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Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Ecology: Endangered Species
Published Ant mounds are more important for biodiversity than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ant mounds on the heath, in the forest and in your garden are oases for life. The heat and nutrients from ant mounds make them the perfect home for unique plant and animal species, according to new research.
Published Researchers explore techniques to successfully reintroduce captive birds into the wild
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Studies show that some species may require breeding in captivity within the next 200 years to avoid extinction. This reality places heavy importance on the reintroduction practices used to successfully transfer species from captivity to the wild. A new study looks at some of the most popular conservation techniques and identifies which have the highest likelihood of success for the reintroduction of bird species back into the wild.
Published Prehistoric scat reveals 'Waves' of extinction in Colombia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fungal spores found in dung have revealed that large animals went extinct in two 'waves' in the Colombian Andes.
Published Mudskippers could be key to understanding evolution of blinking
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Blinking is crucial for the eye. It's how animals clean their eyes, protect them, and even communicate. But how and why did blinking originate? Researchers have studied the mudskipper, an amphibious fish that spends most of its day on land, to better understand why blinking is a fundamental behavior for life on land.
Published Algae in Swedish lakes provide insights to how complex life on Earth developed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By studying green algae in Swedish lakes, a research team has succeeded in identifying which environmental conditions promote multicellularity. The results give us new clues to the amazing paths of evolution.
Published Colorado's spicy ancient history of chili peppers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Recently identified chili pepper fossils from Boulder and Denver museums challenge millions of years of global tomato evolutionary history. Now, that's some spicy science!
Published 360-million-year-old Irish fossil provides oldest evidence of plant self-defense in wood
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered the oldest evidence of plant self-defense in wood in a 360-million-year-old fossil from south-eastern Ireland. Plants can protect their wood from infection and water loss by forming special structures called 'tyloses'. These prevent bacterial and fungal pathogens from getting into the heartwood of living trees and damaging it. However, it was not previously known how early in the evolution of plants woody species became capable of forming such defenses. Published today in Nature Plants is the oldest evidence of tylosis formation from Late Devonian (360-million-year-old) fossil wood from the Hook Head Peninsula area, Co. Wexford, Ireland.
Published Neuroptera: Greater insect diversity in the Cretaceous period
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An LMU team has studied the biodiversity of larvae from the insect order neuroptera over the past 100 million years.
Published Newly sequenced hornet genomes could help explain invasion success
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The genomes of two hornet species, the European hornet and the Asian hornet (or yellow-legged hornet) have been sequenced.
Published Evolution of two contagious cancers affecting Tasmanian devils underlines unpredictability of disease threat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Evolution of two contagious cancers affecting Tasmanian devils underlines unpredictability of disease threat. Scientists have traced the family trees of two transmissible cancers that affect Tasmanian devils and have pinpointed mutations which may drive growth of deadly diseases.
Published African penguins: Climate refugees from a distant past?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Imagine the view from the western coastline of southern Africa during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) over twenty thousand years ago: in the distance you would see at least fifteen large islands -- the largest 300 square kilometers in area -- swarming with hundreds of millions of marine birds and penguin colonies.
Published Fluorescent blue coumarins in a folk-medicine plant could help us see inside cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants that glow under ultraviolet (UV) light aren't only a figment of science fiction TV and movies. Roots of a traditional medicine plant called the orange climber, or Toddalia asiatica, can fluoresce an ethereal blue hue. And now, researchers have identified two coumarin molecules that could be responsible. These natural coumarins have unique fluorescent properties, and one of the compounds could someday be used for medical imaging.
Published The diversity of present tree species is shaped by climate change in the last 21,000 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new global survey of 1000 forest areas shows how climate change since the peak of the last ice age has had a major impact on the diversity and distribution of tree species we see today. The results can help us predict how ecosystems will react to future changes, thus having an impact on conservation management around the globe.
Published Swimming secrets of prehistoric reptiles unlocked by new study
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The diverse swimming techniques of the ancient reptiles that ruled the Mesozoic seas have been revealed.
Published Less ice, fewer calling seals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For several years, a team of researchers used underwater microphones to listen for seals at the edge of the Antarctic. Their initial findings indicate that sea-ice retreat has had significant effects on the animals' behavior: when the ice disappears, areas normally full of vocalizations become very quiet.
Published How can a pollinating insect be recognized in the fossil record?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Insect pollination is a decisive process for the survival and evolution of angiosperm (flowering) plants and, to a lesser extent, gymnosperms (without visible flower or fruit). There is a growing interest in studies on the origins of the relationship between insects and plants, especially in the current context of the progressive decline of pollinating insects on a global scale and its impact on food production. Pollinating insects can be recognized in the fossil record, although to date, there has been no protocol for their differentiation. Fossil pollinators have been found in both rock and amber deposits, and it is in rock deposits that the first evidence of plant pollination by insects is being studied across the globe. But how can we determine which was a true insect pollinator in the past?
Published Tracking a new path to octopus and squid sensing capabilities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has traced the evolutionary adaptations of octopus and squid sensing capabilities. The researchers describe for the first time the structure of an octopus chemotactile receptor, which octopus arms use for taste-by-touch exploration of the seafloor.
Published Software to untangle genetic factors linked to shared characteristics among different species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a software package to help answer key questions about genetic factors associated with shared characteristics among different species.
Published Study reveals how pollinators cope with plant toxins
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Pollinators such as honeybees produce special enzymes that detoxify defence chemicals produced by plants, new research shows.
Published Wildfires and animal biodiversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires. Many see them as purely destructive forces, disasters that blaze through a landscape, charring everything in their paths. But a new study reminds us that wildfires are also generative forces, spurring biodiversity in their wakes.