Biodiversity stories

According to a University of Chicago study, biodiversity loss can have serious economic and health consequences. The case under consideration starts with an analysis of the decline of insectivorous bats in the United States. These animals provide a valuable ecosystem service: they feed on large numbers of insects, many of which are harmful to crops. Since 2006, insectivorous bat populations in North America have declined dramatically, with mortality rates exceeding 70 percent.

A decentralized, inclusive and equitable model for reference genome production that promotes international collaboration and resource sharing can become a reality. This is evidenced by the success of the ERGA pilot project (European Reference Genome Atlas), the European node of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) that aims to sequence the genome of all eukaryotic species (i.e., all life forms that have cells with a membrane-bounded nucleus, which contains genetic material) on Earth.

The health of the gut microbiome of children living in the city-that is, the trillions of bacteria that inhabit our gut and play a key role in our health-can improve through interaction with horses in a rural setting. This is according to a study by the University of Bologna that involved ten children aged between 9 and 14 years, living in urban areas of the Bologna area, for two weeks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.