Nature reports

Northern lapwings are easy to spot during the breeding season, with their noisy aerial acrobatics. But as research led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) shows, lapwings that breed virtually next to each other in..

Artificial light at night can have a disruptive effect on bats, but not if the light is red. Switching to red light may therefore limit or prevent habitat loss for rare, light-shy bat species. The latest issue of Proceedings of..

A new article published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution suggests that the best way to prevent loss of biodiversity is by maintaining a species-rich environment. Sounds obvious? Not according to one of the authors of..

An oystercatcher nest is washed away in a storm surge. Australian passerine birds die during a heatwave. A late frost in their breeding area kills off a group of American cliff swallows. Small tragedies that may seem unrelated,..

The breeding grounds of Arctic migratory birds such as the barnacle goose are changing rapidly due to accelerated warming in the polar regions. They won't be able to keep up with the changes unless they can somehow anticipate..

When it comes to their role in aquatic ecosystems, exotic water plants are generally no different than indigenous species. In fact, they can be an asset, argues Bart Grutters of NIOO-KNAW in his PhD thesis. That doesn't mean all..

Now that the first ducklings of the season have hatched, NIOO's own 'Dr Duck' - researcher Erik Kleyheeg - is appealing to citizen scientists in the Netherlands to help him solve a mystery...

Research into biodiversity is crucial if we are tackling the main challenges our society faces: water, food, economy, climate and health. That's why knowledge institutes in the Netherlands - including NIOO - have drafted a new,..

Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal in the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, many farmers rely on this grain for food and feed. But Striga, a parasitic weed, can have a devastating impact on crop yield. With an 8-million-dollar..

‘Relationships’ in the soil become stronger during the process of nature restoration. Although all major groups of soil life are already present in former agricultural soils, they are not really ‘connected’ at first. These..