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MU Researcher’s Study of African Forest Elephants Helps Guide Research Efforts in the U.S.

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2014Natureafrican continent. genotyping, african forest elephants, alfonso alonso, arkansas, biodiversity, black bears, central african, DNA, ecosystems, francisco dallmeier, gabon, genetic samples, jesus maldonado, keystone species, lori eggert, missouri, missouri rivers, movement patterns, oil drilling platforms, research efforts, rob fleischer, scbi, survival, threatened animals, university of groningen, university of missouri, university of oxford, US

Study finds that human occupation of an area may not contribute to population decline of an endangered species

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Conservation of a protected or endangered species requires frequent monitoring and the dynamic techniques biologists utilize to ensure the survival of threatened animals. Often, scientists study biodiversity at all levels—from genes to entire ecosystems. Currently, researchers at the University of Missouri are employing genotyping to study movement patterns of African forest elephants in protected and unprotected regions of Gabon to better understand how human occupation of these areas might affect elephants on the African continent. Genotyping is helping conservation biologists determine the best course of action to ensure biodiversity and the preservation of various species in the U.S. and abroad. (more…)

New Study Finds Extreme Longevity in White Sharks

By Guest PostJanuary 12, 2014Nature, Scienceadvantage of radiocarbon, age, ear bones, fin rays, great white sharks, greg skomal, growth rate, indian ocean, layers of tissue, li ling hamady, lifespan, lisa natanson, longevity, marine organisms, mineralized tissue, nefsc lab, northwestern atlantic ocean, ocean, ocean ecology, oceanographic institution, otoliths, sexual maturity, simon thorrold, southwestern pacific ocean, species, subtropical waters, temperate, time stamp, vertebra layers, vertebrae, whoi, woods hole, world

Great white sharks—top predators throughout the world’s ocean—grow much slower and live significantly longer than previously thought, according to a new study led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

In the first successful radiocarbon age validation study for adult white sharks, researchers analyzed vertebrae from four females and four males from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Age estimates were up to 73 years old for the largest male and 40 years old for the largest female. (more…)

Climate Change Could Negatively Affect Chase Lake Pelican Population

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2014Environment, Natureamerican white pelicans, chase lake, climate change, marsha sovada, milton friend, North America, northern plains, pelecanus erythrorhynchos, pelican chicks, pelican colony, pelican population, pelican population dynamics, usgs

Earlier spring nesting related to climate change could negatively affect the survival of pelican chicks at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, N.D., according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.

USGS scientists found that American white pelicans are migrating north to a large nesting colony at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge about 16 days earlier in the springtime than they did 45 years ago. The earlier migration is likely spurred by warmer spring temperatures on the pelicans’ wintering grounds and along their migration route, but ideal post-hatching weather conditions have not advanced at the nesting colony. Now, vulnerable pelican chicks face a higher risk of encountering life-threatening wet and cold conditions. (more…)

Grünes Licht für das „Blaue Band“

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2014Natureblaue band, das programm, ffh richtlinie, gruenes licht, hochwasserschutz, koalitionsvertrag, nabu, vegetation

Bundesweite Lösung für lebendige Flüsse wird umgesetzt

Lange schon hatte es der NABU gefordert: ein Bundesprogramm „Blaues Band“ für lebendige Flüsse. Nun ist eine wichtige Hürde genommen. Etwas versteckt, im Unterkapitel zum Hochwasserschutz, findet sich im Koalitionsvertrag der neuen Bundesregierung folgende Aussage: „Es wird ein Bundesprogramm ‚Blaues Band‘ aufgelegt, um die Renaturierung von Fließgewässern und Auen zu fördern.“ Das Programm kommt also, und das ist gut so. (more…)

Big is not bad: Scientists call for preservation of large carnivores

By Guest PostJanuary 10, 2014Naturefight climate change, large carnivores, olive baboons, predators in coexistence, risk of extinction, sustainable pasture lands

The world is losing its large carnivores, their ranges are collapsing and many species are at risk of extinction.

“Promoting tolerance and coexistence with large carnivores is a crucial societal challenge that will ultimately determine the fate of Earth’s largest carnivores and all that depends upon them, including humans,” write the co-authors of a review article, in the Jan. 10 issue of Science, about the largest carnivore species on Earth. (more…)

Ancient sharks reared young in prehistoric river-delta nursery

By Guest PostJanuary 9, 2014Nature, Scienceadult bandringa, ancient, ancient sharks, bandringa fossils, bandringa sharks, electroreceptors, fossilized egg, freshwater, hawaii, illinois state museum, journal, lauren sallan, long snouted, marine, mazon creek, mechanoreceptors, michael coates, ohio, paddlefish, paleontologist, Pennsylvania, prehistoric, river delta nursery, river delta system, saltwater shark migration, sawfish, sensory organs, shark migration, shark nurseries, tiger sharks, university of chicago, university of michigan, upper midwest, vertebrate paleontology

ANN ARBOR — Like salmon in reverse, long-snouted Bandringa sharks migrated downstream from freshwater swamps to a tropical coastline to spawn 310 million years ago, leaving behind fossil evidence of one of the earliest known shark nurseries.

That’s the surprising conclusion of University of Michigan paleontologist Lauren Sallan and a University of Chicago colleague, who reanalyzed all known specimens of Bandringa, a bottom-feeding predator that lived in an ancient river delta system that spanned what is today the Upper Midwest. (more…)

Jagd auf Armenische Mufflons stoppen

By Guest PostJanuary 8, 2014Naturearmenische mufflon, bedrohung, jagd, nabu, region sjunik, republik aserbaidschans, stiftung ursula merz, thomas tennhardt

NABU-Wildhüter im Einsatz für die bedrohten Wildschafe

Das Armenische Mufflon soll intensiver geschützt werden – das hat der NABU in einem gemeinsamen Arbeitsplan mit dem Naturschutzministerium der Republik Armenien festgelegt. Ziel ist der verschärfte Kampf gegen den Jagdwahn auf das vom Aussterben bedrohte Wildschaf. Dafür war in der Weihnachtszeit verstärkt eine fünfköpfige Anti-Wilderei-Einheit im Einsatz, die mit Pferden und Geländewagen das Gebiet in der armenischen Region Sjunik – an der Grenze zur autonomen Republik Aserbaidschans, Nachitschewan – auf Wilderer kontrollieren. Die NABU-Wildhüter verhindern außerdem, dass Flächen im Naturschutzgebiet als Weidefläche genutzt werden. (more…)

„Das Geheimnis der Bäume“

By Guest PostJanuary 7, 2014Naturebaeume, baum, das geheimnis, das oekosystem, der regisseur, die reise, francis halle, frankreich, gabun, luc jacquet, nabu international, oscar preistraeger, peru, pflanzenwelt, pinguine, regenwald, schmetterlings heliconius

NABU International verlost Fan-Pakete

Es braucht nur wenige Minuten, um einen Baum zu fällen – aber Hunderte von Jahren, bis ein Regenwald gewachsen ist. Der Film „Das Geheimnis der Bäume“ erzählt die Geschichte vom Wachsen und Gedeihen eines Urwaldes. Der Botaniker Francis Hallé hat viele Jahre damit verbracht, die Geheimnisse der Regenwälder zu erforschen – von einer auf der Höhe der Baumkronen schwebenden Plattform aus. Hallé, dem in der deutschen Synchronisation der Schauspieler Bruno Ganz seine Stimme leiht, stieß dabei auf faszinierende Zusammenhänge zwischen der Tier- und der Pflanzenwelt. (more…)

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