Invading species

The sands of the coastal plain are home to endemic animals and plants – that is, species that are not found anywhere else in the world. Photo: Amir Weinstein, insectour.com Insects – a small world in a big way

Dunes in Danger: Who Will Save the Sand Between the City and the Sea?

Open sandy areas on the coastal plain are shrinking at an alarming rate, and invasive vegetation is changing the landscape. The State of Nature report calls for stopping the change before it's too late
Megan DeAngelis and Kyles Findlay show off two of the Burmese pythons captured as part of the SFWMD-led python eradication program. Credit: Kevin Pavlidis

How science is helping Florida win the war against invasive pythons

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New study reveals data-driven strategies to improve python control and preserve the Everglades' unique ecosystems
The elongated legionnaire (Abu Napha) is the most poisonous and dangerous species in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: Oren Klein

Dizziness, paralysis and the risk of death: the health dangers of puffer fish

Dozens of poisonings have been documented in Mediterranean countries, including Israel. A new international study reveals the extent of the danger and how to protect yourself from the invasive species.
Temperature and wind are considered weather conditions that affect the risk of fires starting, the speed of their spread, and their size in the short term. Photo: pixabay

California is Burning: 3 Fire Damages You Didn't Think About

The fires that have been raging in Los Angeles for weeks are a painful example of the consequences of the climate crisis. The damage will be paid not only by residents, but also by the air, soil and ecosystems in the area.
Geckos reduce their activity to a minimum, and at the same time, their internal organs. Photo: Simon Jamieson

The gecko that eats itself to survive

This invasive species arrived in Israel about a decade ago and has since surprised and disturbed with its impressive abilities – meet the Egyptian walled gecko
The system not only distinguishes between species, but also assists in population management. Photo: pexels

AI against invasive species

Artificial intelligence is mobilizing for the environment and helping to address a critical problem we all know – invasive species of animals that threaten local nature.
"This method does not harm the nesting bird as it continues incubating without knowing that the eggs will not hatch" visualization, Yohai Rotem

Nests against invaders: humane control of species

An Israeli industrial designer has developed a smart nest that prevents the development of minnow eggs without harming the bird - has the solution been found to eradicate the notorious invasive bird?
The bluish acacia is the most common invasive plant in the KKL forests. Photo: pixabay

Defeat the system: the creative ways to eradicate the spread of the bluish system

The bluish acacia, an invasive tree brought to Israel from Australia, is spreading rapidly and threatening the local ecosystems. New research suggests innovative solutions, including biological control using weevils, chemical control, and mechanical methods such as disinfection
Researchers from the Southwest Florida Conservation Society watched a 4.5-foot-long Burmese python swallow a 35-pound moose in Everglades National Park. Credit: Ian Bartoszek/Southwest Florida Conservation Society

A Burmese python swallows a whole stag weighing 35 kg

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Research on giant snakes that infiltrated the wild in Florida: the size of the mouth of the Burmese pythons is larger than expected, allowing them to devour huge prey - with significant consequences for the ecosystem in Florida
A close-up photo of the tube's shell openings. Photography by Ayelet Nir

A snail without limits

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The 'pipe builder' snail was awarded the title of 'environmental engineer', in light of its contribution to the construction of rocky surfaces on the coastline and reducing their rate of weathering in an effective way. It came to the brink of extinction, but researchers from Ben Gurion University succeeded
Damage to migratory species. The illustration was inspired by the article by the artificial intelligence software DALEE.

Endangered migratory species

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According to a UN survey, almost half of the migratory species suffer damage, and about a quarter are in danger of extinction. The most serious situation is that of the migratory fish species, with almost 97% of them in danger due to overfishing
Prof. Bla Galil. Photo credit - M. Mendelssohn

Invasive species: a growing threat to biodiversity in the world and in Israel

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Says Prof. Bela Galil, a senior marine biologist who works as a researcher and curator at the Steinhardt Museum of Nature at Tel Aviv University. In addition, she was one of the three main authors of the chapter on "Effects of Invasions
Different species of foraminifera. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The marine microorganisms that indicate climate change

What makes foraminifera species sensitive to heat?
The Prussian carp. Virgin reproduction with a twist. Courtesy of researchers from the University of Innsbruck, Austria

Female Prussian carp steal sperm from related species

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Invasive species survival experiment. Photo by Doron Barza, Tel Aviv University

Invasive species are able to survive in the sea in very surprising and extreme environmental conditions

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The increase in global trade allows the marine animals to migrate to distant countries to establish themselves and spread as invasive species - when they cause damage to many marine infrastructures and other animals in their new environment.
Photo: mathijs vos – unsplash

The invader who takes over the Mediterranean

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The house sparrow. Photography: Ehud Fest

A sharp decrease in the number of common birds in Israel alongside a dramatic increase in the number of invasive birds

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Indian crow. Photo: shutterstock

Invasive species need a suitable climate and an environment where there are other invasives

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Mina is located in Ashkelon National Park. Photo: Minozig, Wikimedia Commons.

A problem of bird relations

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The Black Sea urchin is one of the most common of the Red Sea urchins, and there we all already know to beware of it. Photo: Quartl, Wikimedia.

Sea urchins from Eilat invade the Mediterranean Sea

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The Australian wild dog, the dingo, is the last of the native carnivores on the continent. Photo: Peripitus / Wikimedia.

Australia's war on invasive species

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Illustration: pixabay.

The seed of disaster

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The fig beetle, an invasive species of giant beetle (about eight to ten centimeters long!) with huge tentacles, which arrived in wood shipments from the Far East and Africa about seventy years ago. Source: Jvertman / Wikimedia.

The Great Invasion

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In the last two years, a new pest has appeared in Israel that threatens to harm eucalyptus trees: the eucalyptus bug. Photo: Yehudit Garinkol via the PikiWiki - Israel free image collection project.

The Australian Stinger

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The sand dune (Heterotheca subaxillaris). Photo: Janet Tarbox / flickr.

The invader who takes over the coastal strip

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The distribution of vegetation in Iron Age Philistine sites. The size of the circles reflects the total number of plant species identified at Iron Age sites. The red color indicates that they appeared only in Philistine sites from the Iron Age. The green color indicates that they only appeared on the sites of non-Philistine peoples from that period. The blue color indicates that both types of vegetation existed on the site at the same time. MAP PRODUCED BY M. FRUMIN USING ARCGIS FOR DESKTOP (ARCMAP 10.1), ESRI

The Philistines brought with them the vine, various spices and the opium poppy

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A dream that became a reality in less than a year. Photos: Google Earth, www.suezcanal.gov

Suez Canal 2.0

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A jellyfish of the type Cnidaria Hydrozoa that is common in the Sea of ​​Japan and which arrived in the Mediterranean Sea in the ballast water of ships. Photo: Haifa University

An invasive jellyfish has arrived from Japan and is threatening the shores of Israel

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They went to the shores of the Mararoa River in New Zealand. From Wikipedia

Mysterious algae is spreading in all water reservoirs in the world

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Roach. From Wikipedia

Fruit-loving pests / Anna Kuchment

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The ocean during the Devonian period. Research into the collapse of marine life on Earth 378 to 375 million years ago suggests that Earth's current ecosystem, suffering from a loss of species diversity, may show a similar fate. Image: Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan.

What causes a mass extinction?

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Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

A border is not just a line on a map

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Cosmic scene with DNA, stars, solvents and atomic circles in oral flow.

Argentinians are taking over the world

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