Featured
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Correspondence |
Making conventional farming more biodiversity friendly
- Tobias Kuemmerle
- , Patrick Meyfroidt
- & Florence Pendrill
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News Feature |
Apple revival: how science is bringing historic varieties back to life
Exploring the genomes of half-forgotten and heirloom apple varieties could help to ensure the future of the incomparable fruits.
- Christopher Kemp
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News |
Australia’s feral horses need ‘urgent’ control: scientists welcome latest report
Ecologists have praised government recommendations, but some say more concrete action — including a cull — is needed.
- Dyani Lewis
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News |
Reproducibility trial: 246 biologists get different results from same data sets
Wide distribution of findings shows how analytical choices drive conclusions.
- Anil Oza
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Nature Index |
Where is the strongest research focus on the environment?
The alignment of high-quality research to Sustainable Development Goals on climate and conservation varies widely between the world’s regions.
- Simon Baker
- & Bec Crew
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Where I Work |
My quest for hidden treasures in Sri Lanka’s flora
Sri Lankan taxonomist Bhathiya Gopallawa tapped into a network of early-career researchers to unearth a botanic gem in the tropical forest undergrowth.
- Manasee Weerathunga
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Article
| Open AccessOngoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats
The second Global Amphibian Assessment finds that the status of amphibians is continuing to deteriorate globally, driven predominantly by climate change, disease and habitat loss.
- Jennifer A. Luedtke
- , Janice Chanson
- & Simon N. Stuart
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Research Briefing |
Climate change and habitat loss push amphibians closer to extinction
Amphibians are the most vulnerable vertebrates worldwide, with 41% of species threatened with extinction. Habitat loss is the most common threat, and climate change is the main driver of increased extinction risk. Investment in amphibian conservation must be scaled up drastically and urgently to prevent further extinctions and reverse declines.
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News & Views |
Cichlid fish seized an ecological opportunity to diversify
The analysis of fossils in sediment cores from Lake Victoria, Africa, reveals that a group of cichlid fish rapidly diversified as the lake got larger and provided new ecological niches, whereas the other fish there did not diversify.
- Martin J. Genner
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Article
| Open AccessA continuous fish fossil record reveals key insights into adaptive radiation
This study presents a continuous fossil record, extracted from a series of sediment cores, that shows how haplochromine cichlids came to dominate the fish fauna of Lake Victoria in Africa.
- Nare Ngoepe
- , Moritz Muschick
- & Ole Seehausen
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Editorial |
Seize the moment: researchers have a rare opportunity to make progress in protecting global biodiversity
A quiet revolution is taking place to incorporate the costs of biodiversity loss into economic planning. It needs researchers to be engaged.
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Where I Work |
How damaged are coral reefs? I dive to investigate climate change
Marine biologist Long Ying studies how warmer, more-acidic oceans are affecting these ‘trees of the seas’.
- Nic Fleming
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long read: These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
Researchers are testing a controversial strategy to relocate threatened animals whose habitats might not survive climate change.
- Clare Watson
- & Benjamin Thompson
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News & Views |
Measuring the ecological benefits of protected areas
Are protected areas slowing down global biodiversity declines? A global analysis provides evidence that they are, although effects vary across groups of species, and what happens outside protected areas matters, too.
- Ana S. L. Rodrigues
- & Marie-Morgane Rouyer
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News & Views |
The geography of climate governs biodiversity
To explain the interplay of climate, area and isolation that underlies the marked global differences in biodiversity, a switch in focus from geographic space to climatic space offers a way forwards.
- Antonin Machac
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Article |
Protected areas slow declines unevenly across the tetrapod tree of life
An analysis of 2,239 terrestrial vertebrate populations shows that they decline more slowly in protected areas than outside protected areas, but the benefits vary across vertebrate classes and depend on the regional context of the protected area.
- A. Justin Nowakowski
- , James I. Watling
- & Luke O. Frishkoff
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Article
| Open AccessThe geography of climate and the global patterns of species diversity
Nearly 90% of global variation in species richness of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles is shown to be explained by the joint effects of climate and the geographic structure (area and isolation) of climate.
- Marco Túlio P. Coelho
- , Elisa Barreto
- & Catherine H. Graham
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Article |
Weather explains the decline and rise of insect biomass over 34 years
Insect biomass data covering 27 years were reanalysed using sample-specific information on weather conditions during sampling and weather anomalies during the insect life cycle, finding that biomass is driven by complex weather conditions.
- Jörg Müller
- , Torsten Hothorn
- & Annette Menzel
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Article
| Open AccessUniquely preserved gut contents illuminate trilobite palaeophysiology
Fossilized gut contents of an Ordovician trilobite shed light on the feeding habits of one of the most common and well-known extinct arthropods.
- Petr Kraft
- , Valéria Vaškaninová
- & Per E. Ahlberg
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Matters Arising |
Global effects of marine protected areas on food security are unknown
- Daniel Ovando
- , Owen Liu
- & Cody Szuwalski
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News |
World recommits to 2030 plan to save humanity — despite falling short so far
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres proposes US$500-billion annual stimulus package to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Jeff Tollefson
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Global effects of marine protected areas on food security are unknown
- Enric Sala
- , Juan Mayorga
- & Boris Worm
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Article |
Projected decline in European bumblebee populations in the twenty-first century
A quantitative study of past, present and future ecological suitability of Europe for bumblebees finds that for 38–76% of species now considered non-threatened, suitable territory could decrease by at least 30% by 2061–2080.
- Guillaume Ghisbain
- , Wim Thiery
- & Simon Dellicour
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Where I Work |
Protecting peccaries, preserving a people’s knowledge
While working to safeguard habitat for pig-like animals in Argentina, Micaela Camino relies on the region’s Indigenous communities.
- Patricia Maia Noronha
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News |
Colombia considers ban on most research and education using live animals
A bill and a constitutional amendment that seek to extend the rights of animals could jeopardize ecological studies.
- Amanda Heidt
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News |
Legacy of racist US housing policies extends even to bird data
A discriminatory strategy called redlining, which was implemented in the 1930s, has repercussions today for records of urban biodiversity.
- Anil Oza
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Comment |
Four steps to curb ‘ocean roadkill’
There is increasing evidence that ship strikes are a major cause of mortality for whales, sharks and other ocean giants. With the global fleet growing, some simple actions can turn things around.
- Freya C. Womersley
- , Alexandra Loveridge
- & David W. Sims
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Comment |
With the arrival of El Niño, prepare for stronger marine heatwaves
Record-high ocean temperatures, combined with a confluence of extreme climate and weather patterns, are pushing the world into uncharted waters. Researchers must help communities to plan how best to reduce the risks.
- Alistair J. Hobday
- , Michael T. Burrows
- & Thomas Wernberg
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Editorial |
Hypocrisy is threatening the future of the world’s oceans
A few powerful nations are undermining progress towards global ocean sustainability. Scientists can help hold them to account.
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News Feature |
These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
Some of the most threatened animals might not survive in their current habitat because of climate change. Researchers are testing a controversial strategy to relocate them before it’s too late — starting with Australia’s rarest reptile.
- Clare Watson
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Research Highlight |
The right kind of farm helps forest birds prosper
Species in Costa Rica decline on large-scale industrial farms — except species that tend to thrive in degraded habitats.
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Career Column |
How we set our lab on an environmentally sustainable path
Leading a drive to lower your lab’s carbon footprint alongside your PhD research is tough. Start by celebrating small successes, says Caroline Giuglaris.
- Caroline Giuglaris
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News & Views |
Rethinking the effect of marine heatwaves on fish
Marine heatwaves are on the rise. A surprising result from the analysis of data for fish populations in Europe and North America could change ways of thinking about the ecological consequences of such events.
- Mark R. Payne
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Article |
Marine heatwaves are not a dominant driver of change in demersal fishes
Of 248 marine heatwaves between 1993 and 2019 in North American and European seas, the effects on fish biomass were often minimal, and the heatwaves were not consistently associated with tropicalization or deborealization.
- Alexa L. Fredston
- , William W. L. Cheung
- & Malin L. Pinsky
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News & Views |
A drowned future for coastal ecosystems
Tidal marshes, mangroves and coral reefs support the livelihoods of millions of people. Most of these ecosystems will be vulnerable to submergence owing to rapid sea-level rise if global warming exceeds 2 °C above pre-industrial levels.
- Qiang He
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Article
| Open AccessWidespread retreat of coastal habitat is likely at warming levels above 1.5 °C
Without mitigation, relative sea-level rises under current climate change projections will exceed the capacity of coastal habitats such as mangroves and tidal marshes to adjust, leading to instability and profound changes to coastal ecosystems.
- Neil Saintilan
- , Benjamin Horton
- & Glenn Guntenspergen
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Correspondence |
Shark culling at a World Heritage site
- Philippe Borsa
- , Martine Cornaille
- & Bertrand Richer de Forges
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News |
Most rare kākāpō parrots have had their genome sequenced
DNA from more than 100 of the critically endangered birds could help to save the species from extinction.
- Katharine Sanderson
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News & Views |
Corals have algal friends for dinner
Biologists have long sought to understand the factors that enable coral reefs to thrive. A careful analysis of nutrient cycling now points to an unexpected food source that helps to sustain corals during food scarcity.
- Virginia M. Weis
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Article
| Open AccessNative diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions
Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.
- Camille S. Delavaux
- , Thomas W. Crowther
- & Daniel S. Maynard
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Article |
Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity
Protected areas across mega-diverse Southeast Asia are associated with elevated vertebrate biodiversity inside their boundaries and in surrounding areas.
- Jedediah F. Brodie
- , Jayasilan Mohd-Azlan
- & Matthew Scott Luskin
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Article |
Tropical forests are approaching critical temperature thresholds
Ground truthed thermal data from a new NASA satellite combined with experimental warming data from three continents in an empirical model suggests that tropical forests are closer to a high temperature threshold than previously thought.
- Christopher E. Doughty
- , Jenna M. Keany
- & Joshua B. Fisher
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Correspondence |
Biodiversity needs both land sharing and land sparing
- Matthew Selinske
- , Sarah A. Bekessy
- & Georgia E. Garrard
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News & Views |
The great melt will shape unprotected ecosystems
Glaciers should be prioritized in conservation agendas — and soon. Analysis suggests that glaciers could lose around half their area by the century’s end, with uncertain consequences for postglacial ecosystems.
- Nicolas Lecomte
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Article |
Future emergence of new ecosystems caused by glacial retreat
By 2100, the decline of all glaciers outside the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets will produce new terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, posing both challenges and opportunities for conservation.
- J. B. Bosson
- , M. Huss
- & F. Arthaud
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal methane emissions from rivers and streams
A spatially explicit global estimate reveals that land–water connections are important for regulating methane supply to running waters, and that these connections are vulnerable to both climate change and direct human modifications of the land.
- Gerard Rocher-Ros
- , Emily H. Stanley
- & Ryan A. Sponseller
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Article
| Open AccessPersistent equatorial Pacific iron limitation under ENSO forcing
An assessment of variations in phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the tropical Pacific over the past two decades finds that phytoplankton iron limitation is more stable in response to ENSO dynamics than models predict.
- Thomas J. Browning
- , Mak A. Saito
- & Alessandro Tagliabue
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