About 90% of the world’s flowering plants depend upon animal pollination for reproduction. Furthermore, many food chains are based on these plants. Specifically, the pollination of crops in cold and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere is especially important thanks to the bumblebee genus (Bombus), which belongs to the Hymenoptera family. However, a study published … Read more
A new Union Environment Ministry report states that there are at least 150 elephant corridors spanning 15 range-states across four elephant-bearing regions in India, with West Bengal topping the list with 26 such land strips. The country’s central government listed 88 corridors in their 2010 Elephant Task Force report (Gajah report). The latest report, titled … Read more
One of the world’s worst and costliest invasive alien species, red fire ants, is making Italy their home, according to a new study revealing their arrival in Europe for the first time. According to research published in the scientific journal Current Biology, the red fire ant formed a mature population in Sicily, Italy. The study warns … Read more
A species of bamboo called Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis is widespread throughout Japan. Not only does it characterize its extensive presence in that place, but it blooms in a particular way: it blooms every 120 years and then “dies” and gives way to the next generation of plants. In 2020, a stand of henon bamboo … Read more
Scientists collected data from thousands of species on the seabed to reach one conclusion: their size is shrinking. The study, published in the journal Science, analyzed 4,292 mammals, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles and plants that live in the depths of the oceans. The team, made up of scientists from 17 universities around the world, explained that species … Read more
Climate change impacts livestock farming, a major source of worldwide food production and impacted livelihoods. More than 1 billion cows around the world including India will experience heat stress by the end of the century if carbon emissions are high and environmental protection is low. Heat stress in cattle More than a billion cows worldwide … Read more
The record sea ice melt experienced in Antarctica in 2022 has produced a reproductive catastrophe in Emperor penguin populations in the Bellingshausen Sea. 4 of 5 penguin colonies lose chicks, worsening According to the British Antarctic Mission (BAS) researchers, four of the five colonies of these birds in the west of the Antarctic continent have … Read more
When cities get too hot, birds are leaving just like humans. A study in China looked at 336 cities and found that buildings and paved areas that hold heat make birds lose diversity. This was discovered by scientists from Zhejiang University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and it’s in the Science of the Total … Read more
Birds have been an inalienable part of Indian folklore and children’s stories. But apart from being potent cultural symbols, birds also have a huge ecological significance and have been considered important markers of the state of our natural world. But a recent report released on August 25 shows a worrying trend. The State of Indian … Read more
The recently launched State of Indian Birds 2023 report draws attention to a distressing reality. Out of the 348 species that were assessed for Long-term Trends in the report, 60% of species show long-term declines. Furthermore, out of 359 species assessed for the Current Annual Trend, 40% of species exhibit a declining trend. The situation … Read more
