News about Ecosystems

Leafcutter Ants Domesticated Their Fungal Crops Millions of Years Before Humans - New Genomic Discoveries Reveal How

150 years after leafcutter ants were discovered deep in South American rainforests, scientists from the University of Copenhagen have revealed how these ant farmers achieved crop domestication by decoding the fungal…

Strain-link: Linking strain-level functional inference and development in the early life microbiome with later disease

Microbes inhabit all types of environments and form complex communities, called microbiomes. The human microbiome has a great impact on host health, which is directly linked to the specific composition and functional…

New DNA Evidence Reveals How Early European Farmers Shaped Forest Ecosystems

Study traces ancient impact of early farmers on Central European forests using cutting-edge sedimentary DNA analysis.

Impact of 700 years of Inuvialuit subsistence hunting on beluga whales

An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen and University of Toronto, analysed beluga whale bones retrieved from archaeological sites in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest…

Spotted apex predator being pressured by spotted pack hunters – and it's our fault

Leopards, who are already in decline, can’t keep up with hyenas when people are around. As we humans move into the their territories more and more, we are helping to disturb and unbalance ecosystems. This has been shown…

Natural hazards threaten over three thousand species

Natural hazards can speed up the extinction process of land animals that have limited distribution and/or small populations. But there is hope to turn the negative development around, says researchers behind new study.

Human activity contributed to woolly rhinoceros’ extinction

An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen and University of Adelaide, used computer modelling to make the discovery, shedding light on a mystery that has captivated…

Large household survey conducted in the four small towns

The household survey, with more than 1200 respondents in total, was conducted in the four small towns in Ghana and Burkina Faso during April and May 2024.

Increased CO2 emissions from world’s tundra surprise researchers

As they warm, Arctic tundra environments will probably release 30% more CO2 than they do today – an increase that is nearly four times more than previously estimated. This is the conclusion of a large international stud…

Iconic savanna mammals face genetic problems due to fences and roads

Wildebeest migrations have become a rarer sight in Africa as humans continue to interrupt their historic migratory routes with roads, fences, cities, livestock and farmland. This has led to genetic decay in those herds…

Explore the Insects With New App

The Bugdex app is the ultimate beginners guide to insects for any student, biologist and nature lover.

Economists: Ecosystems have higher monetary value than previously calculated

Current economic practice systematically underestimates the value of nature, according to an international group of economists. Writing in the journal Science, they propose a new calculation formula.

CPSC conference 2024

Registration for the CPSC conference Translational agriculture – from model plants to crops in Copenhagen Aug 21st to 23rd, 2024 is now open

Robots, monitoring and healthy ecosystems could halve pesticide use without hurting productivity

Smarter crop farming that combats weeds, insect pests and plant diseases by integrating modern technologies like AI-based monitoring, robotics, and next-generation biotechnology with healthy and resilient agricultural…

Robots, monitoring and healthy ecosystems could halve pesticide use without hurting productivity

Smarter crop farming that combats weeds, insect pests and plant diseases by integrating modern technologies like AI-based monitoring, robotics, and next-generation biotechnology with healthy and resilient agricultural…

Shine On - You Crazy Coral

Luminous corals are on the program at this year's light festival in Copenhagen 'Copenhagen Light Festival'.

Two New Scientists on Tenure Track

Natural History Museum of Denmark has hired two new researchers on tenure track: Natalie Eva Iwanycki Ahlstrand, a botanist, and João Araújo, a mycologist.

New beetle species has bottle-opener shaped genitalia: Now that calls for a Carlsberg!

Six new beetle species have been discovered in South America by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. Among them is one with a distinctively shaped sexual organ that has led the researchers to name it after globa…

Apply now for the EnvEuro MSc program 2024

Application for the EnvEuro MSc program in "Environmental Science - Soil, Water and Biodiversity" is now open Application deadline for 2024 is found here notice different deadlines for each university

Fungal evolution discovered: Mycena can now invade living hosts

Biologists have long known mushrooms of the genus Mycena, commonly known as bonnet mushrooms, as fungi that live off of dead trees and plants. New research from the University of Copenhagen demonstrates that bonnets can…

Fungal evolution discovered: Mycena can now invade living hosts

Biologists have long known mushrooms of the genus Mycena, commonly known as bonnet mushrooms, as fungi that live off of dead trees and plants. New research from the University of Copenhagen demonstrates that bonnets can…

Villum Synergy: Interdisciplinary research

Although solutions to major challenges usually require cross-disciplinary collaboration, researchers seldom cross disciplinary boundaries in their research. The Synergy programme from the Velux Foundation, however,…

Citizen Science receives a significant boost

Despite the increasing worldwide interest in citizen science, research into the concept itself remains limited. This is the issue a new professorship, possibly the first of its kind worldwide, aims to address.

Gases from bacteria and plankton affect the climate – new research center seeks to calculate by how much

We need to find out how much gasses plants, soil, fungi and bacteria emit into the atmosphere. The gases they release influence the planet’s climate, and we know too little about them. On 19 June 2023, possibly the firs…