The striking colouration on male mandrill's faces is a rare example of structural colouration in mammals
Colour Science

Why are some plants and animals more colourful than others?

Matthew Shawkey of Ghent University paints a colourful picture of the range of colouration techniques created by the natural world, and how these inspire technological advances to create new and exciting materials. This blog is part of our colourful countdown to the holiday season where we’re celebrating the diversity and beauty of the natural world. Click here to read the rest of the colour countdown … Continue reading Why are some plants and animals more colourful than others?

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Hannah White
Behind the paper

Hannah White: Looking at historical climate helps map current ecosystem stability

In this post Dr Hanna White, lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, presents her latest work “Ecosystem stability at the landscape scale is primarily associated with climatic history”. She discusses how biodiversity could not be enough to maintain a stable plant productivity in a changing climate, the importance of ecosystem monitoring and why ecologists are a great community for doing science. About the Paper … Continue reading Hannah White: Looking at historical climate helps map current ecosystem stability

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Colour Science

Convergent optical illusions in colourful creatures

Dakota E. McCoy of Harvard University dazzles us with a tale of showy creatures and the complex world of ultra black colouration. This blog is part of our colourful countdown to the holiday season where we’re celebrating the diversity and beauty of the natural world. Click here to read the rest of the colour countdown series Pop quiz: you are a male bird trying to … Continue reading Convergent optical illusions in colourful creatures

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Mathias Dezetter
Behind the paper

Mathias Dezetter: Physiological responses to increasing temperature combine energy and water balance in a long-lived snake

Mathias Dezetter, PhD student at the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé and the Institut d’Ecologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, discusses with us his recently accepted paper, “Additive effects of developmental acclimation and physiological syndromes on lifetime metabolic and water loss rates of a dry-skinned ectotherm.” About the paper How organisms can adjust their physiology in response to climate warming is a crucial … Continue reading Mathias Dezetter: Physiological responses to increasing temperature combine energy and water balance in a long-lived snake

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Laura (She/her) and Leslie (He/him) are PhD students of the Stuart-Fox lab
Colour Science

When Animals Wear Iridescence

Laura Ospina-Rozo and Leslie Ng both of University of Melbourne decipher the confusing and dazzling world of animal iridescence and how it may not all be as it seems This blog is part of our colourful countdown to the holiday season where we’re celebrating the diversity and beauty of the natural world. Click here to read the rest of the colour countdown series Roses are … Continue reading When Animals Wear Iridescence

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Admiring the beauty of a coral. © Netanel Kramer
Behind the paper

Light-harvesting of mesophotic corals

Netanel Kramer, a Ph­D candidate at Tel-Aviv University, discusses with us his recently accepted paper, “Efficient light-harvesting of mesophotic corals is facilitated by coral optical traits.” About the Paper Corals are light-dependent organisms that take the concept of “solar cells” very literally. Corals rely on a symbiotic relationship with tiny algae residing within their tissues to convert sunlight into energy. Since corals are powered by … Continue reading Light-harvesting of mesophotic corals

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Images of the butterfly scales (left) and damselfly wing wax filaments (right) located in the white wing patch. These images were taken using a scanning electron microscope.
Colour Science

Insect mimicry: more than meets the eye

David Outomuro of University of Pittsburgh delves into the deceptive worlds of insect mimicry and explains why all may not be as it seems This blog is part of our colourful countdown to the holiday season where we’re celebrating the diversity and beauty of the natural world. Click here to read the rest of the colour countdown series Have you ever noticed that bumblebees usually … Continue reading Insect mimicry: more than meets the eye

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Jodi Sedlock and the experimental rice paddy plots at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Philippines. (photo by Nina Ingle)
Behind the paper

Can ultrasonic katydid choruses degrade foraging habitat for wild bats?

Jodi Sedlock, photographer and researcher for our December cover story takes us behind her research and reminds us all that even when plans go out the window, there’s still a silver lining! About the paper The high-pitched buzz of katydid mating calls caught my attention while recording the cries of bats swooping and diving over rice paddies in the Philippines. While other researchers were tracking … Continue reading Can ultrasonic katydid choruses degrade foraging habitat for wild bats?

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Behind the paper

Vianney Denis: Trophic plasticity of corals

Vianney Denis, Associate Professor at National Taiwan University in Taiwan, discusses his recently accepted paper, “Trophic plasticity of mixtrophic corals under contrasting environments.” About the paper To be picky or to not be picky? That is an important question when it comes to corals’ diet. Our paper explored the trophic plasticity of important mixotrophs -organisms able to blend autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition- at the base … Continue reading Vianney Denis: Trophic plasticity of corals

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