Ecology

Scientists are using artificial intelligence to fight biodiversity loss by analysing vast amounts of data, monitoring ecosystems and spotting trends over time

Warming waters pose a danger to Atlantic salmon. A new effort aims to lower the temperature in waterways used by the fish to spawn

These mysterious spots of barren soil have fascinated scientists for years. Now evidence of their existence beyond two known locations is stirring up a fresh round of contention

A striking purple species is one piece of the fungal kingdom’s uncharted diversity

Researchers in Hawaii are studying the effects of the deadly blazes on its island of Maui, including how they have impacted drinking-water quality and might affect local marine ecosystems

Thousands of usually solitary octopuses gather to brood eggs in a special spot off California

Minuscule amounts of uranium detected in the shells of turtles point to a new way to track such materials’ impacts on people and ecosystems

New habitats that are emerging as mountain glaciers melt away represent huge ecological shifts and present new challenges for conservation

Apothecaries founded this famous garden—one of the most ancient botanical gardens in Europe—to teach their students which plants poison and which plants cure. 

An expedition using a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle has uncovered a hidden underground ecosystem below hydrothermal vents on the seafloor

Researchers set out to calculate how much of Earth’s life dwells in the planet’s least admired environment

Atmospheric carbon is a currency that plants use to “buy” nutrients from fungi in the soil. To find out where this economy will go next, the devil is in the details. And the details are in the dirt.