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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published Australian vulture emerges from fossil record
(via sciencedaily.com) Australia's first fossil vulture has been confirmed more than 100 years after it was first described as an eagle. The discovery highlights the diversity of Australian megafauna and other animals many thousands of years ago in the Pleistocene period.
Published Why corals glow even in the depths of the sea
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study reveals that the phenomenon in deep reefs in which corals display glowing colors (fluorescence) is intended to serve as a mechanism for attracting prey. The study shows that the marine animals on which corals prey recognize the fluorescent colors and are attracted to them.
Published Air samples from Arctic region show how fast Earth is warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers report direct observations of size-resolved ice nucleating particles in the central Arctic, spanning the entire sea ice growth and decline cycle. Their results show a strong seasonality of these particles, with lower concentrations in the winter and spring, and enhanced concentrations during summer melt from local biology.
Published Ozone depletion over North Pole produces weather anomalies
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have established that the destruction of ozone over the Arctic in the spring causes abnormal weather throughout the northern hemisphere, with many places being warmer and drier than average -- or too wet.
Published Birdwatching brings millions of dollars to Alaska
(via sciencedaily.com) New research found that nearly 300,000 birders traveled to the state and spent about $378 million in 2016. Birdwatching supported roughly 4,300 jobs in Alaska that year.
Published Arctic temperatures are increasing four times faster than global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) A new analysis of observed temperatures shows the Arctic is heating up more than four times faster than the rate of global warming. The trend has stepped upward steeply twice in the last 50 years, a finding missed by all but four of 39 climate models.
Published Coevolution of mammals and their lice
(via sciencedaily.com) According to a new study, the first louse to take up residence on a mammalian host likely started out as a parasite of birds. That host-jumping event tens of millions of years ago began the long association between mammals and lice, setting the stage for their coevolution and offering more opportunities for the lice to spread to other mammals.
Published How placentas evolved in mammals
(via sciencedaily.com) The fossil record tells us about ancient life through the preserved remains of body parts like bones, teeth and turtle shells. But how to study the history of soft tissues and organs, which can decay quickly, leaving little evidence behind? In a new study, scientists use gene expression patterns, called transcriptomics, to investigate the ancient origins of one organ: the placenta, which is vital to pregnancy.
Published Thawing permafrost is shaping the global climate
(via sciencedaily.com) How is climate change affecting the permanently frozen soils of the Arctic? What will the consequences be for the global climate, human beings, and ecosystems? And what can be done to stop it?
Published New kangaroo described -- from Papua New Guinea
(via sciencedaily.com) Australian palaeontologists have described a new genus of giant fossil kangaroo from the mountains of central Papua New Guinea. The new description of the fossil kangaroo has found that, rather than being closely related to Australian kangaroos, it most likely belongs to a unique genus of more primitive kangaroo found only in PNG.
Published Genome of voracious desert locust sequenced
(via sciencedaily.com) The first high-quality genome of the desert locust -- those voracious feeders of plague and devastation infamy and the most destructive migratory insect in the world -- has been produced. The genome of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is enormous at just under 9 billion base pairs, nearly three times the size of the human genome. The size of the desert locust's chromosomes is remarkable; compare them to those of the model fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the first insect genome ever assembled. Many of the desert locust's individual chromosomes are larger than the entire fruit fly genome. Next to the fruit fly, it's like an 18-wheeler next to a compact car.
Published Proactive approaches needed to enable ecosystems to adapt to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) As the need to address climate change becomes increasingly urgent so too does the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth's rapidly changing biosphere, according to new research.
Published Melting Arctic ice could transform international shipping routes, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean could yield new trade routes in international waters, reducing the shipping industry's carbon footprint and weakening Russia's control over trade routes through the Arctic, a study found.
Published Mangrove and reef restoration yield positive returns on investment for flood protection, study shows
(via sciencedaily.com) Restoration of mangroves and coral reefs can be a cost-effective solution for coastal flood reduction in more than 20 countries across the Caribbean. Researchers used methods from the risk and insurance industry to provide rigorous valuations of these natural defenses and show that they can deliver a positive return on investment, with the benefits from reduced flood damage exceeding the costs of restoration. The results point toward new opportunities to support restoration efforts with funds from sources that support hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and disaster recovery, including FEMA.
Published Are new corals in Sydney dangerous invaders or harmless refugees?
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has found that invading subtropical corals will survive and thrive in coastal Sydney, which could spell trouble for existing Sydney coral species.
Published Newly documented population of polar bears in Southeast Greenland sheds light on the species' future in a warming Arctic
(via sciencedaily.com) A new population of polar bears documented on the southeast coast of Greenland use glacier ice to survive despite limited access to sea ice. This small, genetically distinct group of polar bears could be important to the future of the species in a warming world.
Published Off-season cattle grazing to help control fire danger from invasive cheatgrass
(via sciencedaily.com) Cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass that has invaded Nevada rangelands, is responsible for much of the increasing wildfire danger in the Intermountain West. However, scientists have discovered that fire danger can be reduced through the application of targeted cattle grazing in the dormant growing season by attracting the cattle with stations containing protein feed supplements.
Published Co-existing mangrove-coral habitats have a new global classification system
(via sciencedaily.com) By coexisting more closely with mangroves, tropical coral species may have found an alternative habitat where they can thrive in the face of climate change.
Published Seagrass meadows are reliable fishing grounds for food
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study in Ocean and Coastal Management shows that seagrass fisheries provide a reliable safety-net for poor, since fishermen perceive those habitats to maintain large fish catches over time. Surprisingly, even more so than coral reef fisheries, which people normally associate with small-scale fishery.
Published A warming climate decreases microbial diversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers conducted an eight-year experiment that found that climate warming played a predominant role in shaping microbial biodiversity, with significant negative effect.