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MU Researcher Works to Save One of the World’s Most Endangered Birds

By Guest PostMarch 26, 2011Nature, Scienceblue feathers, coconut farmers, dylan kesler, impact of predators, kingfisher, lizards, multicolored, planet, pouncing, radio transmitters, South Pacific, tiny island, tropical bird, tuamotu kingfisher

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Tuamotu Kingfisher is a multicolored, tropical bird with bright blue feathers, a dusty orange head, and a bright green back. The entire population of these birds – less than 125 – lives on one tiny island in the south Pacific, and without serious intervention, they will no longer exist. One University of Missouri researcher is trying to stop the birds’ extinction by working with farmers and residents on the island inhabited by the kingfishers.

“If we lose these birds, we lose 50,000 years of uniqueness and evolution,” said Dylan Kesler, assistant professor in fisheries and wildlife at the University of Missouri’s School of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “Because it has lived in isolation for a very long time, it’s unlike any other bird. There is no other bird like this on the planet.” (more…)

Larger Female Hyenas Produce More Offspring

By Guest PostMarch 24, 2011Natureanimal body size, female hyenas, larger female hyenas, reproductive lifespan, reproductive success, spotted hyenas

EAST LANSING, Mich. — When it comes to producing more offspring, larger female hyenas outdo their smaller counterparts. (more…)

Think Globally, but Act Locally When Studying Plants, Animals, Global Warming, Researchers Advise

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2011Environment, Natureagriculture, air pollution, butterfly, camille parmesan, climate, climate change, climate change impacts, effects of climate change, extinctions, global scale, global warming, greenhouse gas, habitat fragmentation, human activities, invasive species, los angeles, mediterranean geraniums, michael singer, multiple factors, natural changes, nobel prize, plants and animals, policy makers, quino checkerspot butterfly, san diego, southern california, species, united states, urban sprawl

AUSTIN, Texas — Global warming is clearly affecting plants and animals, but we should not try to tease apart the specific contribution of greenhouse gas driven climate change to extinctions or declines of species at local scales, biologists from The University of Texas at Austin advise.

Camille Parmesan, Michael C. Singer and their coauthors published their commentary online this week in Nature Climate Change.

“Yes, global warming is happening. Yes, it is caused by human activities. And yes, we’ve clearly shown that species are impacted by global warming on a global scale,” says Parmesan, associate professor of integrative biology. (more…)

Extent and Speed of Lionfish Spread Unprecedented

By Guest PostMarch 15, 2011Environment, Natureatlantic coast, bermuda, caribbean, cayman islands, coast of florida, coastal systems, gulf of mexico, indo west pacific ocean, invasive lionfishes, lionfish, lionfish diets, native species, non native marine fish, pam schofield, species, u s eastern seaboard

*Invasive Marine Fish May Stress Reefs*

Gainesville, Fla. — The rapid spread of lionfishes along the U.S. eastern seaboard, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean is the first documented case of a non-native marine fish establishing a self-sustaining population in the region, according to recent U.S. Geological Survey studies.

“Nothing like this has been seen before in these waters,” said Dr. Pam Schofield, a biologist with the USGS Southeast Ecological Science Center here. “We’ve observed sightings of numerous non-native species, but the extent and speed with which lionfish have spread has been unprecedented; lionfishes pretty much blanketed the Caribbean in three short years.” (more…)

Researchers Discover New Wintering Grounds for Humpback Whales Using Sound

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2011Naturebreeding ground, commercial whaling practices, humpback whale, singing mammals, whale season, wintering grounds

Researchers at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), an organized research unit in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology have made a remarkable new discovery. (more…)

She Flies On . . . and On . . . and On

By Guest PostMarch 8, 2011Natureadult albatross, bird banding, breeding life, laysan albatross, migratory game birds, oldest wild bird, seafaring legends

Oldest known wild bird in U.S. returns to Midway to raise chick

MIDWAY ATOLL — The oldest known U.S. wild bird – a coyly conservative 60 — is a new mother. (more…)

Bios for the Birds: USGS-Raised Whooping Crane Chicks Leave the Nest

By Guest PostFebruary 25, 20111 commentNaturebios for birds, louisianans, usgs, whoopers in captivity, whoopers in wild, whooping crane, whooping crane project

LAUREL, Md. — Imagine spending your time feeding, nurturing, and teaching the daily tasks of survival to a baby who could never know your true identity. (more…)

How Nature’s Patterns Form

By Guest PostFebruary 23, 2011Naturefibonacci patterns, flower arrangements, patterns in nature, sand ripples

Alan Newell, a UA mathematics professor, studies patterns in nature, which he said have features that are universal

When people on airplanes ask Alan Newell what he works on, he tells them “flower arrangements.” (more…)

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