Nature is a vital service provider for agriculture in many ways. Fruit trees and other pollinator-dependent crops are pollinated by wild insects like bumblebees, solitary bees, or flies. Other insects like predatory ladybugs or ground beetles eat pests that would otherwise damage or even destroy... click to read more

In 1859, an English settler named Thomas Austin decided to import 24 rabbits from England to Australia so he could hunt on his property. He could have not been more successful, and by 1910, hundreds of millions of rabbits covered the entire continent. Thomas' success,... click to read more

Considering the wonderful diversity of animal form, function, and behavior, it may come as a surprise that some traits have been repeatedly and independently selected throughout evolution. Monogamy - when male and female reproductive partners form a pair bond and share at least some of... click to read more

An ecosystem is a community of all living organisms in a certain area, including human beings. In the marine ecosystem, for instance, every organism living in the ocean (fish, animal, plant, etc.) has its own role within the community. This balance can be ruined by... click to read more

Future trajectories of global population growth, and the associated demand for vegetable-based oils for biofuels and human consumption make it evident that the expansion of oil palm cultivation will hardly slow down in the next 50 years. It is forecasted that a substantial portion of... click to read more