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Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Ecology: Trees
Published Scientists may have cracked the 'aging process' in species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research shows the relationship between a species' age and its risk of going extinct could be accurately predicted by an ecological model called the 'neutral theory of biodiversity.'
Published Bat 'nightclubs' may be the key to solving the next pandemic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are studying how bats can carry deadly viruses, but not develop symptoms. They found that what happens during swarming behavior -- like social gatherings for bats -- may hold the key to understanding their viral tolerance and translate to human health in fighting off diseases like Ebola and COVID-19.
Published Toxoplasmosis: Evolution of infection machinery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a protein that evolved concurrently with the emergence of cellular compartments crucial for the multiplication of the toxoplasmosis pathogen.
Published Reforestation programs could threaten vast area of tropical grasslands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research reveals the scale of inappropriate reforestation projects across Africa. A new study reveals that an area the size of France is threatened by forest restoration initiatives, such as the AFR100 initiative (African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative), due to inappropriate restoration in the form of tree-planting.
Published Big new idea introduced with the help of tiny plankton
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new model bridges the rules of life at the individual scale and the ecosystem level, which could open new avenues of exploration in ecology, global change biology, and ultimately ecosystem management.
Published Ancient retroviruses played a key role in the evolution of vertebrate brains
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is essential for myelin production in mammals, amphibians, and fish. The gene sequence, which they dubbed 'RetroMyelin,' is likely a result of ancient viral infection, and comparisons of RetroMyelin in mammals, amphibians, and fish suggest that retroviral infection and genome-invasion events occurred separately in each of these groups.
Published A lighthouse in the Gobi desert
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study explores the weight great fossil sites have on our understanding of evolutionary relationships between fossil groups and quantified the power these sites have on our understanding of evolutionary history. Surprisingly, the authors discovered that the wind-swept sand deposits of the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert's extraordinarily diverse and well-preserved fossil lizard record shapes our understanding of their evolutionary history more than any other site on the planet.
Published Scientists are unravelling the secrets of red and grey squirrel competition
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified significant differences between the diversity of gut bacteria in grey squirrels compared to red squirrels which could hold the key to further understanding the ability of grey squirrels to outcompete red squirrels in the UK.
Published Key genes linked to DNA damage and human disease uncovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists unveil 145 genes vital for genome health, and possible strategies to curb progression of human genomic disorders.
Published Tawny owl's pale grey color linked to vital functions ensuring survival in extreme conditions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A recent genetic discovery has revealed that the pale grey plumage of the tawny owl is linked to crucial functions that aid the bird's survival in cold environments. As global temperatures rise, dark brown plumage is likely to become more common in tawny owls living in colder areas.
Published Is the Amazon forest approaching a tipping point?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards partial or total collapse. New research has identified the potential thresholds of these stressors, showing where their combined effects could produce a 'tipping point' -- in which the forest is so fragile that just a small disturbance could cause an abrupt shift in the state of the ecosystem.
Published Interactions between flu subtypes predict epidemic severity more than virus evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shed new light on how viral evolution, population immunity, and the co-circulation of other flu viruses shape seasonal flu epidemics.
Published The hidden rule for flight feathers -- and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists examined hundreds of birds in museum collections and discovered a suite of feather characteristics that all flying birds have in common. These 'rules' provide clues as to how the dinosaur ancestors of modern birds first evolved the ability to fly, and which dinosaurs were capable of flight.
Published Ancient pollen trapped in Greenland ice uncovers changes in Canadian forests over 800 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Greenland ice sheet lies thousands of miles from North America yet holds clues to the distant continent's environmental history. Nearly two miles thick in places, the ice sheet grows as snow drifts from the sky and builds up over time. But snow isn't the only thing carried in by air currents that swirl around the atmosphere, with microscopic pollen grains and pieces of ash mixing with snowfall and preserving records of the past in the ice. A new study examined these pollen grains and identified how eastern Canada's forests grew, retreated, and changed through time.
Published Dinosaurs' success helped by specialized stance and gait, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Dinosaurs' range of locomotion made them incredibly adaptable, researchers have found.
Published Complex tree canopies help forests recover from moderate-severity disturbances
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Extreme events wipe out entire forests, dramatically eliminating complex ecosystems as well as local communities. Researchers have become quite familiar with such attention-grabbing events over the years. They know less, however, about the more common moderate-severity disturbances, such as relatively small fires, ice storms, and outbreaks of pests or pathogens.
Published Microfluidic environments alter microbe behaviors, opening potential for engineering social evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research group explored how the social evolution of microbes can be manipulated by tuning the physical parameters of the environment in which they live.
Published New species of Jurassic pterosaur discovered on the Isle of Skye
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new species of pterosaur from specimens found on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, has been announced.
Published Smells like evolution: Fruit flies reveal surprises in chemical sensing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New study reveals how gene expression shapes the diverse smelling and tasting abilities of different fly species. Most genes are surprisingly stable, but thousands have evolved to create unique olfactory landscapes. Sex differences in sensing are widespread and involve specific cell types in key tissues. The study provides insights into the evolution of sensory systems in general, with potential implications for understanding human olfaction.
Published How food availability could catalyze cultural transmission in wild orangutans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" has been used to describe the source from which our cultural evolution springs. After all, need in times of scarcity has forced humans to continually invent new technologies that have driven the remarkable cumulative culture of our species. But an invention only becomes cultural if it is learned and spread by many individuals. In other words, the invention must be socially transmitted. But what are the forces that drive social transmission?