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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Ecology: Endangered Species
Published Pioneering approach advances study of CTCF protein in transcription biology
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists used the auxin-inducible degron 2 system on CTCF, bringing the novel approach to bear on a fundamental protein.
Published Scientists discover the evolutionary secret behind different animal life cycles
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers uncover for the first time the mechanism that likely explains how embryos form either a larva or a miniature version of the adult.
Published Actin affects the spread of cancer in several ways
(via sciencedaily.com) The transport of molecules along the cell's skeleton plays a role in cancer metastasis, researchers show.
Published Economics trump environment to save big cats, say ecologists
(via sciencedaily.com) Rapid economic growth has pushed rare species of big carnivores to the brink of extinction, but ecologists have suggested our appetite to once again live alongside big cats is increasing.
Published How cells prevent harmful extra DNA copies
(via sciencedaily.com) A protein that prepares DNA for replication also prevents the replication process from running out of control, according to a new study. The work solves a mystery that has long puzzled biologists.
Published Botany: Chloroplast from the father
(via sciencedaily.com) Under cold conditions, not only the mother plant but also the father plant can pass on its chloroplasts to the offspring.
Published Genome editing procedures optimized
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists succeed in boosting the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 and related methods and modifying initially inaccessible DNA sequences. They fine-tuned these tools to enable effective genetic screening for modelling specific gene mutations.
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.
Published Can elephants save the planet?
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers report that elephants play a key role in creating forests which store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of forests in Africa. If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.
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.
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.
Published New genetic disorder that causes susceptibility to opportunistic infections
(via sciencedaily.com) Immunogeneticists have discovered a new genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency and profound susceptibility to opportunistic infections including a life-threatening fungal pneumonia.
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.
Published 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.
Published DNA from domesticated chickens is tainting genomes of wild red junglefowl, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) The red junglefowl -- the wild ancestor of the chicken -- is losing its genetic diversity by interbreeding with domesticated birds, according to a new study.
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.
Published 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.
Published An Old Yellow Enzyme helps algae combat photooxidative stress
(via sciencedaily.com) Old Yellow Enzymes (OYEs) were discovered in the 1930s and have been the subject of much research ever since. This is because these biocatalysts -- coloured yellow by an auxiliary molecule -- are capable of performing reactions that are very valuable for the chemical industry, such as producing drug precursors or fragrances. Even though OYEs are found in many organisms, their natural role for these organisms has hardly been understood so far -- possibly because the research focus has been on their biotechnological application. Researchers have now shown that an OYE of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is vital for this plant microorganism to protect itself from photooxidative stress.
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.
Published New study decodes one of the living world's fastest cell movements
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Heliozoan axopodia are important for their motility. However, the underlying mechanism of their axopodial contraction has remained ambiguous. Recently, researchers have reported that microtubules are simultaneously cleaved at multiple sites, allowing the radiating axopodia in a heliozoan, Raphidocystis contractilis, to disappear almost instantly. They have now identified the gene set and proteins involved in this microtubule disruption. This research can help develop a method to detect water pollution and evaluate the efficacy of new anticancer drugs.