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Categories: Biology: Zoology, Environmental: Biodiversity
Published Wildflowers increasingly doing without insect pollinators
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered that flowering plants growing in farmland are increasingly doing without insect pollinators. As reproduction becomes more difficult for them in an environment depleted in pollinating insects, the plants are evolving towards self-fertilization.
Published World's smallest 'fanged' frogs found in Indonesia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a species of frog new to science. The Indonesian amphibian is the size of a quarter, unlike its two-pound cousins, and has tiny fangs. Nearly uniquely among amphibians, they lay their eggs on the leaves of trees, and the males guard and tend to the nests.
Published The evolutionary timeline of diminished boric acid and urea transportation in aquaporin 10
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Aquaporin (Aqp) 10 water channels in humans allow the free passage of water, glycerol, urea, and boric acid across cells. However, Aqp10.2b in pufferfishes allows only the passage of water and glycerol and not urea and boric acid. Researchers sought to understand the evolutionary timeline that resulted in the variable substrate selection mechanisms among Aqp10s. Their results indicate that Aqp10.2 in ray-finned fishes may have reduced or lost urea and boric acid permeabilities through evolution.
Published Fish display distinct individual behaviors when swimming to find food
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fish from the same species can evolve their sense of smell and display individual foraging 'personalities' to successfully find food in different habitats.
Published Study uncovers major hidden human-driven bird extinctions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Humans have wiped out around 1,400 bird species -- twice as many as previously thought -- with major implications for the ongoing biodiversity crisis, a new study has found. The estimated extinctions would mean almost 12 per cent of bird species have died out over modern human history, since the Late Pleistocene around 130,000 years ago, with the vast majority of them becoming extinct directly or indirectly due to human activity.
Published Algae as a surprising meat alternative and source of environmentally friendly protein
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has demonstrate that the ingestion of two of the most commercially available algal species are rich in protein which supports muscle remodeling in young healthy adults. Their findings suggest that algae may be an interesting and sustainable alternative to animal-derived protein with respect to maintaining and building muscle.
Published Global inventory of sound production brings us one step closer to understanding aquatic ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Our understanding of which aquatic species produce sounds just took a big step forward. Scientists have created an inventory of species confirmed or expected to produce sound underwater.
Published New method could help estimate wildlife disease spread
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new method could be used to estimate the prevalence of disease in free-ranging wildlife and help determine how many samples are needed to detect a disease.
Published 15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and changing marine ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. This year, the 15th horizon scan included 31 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers who developed a list of 96 issues, which they eventually narrowed down to the fifteen most novel and impactful. Their findings include topics related to sustainable energy, declining invertebrate populations, and changing marine ecosystems.
Published Ecosystem benefits to humanity expected to decline by 9% by 2100
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study of natural capital finds nature's benefits to humanity are expected to decline as climate change shifts ecosystems across borders.
Published Coral atoll islands may outpace sea-level rise with local ecological restoration, scientists say
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ecological restoration may save coral atoll islands from the rising seas of climate change, according to an international team of scientists, conservationists, and an indigenous leader.
Published Coevolution helps Santa's reindeer feast after flight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study suggests that it's not Rudolph's red nose that helps reindeer find food during snowy Arctic winters, but instead a unique adaptation of their eyes to their favorite food. Reindeer may have developed their unique ability to see in the ultraviolet spectrum so they can more easily spot their primary food, the algae-fungus fusion known as lichens -- which absorb UV -- in the winter landscape. The findings help explain the long-standing scientific mystery as to why reindeer -- including Rudolph and his fellow airborne ungulates from the classic story -- can see in UV.
Published How can Europe restore its nature?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Early 2024, the European Parliament will take a final vote on the 'Nature Restoration Law' (NRL), a globally unique but hotly debated regulation that aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in Europe. An international team of scientists has investigated the prospects of the new regulation.
Published Seals stay warm and hydrated in the Arctic with larger, more convoluted nasal passages
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Arctic seals have evolved many adaptations to cope with their frosty environment -- one that you might not immediately think of is the bones in their nasal cavity. Arctic seals have more convoluted nasal passages than seal species that live in milder environments, and researchers report that these structures help the seals more efficiently retain heat and moisture as they breathe in and out.
Published Move over Blitzen: Geese outpace reindeer impacts on Arctic ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team is studying how expanding populations of two local herbivores -- reindeer and geese -- on Svalbard will impact the future of the ecosystem on the islands.
Published Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology, ancient DNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The high-altitude hero of the Himalayas, yak are among the few large animals that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. In the mountainous regions of Asia, yak and yak-cattle hybrids serve as vital sources of meat, milk, transportation and fuel. However, little is known about their history: when or where yak were domesticated. In a new study, researchers report archaeologically and genetically confirmed evidence for domestic yak, dating back 2,500 years, by far the oldest record.
Published How forests smell -- a risk for the climate?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants emit odors for a variety of reasons, such as to communicate with each other, to deter herbivores or to respond to changing environmental conditions. An interdisciplinary team of researchers carried out a study to investigate how biodiversity influences the emission of these substances. For the first time, they were able to show that species-rich forests emit less of these gases into the atmosphere than monocultures. It was previously assumed that species-rich forests release more emissions. The Leipzig team has now been able to disprove this assumption experimentally.
Published Aquatic insects in restored streams need more rocks to lay their eggs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Likening it to providing more runways at busy airports, researchers at North Carolina State University found in a new study that adding protruding rocks to restored streams can help attract female aquatic insects that lay their eggs on the rock bottoms or sides.
Published Cell types in the eye have ancient evolutionary origins
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a comparative analysis across vertebrates of the many cell types in the retina -- mice alone have 130 types -- researchers concluded that most cell types have an ancient evolutionary history. Their remarkable conservation across species suggests that the retina of the last common ancestor of all mammals, which roamed the earth some 200 million year ago, must have had a complexity rivaling the retina of modern mammals.
Published Twenty-year study confirms California forests are healthier when burned -- or thinned
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A 20-year experiment in the Sierra Nevada confirms that different forest management techniques -- prescribed burning, restoration thinning or a combination of both -- are effective at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire in California. These treatments also improve forest health, making trees more resilient to stressors like drought and bark beetles, and they do not negatively impact plant or wildlife biodiversity within individual tree stands, the research found.