Block plantations like these may look efficient, but research shows that more diverse and randomised tree arrangements boost forest productivity and ecosystem health. A new paper published in Nature ...

Grassland degradation fundamentally reshapes how biodiversity supports ecosystem multifunctionality, shifting it from being plant-dominated to being mediated by soil microbes, according to a new study ...

This Research Topic explores the impact of emerging contaminants – such as microplastics and novel synthetic compounds – on soil ecosystems, with a focus on ...

A research paper just published in Science China Life Sciences reveals how microbes and soil properties respond to drought ...

Ecological restoration is the process of reclaiming habitat and ecosystem functions by restoring the lands and waters on which plants and animals depend. Restoration is a corrective step that involves ...

Every day, new areas of rainforests are converted into plantations, drastically changing tropical biodiversity and the way the ecosystem functions. Yet, the current understanding of the consequences ...

A recent study quantifies the impact of biodiversity loss on ecological functions by tracking energy flows within them. It found that declines in birds and small mammals have led to a significant ...

The team wanted to find out which combinations of native plants could best bring back the land's natural functions. Because these ecosystems are so vast and varied, they built a computer model —which ...

Wildlife biologists used a novel technique to trace the movement of carbon through Arctic and boreal forest food webs and found that climate warming resulted in a shift from plant-based food webs to ...

On a special episode (first released on August 13, 2025) of The Excerpt podcast: 'Freakosystems' are novel ecosystems where native and invasive species mix. What do these wild wonders reveal about the ...