Tag Archives: frank van veen

Study Proves that One Extinction Leads to Another

By Guest PostAugust 15, 2012Natureafrican plains, aphids, carnivore, ecosystem, extinction, food web, frank van veen, insects, parasitic wasps, predatory fish, predatory species, ripple effect, university of exeter

When a carnivore becomes extinct, other predatory species could soon follow, according to new research.

Scientists have previously put forward this theory, but a University of Exeter team has now carried out the first experiment to prove it.

Published today (15 August 2012) in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, the study shows how the demise of one carnivore species can indirectly cause another to become extinct. The University of Exeter team believes any extinction can create a ripple effect across a food web, with far-reaching consequences for many other animals. (more…)

Ants’ Ecosystem Role is ‘Key’

By Guest PostFebruary 4, 2011Natureant workers, ants, black garden ants, collembola, common red ants, density, dirk sanders, diversity, ecosystem engineers, Environment, Europe, food chain, frank van veen, grassland food web, lasius niger, myrmica rubra, nest building activity, nutrients, positive influence, predation, predators, sermany, soil, soil nutrient, uk, university of exeter

Research by the University of Exeter has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment as a result of their activity as ‘ecosystem engineers’ and predators.

The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment. (more…)