Study: Plant functional diversity varies greatly
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Dec-2025 16:11 ET (20-Dec-2025 21:11 GMT/UTC)
Plant functional diversity is highly dynamic over time and fluctuates considerably. It is influenced by seasonal cycles and wet-dry periods, and varies depending on the region. These are the findings of researchers from Leipzig University, the University of Freiburg, and Aarhus University in Denmark. A research team led by ecologist Daniel Mederer from Leipzig University analysed more than 4,000 satellite images taken at various locations around the world between June 2022 and September 2024. Their study has just been published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment.
Combing through 20 years of images from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft, scientists have tracked 1039 tornado-like whirlwinds to reveal how dust is lifted into the air and swept around Mars’s surface.
Published today in Science Advances, their findings – including that the strongest winds on Mars blow much faster than we thought – give us a much clearer picture of the Red Planet’s weather and climate.
And with these ‘dust devils’ collected into a single public catalogue, this research is just the beginning. Besides pure science, it will be useful for planning future missions, for example incorporating provisions for the irksome dust that settles on the solar panels of our robotic rovers.