The contact between savanna and forest in the Amazonia–Cerrado transition zone is characterized by the hyperdynamics of the vegetation (recruitment vs. mortality). However, the related nutrient ...

The effects of the steadily increasing amount of plastic in the ocean are complex and not yet fully understood. Scientists at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have now shown for the ...

Scientific American is the authority on science and technology for a general audience, with coverage that explains how research changes our understanding of the world and shapes our lives. First ...

Nowadays we’re getting more used to the idea that entire ecosystems of tiny bacteria are living on our skin, in the soil of our gardens and within the oceans where we catch dinner. But one aspect that ...

New research shows prairie dogs play an outsized role in nutrient cycling, adding to their list of beneficial services as ecosystem engineers. Ann Batdorf, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation ...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Anyone who has thrown a backyard barbecue knows that hot dogs are inexplicably packaged in different numbers than buns — eight hot dogs per pack versus 10 hot dog buns. Put in ...

Florida State University oceanographers have discovered a significant connection between small-scale microbial processes and ecosystem-wide dynamics, offering new insights into the mechanisms driving ...

Beneath the surface of lakes and coastal waters lies a hidden world of sediment that plays a crucial role in the health of aquatic ecosystems. "Benthic fluxes" of nitrogen and phosphorus, such as ...

Chris Dutton is used to broken equipment. In the years he’s spent analyzing the creatures of the Mara River basin in Africa, his cameras and sensors have been tusked by elephants, crushed by hippos, ...