Wolves likely were domesticated by European hunter–gatherers more than 18,000 years ago and gradually evolved into dogs that became household pets, UCLA life scientists report.
“We found that instead of recent wolves being closest to domestic dogs, ancient European wolves were directly related to them,” said Robert Wayne, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in UCLA’s College of Letters and Science and senior author of the research. “This brings the genetic record into agreement with the archaeological record. Europe is where the oldest dogs are found.” (more…)
ANN ARBOR — When water is scarce, Ecuador laurel trees ramp up their investment in a syrupy treat that sends resident ant defenders into overdrive, protecting the trees from defoliation by leaf-munching pests.
The water-stressed tropical forest trees support the production of more honeydew, a sugary excretion imbibed by the Azteca ants that nest in the laurels’ stem cavities. In return, ant colonies boost their numbers and more vigorously defend the life-sustaining foliage. (more…)
Snail study reveals that stress is bad for memory.
New research on pond snails has revealed that high levels of stress can block memory processes. Researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Calgary trained snails and found that when they were exposed to multiple stressful events they were unable remember what they had learned.
Previous research has shown that stress also affects human ability to remember. This study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that experiencing multiple stressful events simultaneously has a cumulative detrimental effect on memory. (more…)
Die Gewinner des WWF-Wettbewerbs „Wildes Deutschland“ stehen fest: 50 lokale und regionale Naturschutzprojekte von Rügen bis Bayern werden in den nächsten zwei Jahren durch den WWF gefördert. Ziel des Wettbewerbs war es, Ideen für eine Stärkung des „Naturschutzes vor der eigenen Haustür“ zu fördern. Das Spektrum der ausgezeichneten Projekte reicht dabei vom Bau eines Bienenhotels über Nisthilfen für Wanderfalken an Autobahnbrücken bis zur Wisent-Besenderung. Die 50 Gewinner kommen dabei aus 14 verschiedenen Bundesländern und werden in den kommenden zwei Jahren mit bis zu 5000 Euro durch den WWF gefördert. (more…)
Life scientists from UCLA’s College of Letters and Science have discovered fundamental rules of leaf design that underlie plants’ ability to produce leaves that vary enormously in size. In their mathematical design, leaves are the “perfect machines,” said Lawren Sack, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior author of the research.
The UCLA team discovered the mathematical relationships using “allometric analysis,” which looks at how the proportions of parts of an organism change with differences in total size. This approach has been used by scientists since Galileo but had never before been applied to the interior of leaves. (more…)
AUSTIN, Texas — The painful, potentially deadly stings of bark scorpions are nothing more than a slight nuisance to grasshopper mice, which voraciously kill and consume their prey with ease. When stung, the mice briefly lick their paws and move in again for the kill.(more…)
WWF: Fischereiinteressen verhindern Meeresschutzgebiete im Südpolarmeer
Hamburg/Hobart – Die Ausweisung riesiger Meeresschutzgebiete in den eisigen Gewässern der Antarktis ist erneut gescheitert. Die Jahreskonferenz der zuständigen internationalen Kommission zur Erhaltung lebender Meeresressourcen (CCAMLR) im australischen Hobart endete, ohne dass besonders empfindliche und wertvolle Regionen des Südpolarmeers mit seiner Tierwelt dauerhaft unter Naturschutz gestellt wurden. „Es ist eine schwere Enttäuschung. Hier geht es um die letzten weitgehend unberührten Meere des Planeten, der antarktische Ozean ist einzigartig und braucht dauerhaften Schutz. Der Druck durch Fischerei, Schifffahrt und Klimawandel nimmt ständig zu“, kritisiert Bob Zuur, Antarktis-Experte des WWF, die fehlenden Resultate. „Auch der dritte Versuch, hier Meeresschutzgebiete zu errichten, ist an dominierenden Fischereiinteressen gescheitert. Die Unfähigkeit hier Einigung zu erzielen, stellt in Frage, ob die CCAMLR-Kommission ihren vorgeschriebenen Schutzauftrag angemessen ausfüllen kann.“ (more…)
The eyes of Arctic reindeer change colour through the seasons from gold to blue, adapting to extreme changes of light levels in their environment and helping detect predators.(more…)
