A new study in the journal Ecology shows that the carcasses of moose killed by wolves enrich the soil in “hot spots” of forest fertility around the kills, causing rapid microbial and fungal growth that provide increased nutrients for plants in the area. The unexpected finding illuminates another contribution large predators make to the ecosystem […]
Tiny leaf beetles that flit among the maple and willow trees in Vermont are providing scientists with some of the clearest evidence yet that environmental factors play a major role in the formation of new species. Vanderbilt University researcher Daniel Funk has been studying this odd group of leaf beetles (which resemble unappetizing caterpillar pellets) […]
