Latest news with #EcologyLetters
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What goes ‘bump' in the night is actually helping to ensure humanity's survival
When you're asleep, the world remains awake. Thousands of nocturnal species are crawling, flying, leaping, swimming, and dancing through forests, caves, lakes, parks, and the urban environment. Without seeing them, people may not even know they're there. Even though they're largely unseen, a new research review has found that without the contribution of the world's nocturnal pollinators, humanity would struggle to survive. "We have this idea that all the magic happens during the day, because that's when we're active, and that's when we see bees and butterflies fluttering around flowers," Liam Kendall, a postdoctoral fellow at Sweden's Lund University, said in a statement. Kendall and fellow researcher Charlie Nicholson were the authors of the first-of-its-kind meta-analysis which was published this month in the journal Ecology Letters. Most people know about daytime pollinators, including birds, bees, wasps, and butterflies. They provide critical ecosystem services, working to fertilize flowers that can create fruit and seeds. Without their services, humanity would be in dire straits. One in three bites of the food Americans eat depends on pollinators. Furthermore, nearly 80 percent of global crop plants used to make food and other plant-based products require pollination by animals. For decades, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are largely pollinated during the day or at night. But, less attention has been given to the bats, months, nocturnal butterflies, and fireflies. To understand their role compared to their daytime counterparts, Kendall and Nicholson compiled data from 135 studies, finding that 90 percent of the 139 plant species that were examined in the studies had similar reproductive success, regardless of when the plants were pollinated. "We were definitely surprised by the number of plant species where it didn't matter. We found this really fascinating because it's easy to assume that a specific plant needs a specific pollinator. The analysis actually showed almost the opposite — there's much more flexibility. A different pollinator than expected can contribute enough for a plant species to reproduce," said Kendall. So, why has their impact taken so long to widely recognize? In fact, it hasn't been totally unrecognized. Moths have been called the 'unsung heroes of pollination,' many of which are tied to apple pollination. The white-lined sphinx moth, which is also known as the hummingbird moth, is a crucial pollinator for twilight-blooming flowers, according to Mass Audubon. They are widespread in North America. Plus, hundreds of species of plants rely on U.S. bats, including bananas, mangos, and agave. Kendall theorizes that daytime pollinators are seen by humans as more 'beautiful,' and attract more attention. Furthermore, he hypothesizes that many researchers may have had a certain idea for how pollination for a particular plant may occur. Of course, it is also notable that humans are most active during the daytime. The authors also highlighted that daytime species are better protected than nighttime species. Tackling artificial light at night — or excessive or poorly placed lighting that can interrupt the natural environment — may be one way to help protect them. They also face exposure to pesticides, disease, invasive species, climate change, and habitat loss. Climate change is disrupting the relationship between all pollinators and plants, with rising temperatures affecting when plants flower and potentially getting them out of sync with their pollinators. "Actions are often taken to protect daytime pollinators, such as spraying pesticides at night. There's an oversight there — sure, you're protecting the daytime insects, but you're also, theoretically, harming the nocturnal pollinators. This means we could be doing much more, but we haven't thought enough about it so far, and more research is needed," said Kendall.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
What goes ‘bump' in the night is actually helping to ensure humanity's survival
When you're asleep, the world remains awake. Thousands of nocturnal species are crawling, flying, leaping, swimming, and dancing through forests, caves, lakes, parks, and the urban environment. Without seeing them, people may not even know they're there. Even though they're largely unseen, a new research review has found that without the contribution of the world's nocturnal pollinators, humanity would struggle to survive. "We have this idea that all the magic happens during the day, because that's when we're active, and that's when we see bees and butterflies fluttering around flowers," Liam Kendall, a postdoctoral fellow at Sweden's Lund University, said in a statement. Kendall and fellow researcher Charlie Nicholson were the authors of the first-of-its-kind meta-analysis which was published this month in the journal Ecology Letters. Most people know about daytime pollinators, including birds, bees, wasps, and butterflies. They provide critical ecosystem services, working to fertilize flowers that can create fruit and seeds. Without their services, humanity would be in dire straits. One in three bites of the food Americans eat depends on pollinators. Furthermore, nearly 80 percent of global crop plants used to make food and other plant-based products require pollination by animals. For decades, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are largely pollinated during the day or at night. But, less attention has been given to the bats, months, nocturnal butterflies, and fireflies. To understand their role compared to their daytime counterparts, Kendall and Nicholson compiled data from 135 studies, finding that 90 percent of the 139 plant species that were examined in the studies had similar reproductive success, regardless of when the plants were pollinated. "We were definitely surprised by the number of plant species where it didn't matter. We found this really fascinating because it's easy to assume that a specific plant needs a specific pollinator. The analysis actually showed almost the opposite — there's much more flexibility. A different pollinator than expected can contribute enough for a plant species to reproduce," said Kendall. So, why has their impact taken so long to widely recognize? In fact, it hasn't been totally unrecognized. Moths have been called the 'unsung heroes of pollination,' many of which are tied to apple pollination. The white-lined sphinx moth, which is also known as the hummingbird moth, is a crucial pollinator for twilight-blooming flowers, according to Mass Audubon. They are widespread in North America. Plus, hundreds of species of plants rely on U.S. bats, including bananas, mangos, and agave. Kendall theorizes that daytime pollinators are seen by humans as more 'beautiful,' and attract more attention. Furthermore, he hypothesizes that many researchers may have had a certain idea for how pollination for a particular plant may occur. Of course, it is also notable that humans are most active during the daytime. The authors also highlighted that daytime species are better protected than nighttime species. Tackling artificial light at night — or excessive or poorly placed lighting that can interrupt the natural environment — may be one way to help protect them. They also face exposure to pesticides, disease, invasive species, climate change, and habitat loss. Climate change is disrupting the relationship between all pollinators and plants, with rising temperatures affecting when plants flower and potentially getting them out of sync with their pollinators. "Actions are often taken to protect daytime pollinators, such as spraying pesticides at night. There's an oversight there — sure, you're protecting the daytime insects, but you're also, theoretically, harming the nocturnal pollinators. This means we could be doing much more, but we haven't thought enough about it so far, and more research is needed," said Kendall.
Agriland
30-04-2025
- Health
- Agriland
More ticks carrying Lyme disease bacteria in pheasant areas
New research has revealed that ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in areas where pheasants are released. The research was carried out by the University of Exeter and the UK Health Security Agency, which subsequently published the study titled 'The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk' in the journal Ecology Letters recently. According to Bird Watch Ireland, pheasants are not native to Ireland or the UK, but rather to Asia, where they were imported from and first introduced here as game birds in the 16th century by the Normans. Pheasants Researchers from the University of Exeter have claimed that approximately 47 million pheasants are released into the wild in the UK each year for recreational shooting. To conduct the research, scientists at the university studied ticks in 25 woodland areas in south-west England where pheasants were released and 25 nearby control sites where no pheasants were released. They discovered that Borrelia spp. – the bacteria that causes Lyme disease – was almost 2.5 times more prevalent in ticks in the pheasant-release areas compared to the control areas. Head researcher from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall, Emile Michels said: 'Borrelia bacteria can live in a wide range of hosts, including pheasants, wild birds and mammals and humans. 'Pheasants are known to be competent hosts of Borrelia spp, meaning they have a relatively high likelihood of contracting and retransmitting the bacteria. 'More research is needed, but our findings suggest there may be an increased risk of potential exposure to Borrelia-infected ticks for people, such as gamekeepers, who work in woodlands where pheasants are released in numbers.' According to researchers, the control sites in the study were 1-2km from the pheasant-release sites, so more research would be required to see if Borrelia spp in ticks declines further at greater distances. Researchers tested ticks at different life stages, nymphs and adults, and found that, overall, the proportion containing Borrelia spp was 7.8% in pheasant-release woodlands, and 3.2% where pheasants were not released. University of Exeter professor, Dr. Barbara Tschirren said: 'Our findings are evidence of spillback, where non-native species increase the prevalence of native pathogens. This can be an important route for the emergence of zoonoses (diseases that animals can give to humans).' Head of the Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology team at UKHSA, Dr. Jolyon Medlock also commented on the study: 'While we have observed an increase in the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in ticks, we do not have data on the resulting impact on human health, including evidence of Lyme infection. 'Following these findings, we continue to work with academic partners to better understand what drives Borrelia transmission, including the roles of climate and environmental change.' Lyme disease Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. According to the HSE, it is usually easier to treat if it is diagnosed early. According to the Annual Infectious Disease Report, published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in conjunction with the HSE on April 28, 2025, seven cases of Lyme disease were diagnosed in Ireland last year, up one from the six reported in 2023. The HSE has also indicated that about 5% of ticks in Ireland are thought to carry Lyme disease bacteria. It has urged individuals to remove ticks as soon as possible, explaining that Lyme disease can be prevented if infected ticks are removed within 36 hours of embedding themselves in a person. It published three steps to remove a tick safely, which included: Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible; Slowly pull upwards, taking care not to squeeze or crush the tick – dispose of it carefully; Clean the bite with antiseptic or soap and water.
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
We're Releasing Millions Of Birds. The Ticks Are Thriving.
BURSA, TURKIYE - OCTOBER 07: A pheasant is seen among grasses in Bursa, Turkiye on October 07, 2024. ... More Pheasants are not native to the UK, but millions are released every year for shooting. (Photo by Alper Tuydes/Anadolu via Getty Images) Each summer in the UK, up to 50 million pheasants are released into woods and fields for recreational shooting. At their seasonal peak, the biomass of these birds rivals that of all native UK breeding birds combined — an astonishing ecological intervention repeated year after year. The practice is legal, well-established, and supports rural economies. But new evidence suggests it may also be increasing the prevalence of Borrelia — the bacterial cause of Lyme disease — in local tick populations. The study, published in Ecology Letters, found that ticks from pheasant-release sites were more than twice as likely to carry Borrelia bacteria as those from comparable control woods where pheasants had not been released. The increase was especially pronounced for Borrelia garinii, a bird-adapted genospecies linked to neurological Lyme disease in humans. This result fits into a broader pattern of rising Lyme disease incidence in the UK and across the northern hemisphere. Lyme disease increased in the UK from 2013 to 2021. It's long been known that pheasants can serve as competent reservoirs for Borrelia. A 1998 study showed they could remain infectious for months without obvious symptoms. But until now, it wasn't clear whether that trait translated into real-world effects. The new study moves us one step closer to answering that question. What it does not show — and this distinction is crucial — is whether people are getting sick as a result. The increase in Borrelia prevalence in ticks is biologically meaningful, but its implications for human health remain unproven. Whether Borrelia amplification by pheasants poses a risk to gamekeepers and land managers, or even to the general public through broader ecological diffusion, is still unknown. Even so, the results deserve attention. Wildlife management often aims to maintain populations at levels that support hunting, conservation, or commercial activity. But any large-scale intervention — especially one involving tens of millions of non-native birds — will have knock-on effects. Changing disease ecologies is one of them. Borrelia - pathogenic bacteria (Spirochaetota) responsible for Lyme disease, (Borrelia burgdorferi, ... More Borrelia spielmanii, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii give other variants of Lyme disease). (Photo by: CAVALLINI JAMES/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) This study adds to a growing literature showing that when we manipulate animal populations, we also manipulate the conditions under which pathogens circulate. Most released pheasants don't survive the winter. Fewer than 10% are still alive by spring. But their temporary presence may shift local tick dynamics in lasting ways — especially if they feed adult ticks, amplify infection rates, or alter the composition of host communities in subtle, under-appreciated ways. We are still early in understanding how pheasant releases influence tick populations, infection dynamics, and host communities — and whether those ecological changes ultimately translate into measurable impacts on human disease burden. But the findings are a signal that wildlife policies should be evaluated not only for their economic or ecological aims, but also for their downstream effects on human health. To manage landscapes wisely means taking pathogens into account.
The Guardian
03-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Weatherwatch: Mixed woodlands can help temper weather extremes, study shows
Woodland with lots of different kinds of trees can do a good job of buffering heatwaves and extreme cold. Now a new study demonstrates that increasing the mix of species can help to mitigate climate extremes. Florian Schnabel, from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research in Leipzig, and colleagues measured forest temperatures over a six-year period at the world's largest tree diversity experiment in Xingangshan, in subtropical China. Their results, published in Ecology Letters, show that species-rich plots provided the greatest cooling effect during summer, with cooling more than 4C greater in an experimental plot with 24 species compared with a single-species plot. Diverse plots also maintained more warmth under the tree canopy on cold nights and during winter. The reason for this extra temperature buffering is most likely linked to mixed woodland having a greater canopy density (more leaves per sq metre) and higher structural diversity (a mix of small and large trees). These factors reduce the mixing of air and help to insulate the forest environment from temperature extremes. The results add to the growing list of reasons to move away from tree monocultures and to instead preserve and plant diverse forests, to protect both nature and people from climate extremes.
