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‘Lost’ Bats Found Breeding on Scilly

By Guest PostJune 19, 2011Naturebat detectors, brown long eared bat, fiona mathews, ios bat group, islands, isles of scilly, lost species of bat, mike gurr, monterey pine tree, pipistrelle colony, plecotus auritus, radiotracking, scilly area of outstanding natural beauty, soprano pipistrelles, st mary, the whispering bat, university of exeter, wiltshire bat group, woodland

*A University of Exeter biologist has discovered a ‘lost’ species of bat breeding on the Isles of Scilly.*

*A pregnant female brown long-eared bat is the first of its species to be found on the islands for at least 40 years.*

It was discovered by Dr Fiona Mathews, Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter, a postgraduate student and a team from the Wiltshire Bat Group.

The Scilly Isles Bat Group called in Dr Mathews and her team to help them find out more about bats on the islands. The researchers set up a radiotracking study, with funding from the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to monitor the islands’ bat activity. (more…)

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

By Guest PostJune 18, 2011Nature, Scienceabraham miller rushing, animal pollinated plants, bees, bumblebees, climate change, colorado mountain meadows, david inouye, davis, elk mountains of colorado, flower species, george aldridge, high mountain wildflower season, hummingbirds, jessica forrest, national science foundation, nectar, petals, pollen, pollinators, rocky mountain biological laboratory, rocky mountains, sub alpine meadows, summer wildflower, tucson, university of california, university of maryland, usa national phenology network, wildflowers, william barr

*High-mountain wildflower season reduced, affecting pollinators like bees, hummingbirds*

It’s summer wildflower season in the Rocky Mountains, a time when high-peaks meadows are dotted with riotous color.

But for how long?

Once, wildflower season in montane meadow ecosystems extended throughout the summer months. But now scientists have found a fall-off in wildflowers at mid-season. (more…)

‘Library of Fishes’ to Feature Thousands of Specimens from Remote Locations

By Guest PostJune 9, 2011Naturecollections of fishes, fish archive, library of fishes, marine fishes, taxonomy of fishes

Fish treasure trove opened with funding from the National Science Foundation

The stories they could tell, these fishes that once swam the ocean deep and are now in jars and bottles. (more…)

Mass Extinction Victim Survives! Snail Long Thought Extinct, isn’t?

By Guest PostJune 9, 2011Natureindustrialization, mass extinction, mass extinction victim

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Think “mass extinction” and you probably envision dinosaurs dropping dead in the long-ago past or exotic tropical creatures being wiped out when their rainforest habitats are decimated. But a major mass extinction took place right here in North America in the first half of the 20th century, when 47 species of mollusk disappeared after the watershed in which they lived was dammed. (more…)

Scientists Discover a New Tiger Shark Hunting Technique

By Guest PostJune 8, 2011Naturehunting behavior, hunting technique, swimming patterns, tiger shark, yo yo diving

In a joint research effort between the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), University of Tokyo, the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research, and the University of Florida, scientists have shed new light on the hunting behavior of tiger sharks by studying their swimming dynamics off the west coast of Hawai‘i Island. (more…)

Again, but Faster! The Spectacular Courtship Dance of a Tiny Bird

By Guest PostJune 5, 2011Naturecourtship activity, courtship dance, golden collared manakin, motor coordination, motor performance, tiny bird

A small male bird called a golden-collared manakin performs a difficult, elaborate, physically demanding courtship dance. In new research, life scientists report that female golden-collared manakins select mates based on subtle differences in motor performance during these dances. (more…)

Saving Wildlife with Forensic Genetics

By Guest PostMay 30, 2011Natureforensic genetics techniques, habitat fragmentation, wildlife forensic genetics, wildlife forensics, wildlife habitats

Using forensic genetics techniques, the UA’s Conservation Genetics Lab is working to protect wild animals and catch the criminals in cases of wildlife crime.

Wildlife face many threats with spreading urbanization, including habitat loss and inbreeding when populations become fragmented and isolated. It doesn’t help that there is a billion-dollar international industry dedicated to the illegal trafficking of wild animals or wild animal parts. (more…)

Species Extinction Rates Have Been Overestimated, New Study Claims

By Guest PostMay 29, 2011Natureextinction debt, extinction rates, global extinction crisis, habitat loss, species extinction rates

However, researchers say, global extinction crisis remains very serious

The most widely used methods for calculating species extinction rates are “fundamentally flawed” and overestimate extinction rates by as much as 160 percent, life scientists report May 19 in the journal Nature. (more…)

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