Articles for tag: Adirondacks, conservation biology, Invasive Species, rapid evolution, smallmouth bass

Smallmouth bass underwater with rocks

Evolution Fights Back: Adirondack Smallmouth Bass Adapt to Evade Eradication

April Joy Jovita

In a vivid example of nature adapting to human pressure, invasive smallmouth bass in New York’s Adirondack Mountains have evolved traits that help them resist long-standing removal campaigns. According to a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these fish are now growing faster and reproducing earlier, an evolutionary shift that is ...

Mastodon skeleton, Museum of the Earth

The Extinction That Changed South America: What Mastodons Left Behind

April Joy Jovita

The extinction of mastodons in South America approximately 10,000 years ago continues to affect native forests, as revealed in a groundbreaking study by the University of O’Higgins, Chile. For the first time, scientists have found direct fossil evidence that these extinct elephant relatives played a critical role in seed dispersal, maintaining the biodiversity of large-fruited ...