Ecology (Biology & Medicine)

New Insights into the Dynamics of Microbial Communities

Under certain circumstances, the abundance of plankton species changes continuously without one species becoming permanently dominant more

Bacteria in the Arctic seabed are active all year round

The bacterial community in Arctic sediments is taxonomically and functionally very stable more

2023 – a year of climate extremes

The devastating storms, rainfall, heatwaves and droughts of the past year have become more likely and more severe as a result of global warming more

Different olfactory worlds of female and male silkmoths

Female moths primarily use their sense of smell to find the best host plants on which to lay their eggs more

Beewolf symbiosis: Protective shield for allies

The digger wasps protect their symbionts from toxic nitric oxide released by their eggs to kill pathogens more

Symbiotic fungi produce attractants for bark beetles

When metabolizing spruce bark, the insect’s fungal partners release volatile compounds that bark beetles  recognize through specialized olfactory sensory neurons more

Maximum flexibility in deactivating mustard oil bombs

Cabbage white butterflies use two different complementary enzymes for detoxification more

Leibniz Prize 2023 for Sarah Ellen O'Connor

Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena honoured for her discoveries on plant natural product biosynthesis more

The Mona Lisa effect: Eyespots deter predators that approach from different directions

Experiments with chicken chicks and artificial peacock butterflies prove that predators are intimidated by eyespots more

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2023 – a year of climate extremes

The devastating storms, rainfall, heatwaves and droughts of the past year have become more likely and more severe as a result of global warming more

Symbiotic fungi produce attractants for bark beetles

When metabolizing spruce bark, the insect’s fungal partners release volatile compounds that bark beetles  recognize through specialized olfactory sensory neurons more

Leibniz Prize 2023 for Sarah Ellen O'Connor

Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena honoured for her discoveries on plant natural product biosynthesis more

The Mona Lisa effect: Eyespots deter predators that approach from different directions

Experiments with chicken chicks and artificial peacock butterflies prove that predators are intimidated by eyespots more

Scientists unearth another brain-shrinking mammal

A study of moles reveals that cold weather – not lack of food – drives the rare phenomenon of reversible brain shrinkage in mammals more

Pollination by Crustaceans

Bee of the sea: A small marine isopod aids in pollinating red algae more

Tobacco hawkmoths always find the right odor

The moths can distinguish crucial from irrelevant odors more

Microparticles with feeling

Researchers develop a new method to simultaneously measure flow and oxygen more

A fish on its way to new shores

Ice Age bones reveal how sticklebacks adapt to new habitats more

Small “snowflakes” in the sea play a big role

New findings from scientists of Bremen will aid in the further development of biogeochemical models that include the marine nitrogen cycle more

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“The only things you want to conserve are the things you know”

Jana Wäldchen has played a key role in developing the plant identification app, Flora Incognita. We discussed with her how being able to identify different plants contributes to species diversity, which plant species are particularly under threat and how non-native species are suppressing local plants more

A Stickleback - Full of Worms

Around 40 percent of all species on Earth are parasitic – apparently a highly successful way of life. Even a fish such as the three-spined stickleback is plagued by up to 25 different parasites. more

The irresistible fragrance of dying vinegar flies

Bacterial pathogens cause infected flies to produce more sex pheromones and so expand their deadly reach more

A parasite involved in the plant alarm system

Host plants communicate warning signals through a parasite network, when insects attack more

Oil as energy source for deep-sea creatures

Scientists discover mussels and sponges in the deep sea which can thrive on oil with the help of symbiont bacteria more

Reptile vocalization is surprisingly flexible

Phenotypic plasticity of gecko calls reveals the complex communication of lizards more

Bergamotene—alluring and lethal for <em>Manduca sexta</em>

The volatile compound bergamotene increases the moths’ pollination success and protects tobacco leaves against their voracious offspring more

Bushmeat consumption decreases during the Ebola epidemic

Household income and knowledge about health risks drive the consumption of wild animal meat in West Africa more

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