Mastodawn

Please also visit my #homepage https://biologe.wordpress.com/
It is, where I use to publish longer, more detailed, edited articles, usually #sciencecommunication, also occasionally short stories, rarer comments.
See for example my #article about the beak use of the #blackwoodpecker.
https://wp.me/p2l6XU-23q
Here I used AI assisted #illustrations to #visualize aspects, important for understanding my text narrative. In other articles, I present my own photography/videos
© #StefanFWirth
Pics
©S.F. Wirth

Lichens indicate airquality and climateconditions. I found the #species below in #Jungfernheide #forest #Berlin. While #Parmelia #sulcata requires light, but is flexible, #Hypotrachyna #afrorevoluta needs warm, nitrogen-poor #environments and clean air. The latter is rareer in #Germany, but spreading eastward based on #globalwarming. D. Masson (2004) found it on #treetrunks and #branches.
©#StefanFWirth
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#Photos
©S.F.Wirth

#Endemic #species are always interesting from different perspectives, e.g. from an #evolutionary and #ecological point of view. This also applies to #skinks of the genus
#Madascincus, being with several known species endemic to #Madagascar.
A. Miralles et al. (2026) described based on #multilocus #phylogenetics and #morphology two #newspecies:
M. #irery and M.
#minotaurus, with restricted distributions to limited areas of Madagascar only.
© this text #StefanFWirth

#Freshwater #lakes,like #Flughafensee #Berlin, play a complex #role in #globalwarming. Their #sediments are important #carbonsinks. However, they also release #CO2/#methane through microorganism activities. Furthermore, #lakeswarmup faster than surrounding air. L. Huang et al.(2024) address this and predict #shifts in #aquaticspecies #distributions and rearrangements of #freshwaterhabitats.
©#StefanFWirth

Photos
©S.F.Wirth

Close #relationships, e.g. cryptic species complexes, can lead to species being almost indistinguishable from one another. However, close relationships can also lead to #distinct #differences, as K. Tomihara et al. (2026) investigated at the molecular genetic level in the sister species of #silkmoths #Bombyx #mori and #Bombyx #mandarina. According to their findings, a conserved #Wnt family #genecluster is of particular importance, being associated with #morphologicaldivergence.
© #StefanFWirth

The #globalwarming effects are particularly impacting #largecities like #Berlin.Due to its many greenspaces,Berlin is at least a bit equipped to handle these effects. Nevertheless, #urbanplanning will be crucial for the #future. J.Friesen & H.Taubenböck (2025)use annual #temperatureprojections, #socioeconomic and #citymorphology data i.a.to predict future climatic threshold-exceedings.
©#StefanFWirth

#Photos
©S.F.Wirth

#Balanomorpha is a clade of #barnacles of the higher taxon#Cirripedia.As adults these #crustaceans are #sessile with a calcareous #shell to fully retract, secreted by the pouch-like, modified carapax. M.Zhang et al. (2023) isolated the #mitochondrialgenome of the invasive species Megabalanus coccopoma,thus establishing it as a #scientificmodel.
©#StefanFWirth

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About the #nuclear #porecomplex (#NPC) #protein #Nup107 regulating broader #neuroendocrine functions in #fly larval #brains. The authors J. Kawadkar et al. (2026) in experiments reduced the Nup107 protein that enables #moleculetransfer between nucleus and cellular cytoplasma in #fruitflies using suitable genetic tools. According to the authors, there is a wider context between the protein and larval #developmentalprocesses based on the #steroidhormone #ecdysone.

How do #animals #aggregate?#Mites can find each other based on #pheromones, while #sight is important for herd-forming #mammals. In #marine #habitats, #hearing plays a major role. D.McAfee et al.(2022) showed that #oyster #larvae react to the #soundscape of a healthy #reef via #statocysts in front of their bodies, thus finding their adult conspecifics for #reefformation. Reef formation can be artificially #stimulated via artificial #soundwaves.
©#StefanFWirth 2026
Ref
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14307

Great #video about #learningbehavior in #hymenopterans, so it's about clever insects. #Intelligence isn't limited to specific animal groups. The kind of intelligence that provides an #evolutionaryadvantage can occur in a wide variety of taxa, for example, in #bumblebees. Using a species of the genus #Bombus (apparently B. hypnorum), the video illustrates the speed of learning in the #queen, who #learns to operate an artificial, flap-like #closure at her #nestentrance.
© this text #StefanFWirth