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Categories: Environmental: Ecosystems, Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published Pioneering study shows climate played crucial role in changing location of ancient coral reefs
(via sciencedaily.com) Prehistoric coral reefs dating back up to 250 million years extended much further away from the Earth's equator than today, new research has revealed.
Published Ningaloo corals are ill-equipped to handle future climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) The relatively pristine coral populations of WA's inshore Kimberley region are better equipped to survive ocean warming than the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park, according to a new study.
Published Studying grassland from space
(via sciencedaily.com) Extensively used grassland is host to a high degree of biodiversity, and performs an important climate protection function as a carbon sink and also serves for fodder and food production. However, these ecosystem services are jeopardized if productivity on these lands is maximized and their use therefore intensified. Researchers have now described how satellite data and machine learning methods enable to assess land-use intensity.
Published One-third of Greenlanders are at genetic risk for high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease
(via sciencedaily.com) A genetic variant that is present in nearly 30% of Greenlanders is linked to high cholesterol and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.
Published The secret lives of Darwin's finches reveal daily commutes the equivalent of 30 soccer fields
(via sciencedaily.com) Using radio transmitters, scientists have gained new insights into the behavior of medium ground finches in the Galapagos Islands. A study reveals daily movement patterns covering an area equivalent to the size of 30 soccer fields.
Published 'Ugly' reef fishes are most in need of conservation support
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What's the relationship between people's perception of beauty and animals' conservation needs? According to a machine-learning study, the reef fishes that people find most beautiful tend to be the lowest priority for conservation support.
Published Scientists find new indicators of Alaska permafrost thawing
(via sciencedaily.com) More areas of year-round unfrozen ground have begun dotting Interior and Northwest Alaska and will continue to increase in extent due to climate change, according to new research.
Published Lessons from the past: How cold-water corals respond to global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Corals react to changes in their environment. This is true for tropical as well as cold-water corals and includes, among others, changes in temperature, salinity and pH values. Researchers have now investigated how warmer temperatures occurring as a result of climate change are affecting cold-water corals. For this purpose, they examined in detail how these corals have reacted to environmental changes over the past 20,000 years.
Published Beyond 'plant trees!': Research finds tree plantations encroaching on essential ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Trees planted in the tropics as part of nations' reforestation commitments can have unintended consequences, sometimes degrading biodiversity hotspots, damaging ecosystems like grasslands, or encroaching on protected areas.
Published Study suggests that most of our evolutionary trees could be wrong
(via sciencedaily.com) New research suggests that determining evolutionary trees of organisms by comparing anatomy rather than gene sequences is misleading. The study shows that we often need to overturn centuries of scholarly work that classified living things according to how they look.
Published At least 2,000 species of reptiles are threatened, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study has found that 21 percent of the reptile species on Earth (one in five species), amounting to a total of about 2,000 species, are threatened with extinction. Experts estimate that there are over 12,000 species of reptiles in the world.
Published Siberian tundra could virtually disappear by mid-millennium
(via sciencedaily.com) Due to global warming, temperatures in the Arctic are climbing rapidly. As a result, the treeline for Siberian larch forests is steadily advancing to the north, gradually supplanting the broad expanses of tundra which are home to a unique mix of flora and fauna. Experts have now prepared a computer simulation of how these woods could spread in the future, at the tundra's expense.
Published Hot-blooded T. rex and cold-blooded Stegosaurus: Chemical clues reveal dinosaur metabolisms
(via sciencedaily.com) Paleontologists have debated whether dinosaurs were warm-blooded, like modern mammals and birds, or cold-blooded, like modern reptiles. In a new paper, scientists are unveiling a new method for studying dinosaurs' metabolic rates, using clues in their bones.
Published First Australians ate giant eggs of huge flightless birds, ancient proteins confirm
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists settle debate surrounding species that laid eggs exploited by early Australian people around 50,000 years ago. Shell proteins point to Genyornis, which was among the 'mega-fauna' to go extinct a few thousand years after humans arrived on the continent.
Published Low-cost gel film can pluck drinking water from desert air
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers developed a low-cost gel film made of abundant materials that can pull drinkable water from the air in even the driest climates.
Published New measurements from Northern Sweden show less methane emissions than feared
(via sciencedaily.com) It is widely understood that thawing permafrost can lead to significant amounts of methane being released. However, new research shows that in some areas, this release of methane could be a tenth of the amount predicted from a thaw. A crucial, yet an open question is how much precipitation the future will bring.
Published Aerodynamic analysis causes a rethink of the biggest pterosaur
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers shed light on the way Quetzalcoatlus would have flown, finding that the dinosaur's flying dynamics were actually very different to how it has been depicted in popular culture.
Published Unlocking the secrets of killer whale diets and their role in climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have discovered new clues to understand how killer whales impact their environment.
Published Satellite monitoring of biodiversity moves within reach
(via sciencedaily.com) Global biodiversity assessments require the collection of data on changes in plant biodiversity on an ongoing basis. Researchers have now shown that plant communities can be reliably monitored using imaging spectroscopy, which in the future will be possible via satellite. This paves the way for near real-time global biodiversity monitoring.
Published Study provides long-term look at ways to control wildfire in sagebrush steppe ecosystem
(via sciencedaily.com) New research provides the first long-term study of methods to control the spread of wildfire in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem that dominates parts of the western United States.