Conversations and revelations about an ailing nation along Interstate 95.

The postdoctoral researcher will work in Dr. Michael Grillo’s plant evolutionary genetics lab. The goal of this research project is to understand the genomic basis of plant-microbiome variation in leg...

The most common destination for eventual Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine since 2000 is the United States, Nature has found.

Background Many species of lichen-forming fungi exhibit large geographical ranges and broad thermal niches, making them excellent models for investigating the genomics of climate adaptation. In this…

Background Bellamya aeruginosa belongs to the family Viviparidae and is widely distributed in freshwater ecosystems in Asia. This species is resilient to thermal stress and can survive in polluted…

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Background Interspecific interactions, including competition and predation, are key drivers of ecological systems. Understanding these interactions remains challenging in the wild as it requires quantifying their effects, particularly the non-consumptive effects (NCEs) driven by predation risk. We conducted a 7-month study in a semi-natural open bat colony, monitoring interactions between Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and black rats (Rattus rattus) competing for food, where rats also pose a potential predation risk to the bats. Results Video analysis revealed that bat responses to rats were fundamentally different from responses to conspecifics. The primary response was avoidance, with bat landings near food decreasing significantly when rats were present. For the 789 landings that did occur, bats showed increased vigilance and reduced foraging success, demonstrating clear NCEs. Crucially, bat foraging strategies were highly context-dependent, shifting with seasonal resource availability and rat abundance. During winter when rats were uncommon, the bats primarily employed predation risk-averse strategies (avoidance and vigilance). In spring, when rats were frequent, although there was clear temporal partitioning between the bat and the rat populations, some of the bats shifted to heterospecific interference competition, and occasionally attacked the rats to gain access to food—a behavior inconsistent with simple risk-aversion models. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the bat-rat interactions are dynamically modulated by resource availability, which alters rat presence and thereby the context-dependent interplay between interference competition and NCEs. This study provides rare quantitative evidence of how behaviorally flexible animals strategically manage interference competition and predation risk based on seasonal ecological conditions.

Biology is hard. Yes, even for AI.

“Maintaining hope doesn’t mean ignoring hardships or naïvely expecting things to work out,” this professor writes

BMC Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery -

ALT: a bald man in a blue shirt is giving a peace sign .

This structure of an archaeal tailed virus (arTV) provides detailed insights into arTV assembly and infection mechanisms.

Inflammation from the respiratory infections seems to be the culprit, study in mice finds.

Background Interspecific interactions, including competition and predation, are key drivers of ecological systems. Understanding these interactions remains challenging in the wild as it requires quantifying their effects, particularly the non-consumptive effects (NCEs) driven by predation risk. We conducted a 7-month study in a semi-natural open bat colony, monitoring interactions between Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and black rats (Rattus rattus) competing for food, where rats also pose a potential predation risk to the bats. Results Video analysis revealed that bat responses to rats were fundamentally different from responses to conspecifics. The primary response was avoidance, with bat landings near food decreasing significantly when rats were present. For the 789 landings that did occur, bats showed increased vigilance and reduced foraging success, demonstrating clear NCEs. Crucially, bat foraging strategies were highly context-dependent, shifting with seasonal resource availability and rat abundance. During winter when rats were uncommon, the bats primarily employed predation risk-averse strategies (avoidance and vigilance). In spring, when rats were frequent, although there was clear temporal partitioning between the bat and the rat populations, some of the bats shifted to heterospecific interference competition, and occasionally attacked the rats to gain access to food—a behavior inconsistent with simple risk-aversion models. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the bat-rat interactions are dynamically modulated by resource availability, which alters rat presence and thereby the context-dependent interplay between interference competition and NCEs. This study provides rare quantitative evidence of how behaviorally flexible animals strategically manage interference competition and predation risk based on seasonal ecological conditions.

Today's guest bloggers share analysis on the relationship between impact and policy during Global Goals Week 2025.