News about Biodiversity

Birds have been adapting to human activity for millennia

Roughly 14,500 to 10,500 years ago, in the transition from the last glacial period, Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic peoples harvesting vegetation from the wetlands of eastern Jordan created a habitat for birds that would…

David Nogués Bravo: The global health burden of biodiversity loss

The School of Global Health's Global Health Research Spotlight series focuses on global health researchers from the University of Copenhagen.

Orchid study reveals essential plant-fungal relationships in Danish conservation area

In a new study conducted in a high-diversity conservation area in eastern Denmark, researchers have unveiled the intricate relationships between three co-occurring orchid species and their associated low-abundance…

Orchid study reveals essential plant-fungal relationships in Danish conservation area

In a new study conducted in a high-diversity conservation area in eastern Denmark, researchers have unveiled the intricate relationships between three co-occurring orchid species and their associated low-abundance…

New study on global biodiversity hotspots

Based on millions of distribution data, researchers reveal unexpected patterns that may redefine our understanding of global hotspots of biodiversity.

Vivien Kovacs defended her MSc thesis, January 2024

"Exploring the Influence of Former Land Use on Soil Characteristics and Biodiversity Indicators across Denmark"

Carsten Rahbek receives Distinguished Fellow Award

Professor Carsten Rahbek received the 2024 IBS Distinguished Fellow Award at the biennial conference in Prague.

Islands in the Indian Ocean: Development and Biodiversity

In the latest news Associate Professor Stig Jensen, after a visit to the island state delves into the islands of the Indian Ocean focusing on their biodiversity, development, and the impact of colonization today. The…

How did the bushpig cross the strait? A great puzzle in African mammal biogeography solved by genomics

Africa has a huge diversity of large mammals, but their evolutionary relationships and movement across the continent over time often remain a mystery. A new scientific study led by researchers from the University of…

Fighting for Biodiversity in Africa

In an article published in Danish Journal Udenrigs, Associate Professor Stig Jensen, details the fight for biodiversity in Africa. With an increasing threat of extinction to multiple animal species on the continent,…

A new field-experiment, 11 December 2023

The project is moving forward and it is now time for some testing in the field.

An updated floristic map of the world

In Nature Communications by Liu, Y., ..., Borregaard, M.K., ... Rahbek, C. and Wang, Z. (2023)

Diversification of flowering plants in space and time

In Nature Communications by Dimitrov, D., ..., Nogués-Bravo, D., ..., C, Rahbek & Wang, Z. (2023)

Microbiome workshop, 21-24 November 2023

Our collaborator, Sofia Gomes from Leiden University, joined the Silva Nova team at University of Copenhagen...

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…

Postdoc: We must not forget humans in our effort to protect animals and nature 

The practice of nature conservation has historically oppressed people to protect nature. We need nature conservation to take cultural diversity as well as biodiversity into account, says postdoc Federica Bocchi.

MATRIX annual meeting November 23

Registration is open now

Earth Beyond six of nine planetary boundaries

In Science Advances by Richardson, K., Steffen, W., Rockström, J., et al. (2023)

Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk

It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to the tops of blades of grass where they can be eaten by cattle and deer. The common liver fluke has an exceptional life cycle as it moves through snails, ants an…

Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk

It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to the tops of blades of grass where they can be eaten by cattle and deer. The common liver fluke has an exceptional life cycle as it moves through snails, ants an…

Six of nine planetary boundaries exceeded

New study led by Professor Katherine Richardson updates the Planetary Boundaries framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet.

Six of nine planetary boundaries now exceeded

New study led by Professor Katherine Richardson updates the Planetary Boundaries framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet.

Three out of four populations of rare butterflies have been lost

In just 26 years, the distribution of rare butterflies has plummeted by 72% in Eastern Denmark. Several species are threatened with extinction, yet the conservation actions aiming to safeguard species have proved…

Severe impact of past changes in climate and nutrient availability on a lowland tropical rainforest

New study reveals a significant impact of past climate changes and nutrient availability on a lowland tropical rainforest.