A systematic assessment of 102,847 plant specimens across nine subtropical mountains in Jiangxi, China, identifies four interconnected collection biases and proposes evidence-based strategies to improve sampling equity and conservation effectiveness.

Orangutans seek out plants with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties, new research shows.

A global study of more than 5,100 species of plants and animals challenges long-held assumptions about which species are most threatened by climate change. Almost half the species included in the study went locally extinct at the warmest part of the region where they were previously found.

There is a Chinese saying that east or west, Guilin scenery is the best. Guilin and Chongqing, located in the western part of China, are famous for their many mountains and rivers. Dr.  Yitong Ma from Nantong University, China, collected springtail specimens from the two cities and found five new species. Springtails are the most common arthropods living in the soil - you can find them in your yard, in the flowerpot, or on the lawn. The study is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Insect-eating bats may be helpful consumers of pests of crops including grapevines, orchard fruits, and vegetables, per study following six horseshoe bat colonies in northern Spain

If you’ve noticed more whales visiting local waters, you’re not imagining it: Vancouver’s gargantuan guests are here thanks to the season, great grub and conservation successes, researchers say. But the visiting grey whales tell a different story.

Traditionally farmed landscapes can help produce food while also protecting nature and keeping cultural traditions alive. A research team led by the University of Göttingen examined “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)” as defined and recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The researchers found that these landscapes can offer practical lessons for sustainable land use worldwide — but only if strategies are adapted to local people, environments and farming traditions. The results were published in Ecology & Society.

A pair of $2 million grants was awarded to projects in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment, to support research to improve how military lands are managed for threatened and endangered species by looking at ways to manage the entire ecosystem, rather than devise a specific plan for each species.