by Todd Bates Algae in the oceans often steal genes from bacteria to gain beneficial attributes, such as the ability to tolerate stressful environments or break down carbohydrates for food, according to a Rutgers co-authored study. The study of 23 species of brown and golden-brown algae, published in the journal Science Advances, shows for the first time that gene acquisition had …
Inside the Hutcheson Memorial Forest
By Craig Winston Only 15 minutes from campus, you’ll find the oldest laboratory of its kind at Rutgers and perhaps the country, yet many students and the community are probably unaware of its existence. Off Amwell Road in Somerset County stands the Hutcheson Memorial Forest, listed on the National Park Registry of Natural Landmarks, whose 500 acres of forest and …
How Old are Whale Sharks? Nuclear Bomb Legacy Reveals Their Age
Cold War testing radioactivity used to determine longevity of largest fish on Earth Nuclear bomb tests during the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s have helped scientists accurately estimate the age of whale sharks, the biggest fish in the seas, according to a Rutgers-led study. It’s the first time the age of this majestic species has been verified. One …
Oysters and Clams Can be Farmed Together
Rutgers study finds raising multiple species in the same area could benefit shellfish aquaculture Eastern oysters and three species of clams can be farmed together and flourish, potentially boosting profits of shellfish growers, according to a Rutgers University–New Brunswick study. Though diverse groups of species often outperform single-species groups, most bivalve farms in the United States and around the world grow their …
Seeding Research
Three EOAS grants offer the promise of learning and discovery By Craig Winston The coronavirus crisis has brought the country, if not the world, to a halt, but it can’t completely derail research at the Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS). Two of the three projects that received EOAS seed grants for the current academic year are …
#EOAS in the News: Coastal Scientists Prepare to Retreat from Field Station Threatened by Rising Seas
Researchers who study our vulnerable shorelines are moving to higher ground By Jon Hurdle, NJ Spotlight Scientists at a coastal research station that studies how rising sea levels are threatening Shore communities and the environment are preparing to move their work inland to escape worsening flooding and erosion on an isolated peninsula near Tuckerton. The Rutgers University Marine Field Station …
Climate Change Could Threaten Sea Snails in Mid-Atlantic Waters
Common whelk live in one of the fastest-warming marine areas, Rutgers-led study says Climate change could threaten the survival and development of common whelk – a type of sea snail – in the mid-Atlantic region, according to a study led by scientists at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. The common, or waved, whelk (Buccinum undatum) is an important commercial species that has been …
Climate Change is Reshaping Communities of Ocean Organisms
Warm-water species are rapidly increasing and cold-water species are decreasing Climate change is reshaping communities of fish and other sea life, according to a pioneering study on how ocean warming is affecting the mix of species. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, covers species that are important for fisheries and that serve as food for fish, such as copepods …
Striped Maple Trees Often Change Sexes, With Females More Likely to Die
Rutgers study shows how switching sexes could threaten populations Although pollen has covered cars for weeks and allergy sufferers have been sneezing, we think of sex as being the realm of animals. But plant sex can be quite interesting, especially in species that can have male or female flowers. More than 90 percent of flowering plant species combine both sexes …
With Flower Preferences, Bees Have a Big Gap Between the Sexes
Female and male bees of the same species frequent different flowers, Rutgers-led study finds For scores of wild bee species, females and males visit very different flowers for food – a discovery that could be important for conservation efforts, according to Rutgers-led research. Indeed, the diets of female and male bees of the same species could be as different as …