News by Subject Agriculture

A new study led by researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and San Diego State University found that the outcome of the competition between coral and turf algae is determined by the assemblage of microbes at the interface where the contenders meet. The outcome is driven by bacteria that feed on algal-derived biochemicals, a phenomenon termed the Algal Feeding Hypothesis.

In a new study, researchers looked at metabolic markers in the blood of 30 Humboldt penguins nesting in the Punta San Juan Marine Protected Area in Peru. The scientists discovered metabolic differences between penguins nesting in sheltered burrows and those in more exposed areas. Nesting success is critical to the Humboldt penguins' survival as a species.

Some plants are known to possess an innate physiological defense machinery that helps them develop resistance against insects trying to feed on them. However, until now, it was not known exactly how these plants recognize "danger signals" from insects. In a new study, scientists in Japan have uncovered the molecular pathway that helps these plants to sense danger signals and respond to them. These findings could potentially have a myriad of agricultural applications.

Thanks to new genomic data, long-held theories on sex chromosome evolution are now being tested against empirical evidence from nature -- often with surprising results.

In a new study led by University of Maryland researchers, scientists discovered a gene that prevents blood flow to blind cavefish eyes during development. It is the same gene responsible for homocystinuria in humans.

More than 1,000 bottlenose dolphins live in Florida's Indian River Lagoon year-round. Although extensively studied, what they do at nighttime is still a mystery. Using satellite telemetry, scientists provide the first documentation that these dolphins have a larger range that encompasses more habitats than previously thought. They regularly leave the brackish waters of the estuarine system and, not only travel into the ocean, but swim substantial distances -- up to 20 kilometers -- up freshwater rivers, creeks, and canals.