By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 16 February 2021 A spruce bark beetle (Photo: Erling Jirle) For the first time, a research team led by Lund University in Sweden has mapped out exactly what happens when spruce bark beetles use their sense of smell to find trees and partners to reproduce with. The hope is that the results will lead to better pest control and

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/breakthrough-fight-against-spruce-bark-beetles - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 9 March 2021 A long-tailed tit. Photo: Wikimedia Long life is common among bird parents that get help with childcare. This finding comes from researchers at the universities of Lund and Oxford who reviewed data from more than 9,000 studies. Being a parent can be tough. In general, animals that care for many offspring die youn

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bird-parents-receive-help-live-longer - 2025-03-09

Published 23 March 2021 Photo: Kennet Ruona Many species of bee are threatened by global warming, but not all. The buff-tailed bumblebee is the world’s most common bee and will likely remain that way, as researchers from Lund University have discovered that this species benefits from a warmer climate. Through research into buff-tailed bumblebees collected by amateurs and researchers over a period

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/warmer-climate-making-worlds-most-common-bumblebee-even-more-common - 2025-03-09

Published 25 March 2021 Fruit fly (Photo: Qinyang Li) Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated how the X and Y chromosomes evolve and adapt to each other within a population. The results show that breaking up coevolved sets of sex chromosomes could lead to lower survival rates among the offspring – something that could be of importance in species conservation, for example. The st

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/new-study-sheds-light-how-x-and-y-chromosomes-interact - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 6 April 2021 The presence of predator fish like pike causes bodily changes in fish that fear to be eaten. Photo: Marcel Einig, Pixabay Jerker Vinterstare at Lund University has studied the crucian carp species. In his doctoral thesis, he shows that residues of antidepressant medication in the water can cause changes in fish b

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/fish-behaviour-and-appearance-affected-stress - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 9 April 2021 Coal tit. Photo: Andreas Nord Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered that bird blood produces more heat in winter, when it is colder, than in autumn. The study is published in The FASEB Journal. The secret lies in the energy factories of cells, the mitochondria. Mammals have no mitochondria in t

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/birds-blood-functions-heating-system-winter - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 7 May 2021 Great reed warbler (Photo: niclasahlberg.se) Great reed warblers normally migrate by night during its month-long migration from northern Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa. However, researchers have now discovered that during the few occasions when it continues to fly during daytime, it flies at extremely high altitudes

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/migratory-songbirds-climb-extreme-altitudes-during-daytime - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 18 May 2021 Two male wall lizards of the same species, Podarcis pityusensis. The species is common on the neighbouring islands of Ibiza and Formentera. Photos: Day's Edge Productions A new study may have uncovered why wall lizards have become the most successful reptile in the Mediterranean region. The results reveal how dras

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/new-species-formed-when-mediterranean-dried - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 20 May 2021 Photo: Caroline Isaksson Great tits living in cities are genetically different from great tits in the countryside. This is what researchers have found in a unique study, where they examined populations of great tits in nine large European cities. The researchers compared the city bird genes with the genes of their

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/stressful-life-city-affects-birds-genes - 2025-03-09

Published 4 June 2021 The middle spotted woodpecker has disappeared from Sweden, while the European fire-bellied toad has been reintroduced. (Photos: Wikimedia Commons) Researchers in Lund, Copenhagen and Norwich have shown that harmful mutations present in the DNA play an important – yet neglected – role in the conservation and translocation programs of threatened species. “Many species are threa

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/genomics-informed-decisions-can-help-save-species-extinction - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 1 July 2021 A great snipe in Jämtland, Sweden (Photo: Åke Lindström) Extreme differences in flight altitude between day and night may have been an undetected pattern amongst migratory birds – until now. The observation was made by researchers at Lund University in Sweden in a study of great snipes, where they also measured a

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/astonishing-altitude-changes-marathon-flights-migratory-birds - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 30 July 2021 Claudia Tocco, researcher at Lund University, performing experiments with dung beetles at a light-polluted site in central Johannesburg. Photo: Marcus Byrne For the first time, researchers have been able to prove that city lights limit the ability of nocturnal animals to navigate by natural light in the night sky

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/artificial-light-disrupts-dung-beetles-sense-direction - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 31 August 2021 A red mason bee at its nest. The new study shows that trees could be just as important as flowers for bees' survival. Photo: Melanie Karlsson There is an increasing awareness that pollinating insects need flowers rich in pollen and nectar. A new study shows that trees can be just as important for survival – at

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bees-need-more-trees - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 1 September 2021 Poppen the budgie (Photo: Per Henningsson) How do birds avoid collision when flying in dense foliage and other cramped environments with many obstacles? And what does flying in such complex environments entail for the birds? These were the questions Per Henningsson of Lund University in Sweden pondered before

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/pandemic-restrictions-enabled-unique-bird-study - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 30 September 2021 A spruce bark beetle. Photo: Fredrik Schlyter Researchers have successfully mapped the entire genome of the Eurasian spruce bark beetle. The breakthrough paves the way for new research into bark beetles and better prospects for effective pest control of a species that can destroy more than 100 million cubic

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/entire-genome-common-forest-pest-now-revealed - 2025-03-09

By jan [dot] olsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jan Olsson) - published 5 October 2021 A globe skimmer dragonfly. Photo: Johanna Hedlund Can dragonflies migrate thousands of miles across the Indian Ocean, from India via the Maldives to Africa, and back again? An international research team led by Lund University in Sweden has used models and simulations to find out if the hypothesis could be true

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/study-supports-theory-dragonflies-migrate-across-indian-ocean - 2025-03-09

Published 16 December 2021 The researchers have discovered airborne DNA from bees, moths, beetles, mosquitoes, wasps and flies. Photo: Photorama/Pixabay. Scientists at Lund University have discovered for the first time that it is possible to detect insect DNA in the air. Using air from three sites in Sweden, insect DNA from 85 species could be identified. This offers scope for exploring a whole ne

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/skys-limit-using-airborne-dna-monitor-insect-biodiversity - 2025-03-09

By Johan [dot] Joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 17 March 2022 Black swift (Photo: Zak Pohlen) An international research team led by Lund University in Sweden has managed to study the flight behaviour of the mysterious black swift. They found, among other things, that the black swift rises to extreme heights during a full moon, seemingly catching insects in the m

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/black-swifts-descended-rapidly-during-lunar-eclipse - 2025-03-09

By Johan [dot] Joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 18 March 2022 Stanley Heinze and Anna Runemark. Photo: Johan Joelsson and private. Brain cells that control the behaviour of insects, extreme gene expression in Italian sparrows and how radiotherapy alters the microenvironment in aggressive brain tumours. Three researchers at Lund University have been awarded five-

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/two-researchers-biology-receive-erc-consolidator-grants - 2025-03-09

By johan [dot] joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 24 May 2022 Olivier Van Aken and Essam Darwish. Photo: Johan Joelsson. A 30-year-old genetic mystery has been solved. It has previously been established that touch can trigger stress reactions in plants. However, the molecular models for explaining this process have been quite spartan so far. Now researchers at Lun

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/what-happens-when-plants-have-stress-reactions-touch - 2025-03-09