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Categories: Biology: Zoology, Ecology: Invasive Species
Published For this beetle, 'date night' comes every other day
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Life on Earth runs on a 24-hour cycle as the planet turns. Animals and plants have built-in circadian clocks that synchronize metabolism and behavior to this daily cycle. But one beetle is out of sync with the rest of nature. A new study looks at a beetle with a unique, 48-hour cycle.
Published Scientists, farmers and managers work together to avoid the decline of the little bustard, an endangered steppe bird
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The collaboration between scientists, farmers and managers is crucial to improve the protection of the little bustard, an endangered steppe-land bird in Spain due to human activity. The reduction of natural habitats, the increase in irrigation and the urbanization of the land have led to having less surface areas that guarantee the survival of this vulnerable species.
Published Why animals shrink over time explained with new evolution theory
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The new theoretical research proposes that animal size over time depends on two key ecological factors.
Published Rain can spoil a wolf spider's day, too
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that wolf spiders can't signal others or perceive danger from predators as easily on rain-soaked leaves compared to dry ones. Even communicating with would-be mates is harder after it rains.
Published Tiny AI-based bio-loggers revealing the interesting bits of a bird's day
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a bio-logger for seabirds that enables long-term observation of rare behaviors. The bio-logger employs low-power depth sensors and accelerometers to identify rare behavior using a light-weight outlier detection model and records the behavior in a 5-min video. Observations using the bio-loggers on Streaked Shearwaters revealed novel aspects of head-shaking and foraging strategies. This approach will enable a wider range of animal behaviors in various environments to be observed.
Published Surprise discovery: For most animals, sperm quality does not reduce with age
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In humans, male fertility and sperm fitness decline with age, but scientists have made the surprising discovery that this pattern is not consistent in other animals. The team assessed the results of 379 studies which covered a wide range of animals, including mammals, insects, birds, and fish.
Published New technology for conducting deep-sea research on fragile organisms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have successfully demonstrated new technologies that can obtain preserved tissue and high-resolution 3D images within minutes of encountering some of the most fragile animals in the deep ocean.
Published Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fossils of kelp along the Pacific Coast are rare. Until now, the oldest fossil dated from 14 million years ago, leading to the view that today's denizens of the kelp forest -- marine mammals, urchins, sea birds -- coevolved with kelp. A recent amateur discovery pushes back the origin of kelp to 32 million years ago, long before these creatures appeared. A new analysis suggests the first kelp grazers were extinct, hippo-like animals called desmostylians.
Published Are bugs bugging humans or the other way around? Study reveals a few surprises
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has determined key factors that impact biodiversity among spiders and insects in urban areas. The response of specific groups varied significantly, surprising the researchers. The study findings can help urban planners, landscapers, builders and homeowners make choices that increase biodiversity. Dozens of species previously unknown to science came to light through the study.
Published Human activity facilitates invasive plants' colonization in Mediterranean ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some invasive plants can form persistent banks of seeds that remain under the soil for years, and this makes their eradication practically impossible. Over time, this invisible population of large quantities of living, buried plants -- in seed form -- will reoccupy ecosystems and displace the typical flora of the natural environment.
Published Science confirms it: Love leaves a mark on the brain
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The brain produces more of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine when we're longing for or hanging out with our partner, new research suggests. But when we break up, their unique 'chemical imprint' fades away. The study centers around prairie voles, which have the distinction of being among the 3 percent to 5 percent of mammals that form monogamous pair bonds.
Published Oldest known fossilized skin is 21 million years older than previous examples
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a 3D fragment of fossilized skin that is at least 21 million years than previously described skin fossils. The skin, which belonged to an early species of Paleozoic reptile, has a pebbled surface and most closely resembles crocodile skin. It's the oldest example of preserved epidermis, the outermost layer of skin in terrestrial reptiles, birds, and mammals, which was an important evolutionary adaptation in the transition to life on land.
Published A tiny tattoo for a tabby
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed an alternative labeling method called 'bio-tagging', which is a microneedle array system that can safely deliver ink in the form of unique number or letter sequences for the identification of animals, which can be used for pets or livestock. This method may be useful for various applications in animal research and management.
Published Need for speed: How hummingbirds switch mental gears in flight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hummingbirds use two distinct sensory strategies to control their flight, depending on whether they're hovering or in forward motion, according to new research.
Published Red deer populations in Europe: More influenced by humans than by wolves and other predators
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that human hunting and land use have a decisive influence on red deer density in Europe. Red deer density is only reduced when wolves, lynx and bears co-occur at the same site.
Published Study on lamprey embryos sheds light on the evolutionary origin of vertebrate head
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have investigated lamprey embryos using cutting-edge microscopic techniques to reveal interesting insights about vertebrate head evolution, clarifying an unresolved mystery in basic science.
Published A red knot's character is formed in first year of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In any group of red knots, respective individuals exhibit a remarkable array of distinct character types. Birds with an exploratory character are motivated to investigate their environment and readily explore unfamiliar areas. Meanwhile, birds with inactive character types are content to remain in familiar territory. Interestingly, the birds do not appear to hatch with predetermined character types. Their characters are formed later, in the first year of life, as a result of their experiences in the Wadden Sea.
Published A beating biorobotic heart aims to better simulate valves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Combining a biological heart and a silicone robotic pump, researchers created a biorobotic heart that beats like a real one, with a focus on a valve on the left side of the heart. The heart valve simulator can mimic the structure, function, and motion of a healthy or diseased heart, allowing surgeons and researchers to demonstrate various interventions while collecting real-time data.
Published Scientists name the most common tropical tree species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found almost identical patterns of tree diversity across the world's tropical forests. The study of over one million trees across 1,568 locations found that just 2.2% of tree species make up 50% of the total number of trees in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent consists of the same proportion of a few common species and many rare species.
Published Unveiling the reproductive secrets of red-swamp crayfish
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The red-swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is a highly invasive species native to American freshwaters but has also invaded many freshwater ecosystems around the world. Now, researchers conducted a comparative analysis to compare reproductive characteristics of American crayfish with Japanese crayfish. They identified morphological characteristics which can aid in distinguishing the invasive properties of crayfish at the peak of their reproductive form, ultimately assisting in their effective population control.