ecological systems

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 Art of the Fungi - Isolation from air samples by Dr. Naama Lang Yona. Presented at an art exhibition at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Photo: Ohad Harkes.

Like mushrooms after the heat angle

The mysterious world of fungi: how they affect our allergies and epidemics in agriculture, and how all this will change in our warming world
A long-tailed macaque with a plastic cup in Singapore. Almost everywhere there are people, there is also plastic. Photography: Amos Chua

What happens when plastic reaches the forests and what does it have to do with monkeys?

Seeds from the Garden Bank collection. Photo - Hanita Zemach, Director of Agricultural Research - Volcani Institute

Seeds of hope: how will the plant species damaged in the fighting areas in the Negev and the north be restored?

The Israeli Garden Bank focuses on collecting seeds of as many plants as possible that grew in the Western Negev territories and waits for the day when they can return and plant them
Japanese researchers from Nagoya University have revealed new aspects of the interaction between mast plants or mass seeding plants, i.e. plants that spread their seeds at once like Sasa bamboo and field mice. Their research reveals that mouse behavior (which varies between species, and varies according to environmental conditions and seasons) plays a crucial role in seed dispersal and ecosystem health in forests, and challenges existing theories about seed storage and consumption. Credit: Reiko Matsushita

Scientists reveal fascinating connections between mice and a plant that blooms once in a hundred years

Their findings highlight the importance of understanding the needs of both plants and animals to ensure the health of local ecosystems. They also overturn a previously held belief about how mice store