Uncertainties related to species’ physiological requirements and microclimatic fluctuations hinder predictions of the effects of climate change on biodiversity. A study published in Nature tackles both of these gaps for amphibians, which are particularly sensitive to warming and aridification. Pottier et al. combined a database of empirical observations with phylogenetic model-based imputation to quantify

For Christine Huffard, the bipedal octopus walks a fine line.

There is hope that sustainable mariculture can have a major role in helping to meet future global food demands, but this will require strategic planning to reduce its effects on marine biodiversity.

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet”, said Stephen Hawking, encouraging curiosity about the universe and our purpose. But SOIL: The World at Our Feet — a remarkable exhibition taking place at Somerset House in London, UK — reverses this wisdom, and poses the question: what if instead of looking up, we looked down? Co-curated by Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy — who

Climate warming is causing shifts in the seasonal timing of plant and animal life cycles, often as phenological advances — species developing or becoming active earlier in the year than they used to. Although this general trend is widespread, different species can respond at different speeds, which could throw ecological interactions out of synchrony: for instance, plants might start flowering while

Heliconius cydno alithea butterflies are polymorphic for yellow and white wings: yellow males display a strong preference for yellow females, and white males show an equal preference for yellow and white females. Although both wing colour and male mate preference are associated with the same genetic locus (the K locus on chromosome 1), mechanistic explanations for the coevolution of colour signals

mRNAs mediate the synthesis of proteins from protein-encoding genes. As such, mRNA levels are expected to be closely associated with protein levels. However, empirical data indicate that the correlation between mRNA and protein abundances varies widely across species, and that protein levels are generally more conserved than mRNA levels at evolutionary timescales. Writing in Science, Cope and colleagues

Urbanization invariably leads to direct vegetation loss when land is covered by built infrastructure. But the growth of remaining vegetation can also be affected by urbanization through planting and irrigation, and through processes such as the extension of growing seasons through urban heat retention or the enhancement of fertilization through higher carbon dioxide levels. Writing in Nature Sustainability

Correction to: Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02626-y, published online 5 March 2025.

Joana Meier is fascinated by the diversity and mimetic colour patterns of glasswing butterflies.

In 1997, Mozambique introduced a land law that was applauded as one of the most progressive in Africa. The law recognizes customary rights, assures compensation and resettlement for expropriated people, and guarantees the rights of Mozambicans to land and natural resources, while promoting sustainable and profitable investments1,2. However, since 2017, the World Bank and the US Agency for International

Sweeping job losses and freezes to science funding in the USA have created a time of immense unease for researchers and are likely to result in costs to global health and innovation, and for the planet.

Forests that are undisturbed by direct human degradation are often considered to be climatic refugia that can shield organisms from the harshest effects of climate change. However, recent evidence points to population declines of long-lived species in seemingly pristine tropical rainforests. One explanation for this is that species that are adapted to stable microclimates in tropical forests have evolved

Threatened carnivores have made a comeback in Europe. The long-term viability of their populations hinges on evidence-based wildlife management, which requires information on animal mortality and its causes. Writing in Conservation Biology, Premier et al. report that lynxes in Europe are more likely to die as a direct result of human activities than through natural causes. The researchers used telemetry

The question of how humans can coexist with large carnivores is central to both rewilding and the protection of existing biodiversity. Human inhabitants of the Canadian Arctic have maintained relationships with polar bears for over 6,000 years. Writing in Communications Earth and Environment, Katharina M. Miller and a team of authors that includes Indigenous knowledge keepers documented insights from

MX proteins are induced in vertebrates by the interferon (IFN) system in response to viruses and other pathogens. The proteins are members of the dynamin superfamily of proteins (DSP), multidomain GTPases that mediate critical cellular processes in eukaryotic cells. MX proteins are well documented in fish and mammals, where they exert broad antiviral activity, and MX-like genes have also been identified

Filipa Samarra is hooked on killer whale behaviour.

Ex situ plant collections are key tools in the fight to preserve biodiversity. Numerous opportunities and challenges exist among their many different forms, but all are valuable.

Correction to: Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02338-3, published online 15 February 2024.

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) models specializing in the generation of new data with the statistical patterns and properties of the data upon which the models were trained has profoundly influenced a range of academic disciplines, industry and public discourse. Combined with the vast amounts of diverse data now available to ecologists, from genetic sequences to remotely sensed