost 2.5 times more prevalent in ticks in the pheasant-release areas compared to the control areas. Head researcher from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, Emile Michels said: 'Borrelia bacteria can live in a wide range of hosts, including pheasants, wild birds and mammals and humans. 'Pheasants are known to be competent hosts of Borrelia spp, meaning they have a relatively high likelihood of contracting and retransmitting the bacteria. 'More research is needed, but our findings suggest there may be an increased risk of potential exposure to Borrelia-infected ticks for people, such as gamekeepers, who work in woodlands where pheasants are released in numbers.' According to researchers, the control sites in the study were 1-2km from the pheasant-release sites, so more research would be required to see if Borrelia spp in ticks declines further at greater distances. Researchers tested ticks at different life stages, nymphs and adults, and found that, overall, the proportion containing Borrelia spp was 7.8% in pheasant-release woodlands, and 3.2% where pheasants were not released. University of Exeter professor, Dr. Barbara Tschirren said: 'Our findings are evidence of spillback, where non-native species increase the prevalence of native pathogens. This can be an important route for the emergence of zoonoses (diseases that animals can give to humans).' Head of the Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology team at UKHSA, Dr. Jolyon Medlock also commented on the study: 'While we have observed an increase in the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in ticks, we do not have data on the resulting impact on human health, including evidence of Lyme infection. 'Following these findings, we continue to work with academic partners to better understand what drives Borrelia transmission, including the roles of climate and environmental change.' Lyme disease Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. According to the HSE, it is usually easier to treat if it is diagnosed early. According to the Annual Infectious Disease Report, published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in conjunction with the HSE on April 28, 2025, seven cases of Lyme disease were diagnosed in Ireland last year, up one from the six reported in 2023. The HSE has also indicated that about 5% of ticks in Ireland are thought to carry Lyme disease bacteria. It has urged individuals to remove ticks as soon as possible, explaining that Lyme disease can be prevented if infected ticks are removed within 36 hours of embedding themselves in a person. It published three steps to remove a tick safely, which included: Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible; Slowly pull upwards, taking care not to squeeze or crush the tick – dispose of it carefully; Clean the bite with antiseptic or soap and water.
