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Categories: Ecology: Extinction
Published Specialist and migratory birds at greater risk under climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Following decades of decline, even fewer birds will darken North American skies by the end of the century, according to a new analysis. The study examines the long-term effects of climate change on the abundance and diversity of bird groups across the continent as a whole while accounting for additional factors that put birds at risk.
Published Scientists 'read' the messages in chemical clues left by coral reef inhabitants
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What species live in this coral reef, and are they healthy? Chemical clues emitted by marine organisms might hold that information. But in underwater environments, invisible compounds create a complex 'soup' that is hard for scientists to decipher. Now, researchers have demonstrated a way to extract and identify these indicator compounds in seawater. They found metabolites previously undetected on reefs, including three that may represent different reef organisms.
Published Flapping frequency of birds, insects, bats and whales described by universal equation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A single universal equation can closely approximate the frequency of wingbeats and fin strokes made by birds, insects, bats and whales, despite their different body sizes and wing shapes, researchers report in a new study.
Published Human activity contributed to woolly rhinoceros' extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered sustained hunting by humans prevented the woolly rhinoceros from accessing favourable habitats as Earth warmed following the Last Ice Age.
Published Wire snare removal in protected areas is labor-intensive but effective -- and essential to solving the Southeast Asian snaring crisis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Snaring -- a non-selective method of poaching using wire traps -- is widespread in tropical forests in Southeast Asia. Snaring decimates wildlife populations and has pushed many larger mammals to local or even global extinction. Eleven years of data from ranger patrols in the Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam Saola Nature Reserves in Viet Nam show that intensive removal efforts are labour-intensive and costly but brought snaring down by almost 40 percent and therefore reduced imminent threats to wildlife. Further reductions were difficult to achieve despite continued removal efforts. Snare removal is therefore necessary but by itself not sufficient to save the threatened wildlife diversity in tropical forests, scientists conclude.
Published How sharks survived a major spike in Earth's temperature
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The sharks we know today as the open ocean's top predators evolved from stubby bottom dwellers during a dramatic episode of global warming millions of years ago.
Published New coral disease forecasting system
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has led to a new tool for forecasting coral disease that could help conservationists step in at the right times with key interventions. Ecological forecasts are critical tools for conserving and managing marine ecosystems, but few forecasting systems can account for the wide range of ecological complexities in near-real-time.
Published Musankwa sanyatiensis, a new dinosaur from Zimbabwe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fossils found on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe represent a completely new dinosaur species. This remarkable find, named Musankwa sanyatiensis, marks only the fourth dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe.
Published What makes some plant groups so successful?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers involved in cataloguing the world's plant species are hunting for answers as to what makes some groups of plants so successful. One of their major goals is to predict more accurately which lineages of flowering plants -- some of which are of huge importance to people and to ecosystems -- are at a greater risk from global climate change.
Published Fatal attraction: When endangered species try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sticks and stones aren't enough to thwart biological attraction, but sometimes those are the only tools available to pastoralists trying to prevent wildlife from eloping with their livestock. A new study brings awareness to both the human impacts of these encounters -- ranging from economic loss to death -- and conservation concerns for the wild animals that are often endangered.
Published Some species may tolerate climate change better than expected
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new model reassesses the proportion of terrestrial and marine species threatened with extinction by climate change. While the forecasts of traditional models estimate that the diversity of terrestrial species in tropical areas could decrease by 54% between now and 2041-2060, this model is more moderate, predicting a decrease of 39%. Nevertheless, this proportion remains alarming and confirms the importance of taking urgent measures to mitigate climate change and its impact on biodiversity.
Published Slugs and snails love the city, unlike other animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most native species avoid more urbanized areas of Los Angeles, but slugs and snails may actually prefer these environments, according to a new study.
Published Wild megalopolis: Study shows unexpected pockets of biodiversity pepper Los Angeles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers, in partnership with the city of Los Angeles, have developed the urban association index to help identify how well or poorly individual wildlife species are doing in the city. The researchers found unexpected pockets of biodiversity deep in the city, but they say it will still be a challenge to elevate Los Angeles' overall level of biodiversity.
Published Marine Protected Areas don't line up with core habitats of rare migratory fish, finds new research
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 62% of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated to protect rare migratory fish species are outside of their core habitats, according to a new modeling study.
Published Bringing back an ancient bird
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using ancient DNA extracted from the toe bone of a museum specimen, biologists have sequenced the genome of an extinct, flightless bird called the little bush moa, shedding light into an unknown corner of avian genetic history. The work is the first complete genetic map of the turkey-sized bird whose distant living cousins include the ostrich, emu, and kiwi.
Published Biodiversity in crabs: More than counting species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers compare the shield shapes of crabs and find unexpected differentiation.
Published Sexual parasitism helped anglerfish invade the deep sea during a time of global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfishes are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate. Now, researchers show that sexual parasitism arose during a time of major global warming and rapid transition for anglerfishes from the ocean floor to the deep, open sea.
Published Community science volunteers can set scientific world abuzz with new bumble bee sightings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Community science volunteers -- laypeople with an interest in bees and conservation -- significantly contribute to the scientific knowledge of native bumble bees across Canada and the United States. It's buzz worthy confirmation that community science programs can play an important role in monitoring the changing distributions of bumble bees and more.
Published Regional differences in bird diversity in agroforestry systems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The diversity and ecological functionality of bird communities in tropical agroforestry systems are shaped by the surrounding landscape, in particular the extent and composition of the forest.
Published Improving statistical methods to protect wildlife populations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In human populations, it is relatively easy to calculate demographic trends and make projections of the future if data on basic processes such as births and immigration is known. The data, given by individuals, can be also death and emigration, which subtract. In the wild, on the other hand, understanding the processes that determine wildlife demographic patterns is a highly complex challenge for the scientific community. Although a wide range of methods are now available to estimate births and deaths in wildlife, quantifying emigration and immigration has historically been difficult or impossible in many populations of interest, particularly in the case of threatened species.