Biodiversity stories

Along with the vulture goes the health – of humans. This is the finding of a study being published in theAmerican Economic Review, which, starting with an analysis of the near-extinction of vultures that occurred in India in the 1990s, led to the identification of a clear correlation with the increase in human mortality, which can be calculated at half a million deaths between 2000 and 2005, precisely in the areas from which the well-known bird-spawn had disappeared.

In their maturity, trees are at their best. According to two studies recently published in Forests and the Journal of Environmental Management-in which scientists from CNR-Isafom and the University of Florence participated-the age of trees is a crucial factor in determining the resilience, productivity and stability of forests in the face of the challenges posed by the changing climate.

Over the past two hundred years, Rome has been home to a large number of species that today-with loss of habitats, pollution (including sound and light), changing microclimates and hazards such as road crossings-are in trouble. Yet, animals and the natural environments in which they live are an invaluable asset to humans as well, in many ways.

Capers, thyme, prickly pear. And a little oregano. This is not a recipe, but rather a list of some of the plants that combine beneficial effects for human health, environmental benefits and sustainable cultivation.

It’s called a “plastisphere,” and it could send rivers reeling. Composed of bacteria, microalgae, and fungi (sometimes even macroorganisms), the ecosystem that forms and thrives on the surface of plastic waste could have a significant impact on the entire functioning of freshwater streams: depletion of dissolved oxygen in the water, potential introduction of disease, and alteration of the overall health of the river system are just some of the possible consequences of this new tiny population.

The world map of fungi can be found — in the air. The approach of an international team, coordinated by the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, that saw scientists take air samples in various parts of the planet to discover the secrets of fungi is entirely innovative.

Offshore wind farms are a very promising source of green energy-but they can have a major impact on marine ecosystems. To address this limitation, a study published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews-in which researchers from the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, the Polytechnic University of Marche and other Italian universities participated-outlines specific criteria for conducting a robust environmental impact assessment (EIA) while complying with the principle of “Do no significant harm.”

To understand the reasons for the ecological success of some bumblebee species, and to curb the harmful effects of those that are spreading in Europe, a team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Pisa and the University of Florence, sequenced and compared their genomes. The study was published in Scientific Reports.

Analysis of a marine sediment core taken in Edisto Inlet–a fjord in the Ross Sea, Antarctica–shows a new climate phase that occurred between 50 and 450 AD. This is according to research, published in Scientific Reports, which named this time interval Ophiuroid Optimum, and which provides the scientific community with new methods of investigation.

Available online, free of charge, is the FAO technical report which provides a comprehensive guide for policy stakeholders and fisheries businesses that want to address the problem of aquatic invasive species-a phenomenon that is steadily increasing globally, and now further exacerbated by climate change.

Good news for corals, vital sea creatures hard hit by climate change and global pollution: a new, rapid, biodegradable adhesive could prove instrumental in coral reef repair.

How to promote large-scale actions to protect pollinating insects? To understand this, a research study coordinated by the University of Padua, with the collaboration of the universities of Wageningen (Netherlands) and Wuerzburg (Germany), started from afar. 4541 participants-distributed among Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, and residing in both urban and rural areas-were administered an online questionnaire containing various questions to identify the reasons why people desire pollinator protection.