Using unsorted sweep-net samples to rapidly assess macroinvertebrate biodiversity

Words: Melissa Carew Freshwater invertebrates are the insects, snails, clams, mites, crustaceans, and worms that inhabit streams, rivers, ponds and wetlands. They play an important role in understanding the health of our freshwater environments. The biodiversity of invertebrates present in freshwaters is routinely used by water managers to assess the ecological condition and feeds into […]

Improving mosquito control strategies with population genomics

Words: Tom Schmidt When researchers want to investigate evolutionary processes like adaptation and dispersal, they frequently make use of population genomic methods. Population genomics uses DNA data from across an organism’s entire genome – that is, across all of that organism’s DNA. This DNA data can be compared with DNA from other organisms, which can […]

Fly infertility shows we’re underestimating how badly climate change harms animals

Belinda van Heerwaarden, The University of Melbourne and Ary Hoffmann, The University of Melbourne Evidence of declining fertility in humans and wildlife is growing. While chemicals in our environment have been identified as a major cause, our new research shows there’s another looming threat to animal fertility: climate change. We know animals can die when […]

Variety is the spice of life… and key to saving wildlife

“This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article.” Dr Andrew Weeks and Professor Ary Hoffmann In the critical battle against extinction, conservationists use a variety of tactics to try to save species. One of the most fundamental tools is maintaining the amount of variation of genetic material (DNA) in a group of […]

Male fertility ‘precariously close’ to climate change extinction limits

The loss of fertility in males as a result of climate change, particularly in the tropics, may be a better predictor of vulnerability to extinction by Dr Belinda van Heerwaarden This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article As temperatures rise across the globe, species will increasingly face environmental conditions beyond their […]

The complexities of predicting climate change effects

This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article. Words: Dr James Camac, Nicholas Bell and Professor Ary Hoffmann We currently face significant challenges to accurately predict the impacts of our changing climate on individual species, as well as their ecosystems. A recent report on the demise of an area of snow gums […]

Graduate researcher life in lockdown(s)

Words and images: Véronique Paris and Christin Manthey Illustraions: Marianne Coquilleau Doing a PhD in science is a challenge in itself. Developing and managing your own project, learning to be a “real” research scientist rather than a student, working on experiments, collecting data, applying for funding … that’s all part of the deal. However, 2020 […]

A self-spreading bacterial infection in an agricultural pest that stops the pest from spreading plant viruses

Words: Ary Hoffmann Banner image: Natasha Wright, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. In Asia, one of the most damaging pests of rise is the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. This pest damages plants directly but more importantly it acts as a vector for damaging plant viruses, including the “rice ragged stunt virus” (RRSV). This […]

Uninvited guests in your groceries

Words, illustraions and photos: Marianne CoquilleauMarianne Coquilleau With spring coming our way, gardens come to life and with it their many inhabitants. It’s no surprise then to find small caterpillars, aphids and other insects while washing your vegetables and fruits, especially if you source your vegetables locally or pesticide-free sources. You might then also notice […]

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