this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2024
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Biodiversity

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A community about the variety of life on Earth at all levels; including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.

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Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.

Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species. Read more...

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Stick-nest rats are being re-introduced to mainland areas after thriving on an Australian island (www.abc.net.au)
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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A tiny native rodent that was on the brink of extinction on the mainland has bounced back in the most unlikely of places — an island infested with death adders and tiger snakes.

The rat's survival on the South Australian island, which it was introduced to more than three decades ago, has been the result of one of Australia's worst invasive weeds, the African boxthorn.

Co-author of the study, Flinders University associate professor Vera Weisbecker, said invasive weeds were damaging to Australia's biodiversity so it was good news a threatened mammal was thriving in that habitat.

However the researchers cautioned against perceptions that invasive weeds weren't as bad as they seemed.

"We completely agree that it is a damaging weed that needs to be controlled," Ms Kraehe said.

"If it continues to spread, it may displace too much of the native vegetation and lead to a collapse of the island's ecosystem, ultimately affecting the greater stick-nest rats themselves," Dr Hill said.

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Stick-nest rats are massive homebodies, they're fat little rodents and they make good meals for pretty much anything," Ms Kraehe said.

"They don't really like leaving the protection of their nest so they'll basically just eat the house, Hansel and Gretel style."

They live the dream!

Seriously though: great news! And even better that they also control the invasive boxthorn

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago

And they are adorable lil cuties!