Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Protected areas fail to safeguard more than 75% of global insect species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Insects play crucial roles in almost every ecosystem -- they pollinate more than 80% of plants and are a major source of food for thousands of vertebrate species -- but insect populations are collapsing around the globe, and they continue to be overlooked by conservation efforts. Protected areas can safeguard threatened species but only if these threatened species actually live within the areas we protect. A new study found that 76% of insect species are not adequately covered by protected areas.

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

Deer browsing is just one of many factors shaping North American forests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a new study, a research team discovered evidence that browsing by white-tailed deer had relatively little long-term impact on two tree species in a northern forest.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Understanding plants can boost wildland-fire modeling in uncertain future      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new conceptual framework for incorporating the way plants use carbon and water, or plant dynamics, into fine-scale computer models of wildland fire provides a critical first step toward improved global fire forecasting.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

UK's Overseas Territories at ongoing risk from wide range of invasive species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has for the first time predicted which invasive species could pose a future threat to the UK's ecologically unique Overseas Territories.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Environment law fails to protect threatened species in Australia      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Federal environmental laws are failing to mitigate against Australia's extinction crisis, according to new research.

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
Published

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.

Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Avian flu could decimate Australian black swans      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The unique genetics of the Australian black swan leaves the species vulnerable to viral illnesses such as avian flu, new research has revealed.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Evolutionary Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Plague trackers: Researchers cover thousands of years in a quest to understand the elusive origins of the Black Death      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Seeking to better understand more about the origins and movement of bubonic plague, in ancient and contemporary times, researchers have completed a painstaking granular examination of hundreds of modern and ancient genome sequences, creating the largest analysis of its kind.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

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: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees
Published

Climate change presents a mismatch for songbirds' breeding season      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate change presents a mismatch for some breeding songbirds, finds a new study using a decade of nestbox data.

Ecology: Invasive Species Offbeat: Earth and Climate
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Noise from urban environments affects the color of songbirds' beaks      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A study examined the effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, beak color, and growth in the zebra finch. Researchers first tested adult zebra finches on a battery of cognition assays while they were exposed to playbacks of urban noise versus birds tested without noise. Urban noises caused the birds to take longer to learn a novel foraging task and to learn an association-learning task. Urban noise exposure also resulted in treated males to develop less bright beak coloration, and females developed beaks with brighter orange coloration, respectively, than untreated birds. Findings suggest that urban noise exposure may affect morphological traits, such as beak color, which influence social interactions and mate choice.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ethical ancient DNA research must involve descendant communities, say researchers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The analysis of ancient DNA allows scientists to trace human evolution and make important discoveries about modern populations. The data revealed by ancient DNA sampling can be valuable, but the human remains that carry this ancient DNA are often those of the ancestors of modern Indigenous groups, and some communities have expressed concerns about the ethics of sampling by outside parties. A group of scientists make the case for involvement of descendant communities in all aspects of the research process.

Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Landscaping for drought: We're doing it wrong      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Despite recent, torrential rains, most of Southern California remains in a drought. Accordingly, many residents plant trees prized for drought tolerance, but a new study shows that these trees lose this tolerance once they're watered.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

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: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research
Published

Warming oceans have decimated marine parasites -- but that's not a good thing      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Save the ... parasites? Analyzing 140 years of parasite abundance in fish shows dramatic declines, especially in parasites that rely on three or more host species. The decline is linked to warming ocean temperatures. Parasitic species might be in real danger, researchers warn -- and that means not just fewer worms, but losses for the entire ecosystem.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Evolutionary Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Smallpox has plagued humans since ancient Egyptian times, new evidence confirms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Smallpox was once one of humanity's most devastating diseases, but its origin is shrouded in mystery. For years, scientific estimates of when the smallpox virus first emerged have been at odds with historical records. Now, a new study reveals that the virus dates back 2,000 years further than scientists have previously shown, verifying historical sources and confirming for the first time that the disease has plagued human societies since ancient times.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Study reveals average age at conception for men versus women over past 250,000 years      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using a new method based upon comparing DNA mutation rates between parents and offspring, evolutionary biologists have revealed the average age of mothers versus fathers over the past 250,000 years, including the discovery that the age gap is shrinking, with women's average age at conception increasing from 23.2 years to 26.4 years, on average, in the past 5,000 years.

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

Invasive rats transform reef fish behavior      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have discovered for the first time that invasive rats on tropical islands are affecting the territorial behavior of fish on surrounding coral reefs. The new study shows that the presence of invasive black rats on tropical islands is causing changes in the territorial behavior of the jewel damselfish -- a herbivorous species of tropical reef fish that 'farm' algae in the branches of corals.

Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Tweets, news offer insights on invasive insect spread      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows the potential for using Twitter and online news articles to track the timing and location of invasive insect spread in the United States and around the globe. Researchers say these sources are promising for filling in gaps when official data are not widely available.