ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

A new botanical survey of southwest Ohio found that invasive species introduced to the United States over the past century are crowding out many native plants.

Researchers may have discovered the path to better rabies vaccine design. Researchers share one of the first high-resolution looks at the rabies virus glycoprotein in its vulnerable 'trimeric' form.

Restoration of mangroves and coral reefs can be a cost-effective solution for coastal flood reduction in more than 20 countries across the Caribbean. Researchers used methods from the risk and insurance industry to provide rigorous valuations of these natural defenses and show that they can deliver a positive return on investment, with the benefits from reduced flood damage exceeding the costs of restoration. The results point toward new opportunities to support restoration efforts with funds from sources that support hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and disaster recovery, including FEMA.

A new study has found that invading subtropical corals will survive and thrive in coastal Sydney, which could spell trouble for existing Sydney coral species.

The local environment plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of the gut microbiome of wild bees which could help detect invisible stressors and early indicators of potential threats, say scientists in a new study. Piloting a new frontier of metagenomics, the researchers sequenced whole genomes of three species of carpenter bees, a type of wild bee, in North America, Asia and Australia. This analysis allowed them to gain insights into the bee's gut microbiome (bacteria and fungi), diet and viral load, as well as their environmental DNA.

Researchers studied a practice known as silvopasture which intentionally preserves trees in pastures where livestock graze. They found that compared to a completely cleared, tree-less, open pasture, the integrated silvopasture released lower levels of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide and soil carbon storage remained the same, offering a possible alternative for farmers with less climate consequences.

A new study in Ocean and Coastal Management shows that seagrass fisheries provide a reliable safety-net for poor, since fishermen perceive those habitats to maintain large fish catches over time. Surprisingly, even more so than coral reef fisheries, which people normally associate with small-scale fishery.