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Categories: Ecology: Animals, Environmental: Wildfires
Published Incubator or barrier? Exploring the links between agriculture, biodiversity and the spread of pathogens
(via sciencedaily.com) Many pathogens, including the virus that causes COVID-19, are thought to have originated in wild animals before spilling into human populations.
Published Almost half of koala habitats will be under high bushfire threat by 2070
(via sciencedaily.com) The research team generated a series of fire susceptibility maps. These show the proportion of Australia experiencing 'high' or 'very high' fire susceptibility increasing from 14.9% now to 15.66% by 2070 -- while fire susceptibility of areas suitable for the plants that koalas depend on is tipped to jump from 39.56% to 44.61% by 2070.
Published Cars, chlamydia and canines are biggest koala killers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A database tracking hospital admissions and deaths reveals the devastating impact cars, disease and dogs are having on the South East Queensland koala population.
Published Clever lapwings use cover to hide in plain sight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ground-nesting birds called lapwings use the shape of their nests and surroundings to hide from predators, new research shows.
Published Vocal learning linked to problem solving skills and brain size
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The better a songbird is at working its way around obstacles to retrieve a snack, the more complex its vocal learning ability will be.
Published Pollination by more than one bee species improves cherry harvest
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source To obtain the biggest cherry harvest, trees should be pollinated by both honey bees and mason bees. This new study shows yet another benefit of biodiversity.
Published Lack of maternal care affects development, microbiome and health of wild bees
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most wild bees are solitary, but one tiny species of carpenter bees fastidiously cares for and raises their offspring, an act that translates into huge benefits to the developing bee's microbiome, development and health, found researchers. Without maternal care the pathogen load of these developing bees ballooned -- 85 per cent of were fungi, while eight per cent were bacteria -- which can impact their microbiome, a critical component of bee health, as well as their development, immune system and gene expression.
Published Some spiders can transfer mercury contamination to land animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Sitting calmly in their webs, many spiders wait for prey to come to them. Arachnids along lakes and rivers eat aquatic insects, such as dragonflies. But, when these insects live in mercury-contaminated waterways, they can pass the metal along to the spiders that feed on them. Now, researchers have demonstrated how some shoreline spiders can move mercury contamination from riverbeds up the food chain to land animals.
Published More Texas owls are testing positive for rat poisons
(via sciencedaily.com) New research suggests that owls in Texas have high rates of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) -- blood thinning rat poisons -- in their systems.
Published Largest historic fire death toll belongs to aftermath of 1923 Japan Earthquake
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fires that raged in the days following the 1 September 1923 magnitude 7.9 Kant earthquake killed roughly 90% of the 105,000 people who perished in and around Tokyo, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in history -- comparable to the number of people killed in the World War II atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The story of the conflagration, not well-known outside of Japan, holds important lessons for earthquake scientists, emergency response teams and city planners, according to a new article.
Published Movement sensors can detect disease in wild boar
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Accelerometers reading the behavior of wild boars can pick up when animals are infected with a fatal virus.
Published Unlocking the genetic code of peppers: New study reveals insights into domestication and diversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Peppers are a versatile, flavorful, and widely popular crop, used not only as a healthy food source but also for their medicinal properties. Scientists have now sequenced the genomes of key cultivated and wild pepper species, offering unprecedented insights into pepper evolution, domestication, and genetic diversity.
Published You say tomato, these scientists say evolutionary mystery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biologists have found evidence for evolutionary 'syndromes'-- sets of traits that occur together -- that help to explain how tomatoes first evolved their distinctive blend of color, sweetness, acidity and aroma. The research not only shines a light on how fruits evolve in the wild, but will also be valuable to crop-improvement efforts aimed at breeding more nutritious and appealing varieties of fruits.
Published Super antifreeze in cells: The ability to survive in ice and snow developed in animals far earlier than we thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source More than 400 million years ago, an insect-like animal called the springtail developed a small protein that prevents its cells from freezing.
Published Lions on the brink -- New analysis reveals the differing threats to African lion populations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New results reveal that many of Africa's remaining lions live within small, fragmented populations at risk of disappearing. The researchers developed a new framework which integrates ecological and socio-political risk factors to better understand the fragility of these populations.
Published 'A crab is never just a crab'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A herring in the North Sea, a crab in the Wadden Sea or an anemone fish on a coral reef, ... biologists like to think in terms of individual species that all have their own place within food webs in ecosystems across the world. 'But that is surely too simplistic thinking,' researchers warn.
Published Jackdaws switch friends to gain food -- but stick with family
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Jackdaws ditch old friends and make new ones if it helps them get rewards -- but stick with family through thick and thin, new research shows.
Published Scientists find evidence of sea star species hybridization
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study presents genomic evidence of hybridization between two closely related species of sea stars -- Asterias rubens, the common starfish, and Asterias forbesi, known as Forbes' sea star.
Published Contours that kill: Geometry influences prey capture in carnivorous pitcher plants
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shown that the shape, size, and geometry of carnivorous pitcher plants determines the type of prey they trap.
Published Echoes of extinctions: Novel method unearths disruptions in mammal trait-environment relationships
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research explores the historical shifts in mammal traits and biodiversity loss in eastern Africa. The study reveals how environmental changes disrupted mammal communities and highlights the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect vulnerable species.