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Categories: Ecology: Endangered Species, Energy: Fossil Fuels

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Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

New discovery: Endangered Amami rabbit disperses seeds for non-photosynthetic plant      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Seed dispersal is an essential process for the evolution and ecology of terrestrial plants, making discoveries of uncommon seed dispersal agents particularly interesting. Scientists now reveal that the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) is a major seed dispersal agent for the non-photosynthetic plant Balanophora yuwanensis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known instance of rabbits serving as seed dispersal agents in Asia.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species
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More effective protected areas needed to halt biodiversity loss      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Protected natural areas of the UK are struggling to halt declines in insects and spiders that have occurred over the past 30 years, according to a new study.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Mixture of crops provide ecological benefits for agricultural landscapes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

There are often too few flowering plants in agricultural landscapes, which is one reason for the decline of pollinating insects. Researchers ave now investigated how a mixture of crops of faba beans (broad beans) and wheat affects the number of pollinating insects. They found that areas of mixed crops compared with areas of single crops are visited equally often by foraging bees.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
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Collision risk and habitat loss: Wind turbines in forests impair threatened bat species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In order to meet climate protection goals, renewable energies are booming -- often wind power. More than 30,000 turbines have already been installed on the German mainland so far, and the industry is currently scrambling to locate increasingly rare suitable sites. Thus, forests are coming into focus as potential sites. A scientific team has now demonstrated that wind turbines in forests impair endangered bat species: Common noctules (Nyctalus noctula), a species with a high risk of colliding with rotor blades, are attracted to forest wind turbines if these are located near their roosts. Far from roosts, common noctules avoid the turbines, essentially resulting in a loss of foraging space and thus habitat for this species.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

At least half of Africa's rhinos are now in private hands; New paths for rhino conservation are needed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

African rhino numbers are declining at unsustainable rates in core state-run parks which is why more than half the continent's remaining rhinos are now on private land.

Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Ecosystems
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Low-impact human recreation changes wildlife behavior      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Even without hunting rifles, humans appear to have a strong negative influence on the movement of wildlife. A study of Glacier National Park hiking trails during and after a COVID-19 closure adds evidence to the theory that humans can create a 'landscape of fear' like other apex predators, changing how species use an area simply with their presence. Researchers found that when human hikers were present, 16 out of 22 mammal species, including predators and prey alike, changed where and when they accessed areas. Some completely abandoned places they previously used, others used them less frequently, and some shifted to more nocturnal activities to avoid humans.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Biodiversity safeguards bird communities under a changing climate      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study shows that North American bird communities containing functionally diverse species have changed less under climate change during the past 50 years than functionally simple communities.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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New modelling shows how interrupted flows in Australia's Murray River endanger frogs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Flooding in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin is creating ideal breeding conditions for many native species that have evolved to take advantage of temporary flood conditions. Scientists have now developed virtual models of the Murray River to reveal a crucial link between natural flooding and the extinction risk of endangered southern bell frogs (Litoria raniformis; also known as growling grass frogs). Southern bell frogs are one of Australia's 100 Priority Threatened Species. This endangered frog breeds during spring and summer when water levels increase in their wetlands. However, the natural flooding patterns in Australia's largest river system have been negatively impacted by expansive river regulation that in some years, sees up to 60% of river water extracted for human use.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Circadian clock controls sunflower blooms, optimizing for pollinators      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An internal circadian clock controls the distinctive concentric rings of flowering in sunflowers, maximizing visits from pollinators, a new study from plant biologists shows.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Glassy and reactive: Plants are more dynamic than you think      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Is the inside of a plant cell more like a liquid or a solid? While this may sound like an odd question, new research demonstrates it can be either, depending on how much light you shine on it. Chloroplasts within plant cells constitute an active form of matter that undergoes dramatic phase transitions.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species
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Madagascar mouse lemur retroviruses are diverse and surprisingly similar to ones found in polar bears or domestic sheep      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Madagascar is home to a unique biodiversity with a large number of endemic species, among those many lemur species, including the mouse lemurs. This diversity is also found in their retroviruses. Biologists analyzed the mouse lemur genome and identified viruses of two classes that represent ancient infections of the mouse lemur germline. The viruses now behave similarly to lemur genes and are thus called endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). It was surprising that some of the identified retroviruses are closely related to viruses found in other, very different mammals such as polar bears or domestic sheep. This suggests an intriguing and complex pattern of host switching of retroviruses, much more complex than previously thought.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Toxic toilet paper and long-lasting chemicals found in endangered killer whales      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A chemical used in the production of toilet paper and 'forever chemicals' have been found in the bodies of orcas in B.C. , including the endangered southern resident killer whales. Scientists analyzed tissue samples from six southern resident killer whales and six Bigg's whales stranded along the coast of B.C. from 2006 to 2018, according to a recent study. They discovered that chemical pollutants are prevalent in killer whales, with a chemical often found in toilet paper one of the most prevalent in the samples studied, accounting for 46 per cent of the total pollutants identified.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

New levers for controlling plant biochemistry      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Plant biochemists have discovered a new level of regulation in the biochemical 'machinery' that plants use to convert organic carbon derived from photosynthesis into a range of ring-shaped aromatic molecules. The research suggests new strategies for controlling plant biochemistry for agricultural and industrial applications.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Rice breeding breakthrough to feed billions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team has succeeded in propagating a commercial hybrid rice strain as a clone through seeds with 95 percent efficiency. This could lower the cost of hybrid rice seed, making high-yielding, disease resistant rice strains available to low-income farmers worldwide.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species
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It would take 23 million years for evolution to replace Madagascar's endangered mammals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

90% of the plants and animals on Madagascar are found nowhere else on Earth, but this treasure trove of evolution is under serious threat due to habitat loss, over-hunting, and climate change. In this study, researchers examined how long it took Madagascar's unique modern mammal species to emerge and estimated how long it would take for a similarly complex set of new mammal species to evolve in their place if the endangered ones went extinct: 23 million years, far longer than scientists have found for any other island.

Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Molecular mechanism behind nutrient element-induced plant disease resistance discovered      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In one of the few studies to directly investigate the mechanism underlying the effect of essential elements on plant disease resistance, scientists demonstrate that nutrient elements activate immune responses in tomato plants through different defense signaling pathways.

Ecology: Endangered Species Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
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Rodent extinctions in Hispaniola may have been caused by humans      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Hispaniola once had among the highest diversity of rodents in the Caribbean. Today, only one rodent species remains, and its prospects for survival are uncertain. New carbon dates place the blame squarely on humans.

Ecology: Endangered Species Paleontology: General
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New discovery of sunscreen-like chemicals in fossil plants reveals UV radiation played a part in mass extinction events      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has uncovered that pollen preserved in 250 million year old rocks contain compounds that function like sunscreen, these are produced by plants to protect them from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. The findings suggests that a pulse of UV-B played an important part in the end Permian mass extinction event.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
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Cheap, sustainable hydrogen through solar power      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new kind of solar panel has achieved 9% efficiency in converting water into hydrogen and oxygen--mimicking a crucial step in natural photosynthesis. Outdoors, it represents a major leap in the technology, nearly 10 times more efficient than solar water-splitting experiments of its kind.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

A step towards solar fuels out of thin air      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemical engineers have invented a solar-powered artificial leaf, built on a novel electrode which is transparent and porous, capable of harvesting water from the air for conversion into hydrogen fuel. The semiconductor-based technology is scalable and easy to prepare.