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Invading Species Can Extinguish Native Plants Despite Recent Reports

By Guest PostJanuary 10, 2013Environment, Naturebenjamin gilbert, california, colonization, ecologist, eeb, effect of invasion, eth zurich, extinction dynamics, federal institute, habitat, initial invasion, invaded ecosystem, invading exotic plants, invasive grass, james cornwell, jonathan levine, local extinction, native biodiversity, native habitat, native plants, non native species, pnas, quantitative model, sea of exotics, species, species to extinction, swiss, technology zurich, university of toronto, wild

TORONTO, ON – Ecologists at the University of Toronto and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) have found that, given time, invading exotic plants will likely eliminate native plants growing in the wild despite recent reports to the contrary.

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reports that recent statements that invasive plants are not problematic are often based on incomplete information, with insufficient time having passed to observe the full effect of invasions on native biodiversity. (more…)

Captive Hyenas Outfox Wild Relatives

By Guest PostJanuary 8, 2013Natureanimals in captivity, captive animals, captive hyenas, captive spotted hyenas, problem solving skills, wild spotted hyenas

When it comes to solving puzzles, animals in captivity are, well, different animals than their wild brethren. (more…)

U of T Researchers Uncover Major Source of Evolutionary Differences among Species

By Guest PostJanuary 1, 2013Nature, Sciencealternative splicing, alzheimer, benjamin blencowe, brain, cancer, chicken, chimpanzee, disease, disease susceptibility, frog, fundamental characteristics, fundamental difference, genetic basis, genetic messages, heart, human, human brain, human diseases, identical, liver, mouse, multiple proteins, nuno barbosa morais, set of genes, species, university of toronto, vertebrate, vertebrate evolution

TORONTO, ON – University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine researchers have uncovered a genetic basis for fundamental differences between humans and other vertebrates that could also help explain why humans are susceptible to diseases not found in other species.

Scientists have wondered why vertebrate species, which look and behave very differently from one another, nevertheless share very similar repertoires of genes. For example, despite obvious physical differences, humans and chimpanzees share a nearly identical set of genes. (more…)

Three New Species of Venomous Primate Identified by MU Researcher

By Guest PostDecember 30, 2012Naturebig eyed lorises, bornean slow loris, habitat loss, pet trade, slow loris, threatened species, venomous primate

Research may help protect rare primate from illegal trades

A venomous primate with two tongues would seem safe from the pet trade, but the big-eyed, teddy-bear face of the slow loris (Nycticebus sp.) has made them a target for illegal pet poachers throughout the animal’s range in southeastern Asia and nearby islands. (more…)

Bumblebees do Best Where There is Less Pavement and More Floral Diversity

By Guest PostDecember 28, 2012Environment, Natureaustin, Berkeley, bet hedging strategy, bombus vosnesenskii, bumblebees, california bumblebee, claire kremen, colony, crop yields, floral diversity, global pollinator, honey bees, landscape, native pollinators, natural habitat, pollinator crisis, rapidly urbanizing planet, shalene jha, suburban, texas, university, university of california, urban gardens, wild bees

AUSTIN, Texas — Landscapes with large amounts of paved roads and impervious construction have lower numbers of ground-nesting bumblebees, which are important native pollinators, a study from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley shows.

The study suggests that management strategies that reduce the local use of pavement and increase natural habitat within the landscape could improve nesting opportunities for wild bees and help protect food supplies around the word. (more…)

Piranha Kin Wielded Dental Weaponry Even T. Rex Would Have Admired

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2012Nature, Scienceamazon river, american alligator, american university, ancient relative, anecdotes, armored fish, barracuda, bite, bite force, black piranha, blacktip shark, bull shark, c caracharias, c leucas, c limbatus, cairo, carcharodon megalodon, carnivorous fishes, customized force gage, dunkleosteus terrelli, earth, egypt, extinct mega predators, extinct piranhas, fossilized jaw, george washington university, guillermo orti, hammerhead shark, history, hyperbole, jaw forces, jaw muscles, jorge porto, justin grubich, largest piranha, mega bites, megapiranha paranensis, piranha infested waters, piranha like ability, piranhas, prehistoric, s mokarran, serrasalmus rhombeus, skeleton, soft tissue, stephanie crofts, steve huskey, t rex, teeth, tendons, tyrannosaurus rex, university of washington, western kentucky university, whale eating sharks, white sharks

Taking into consideration its size, an ancient relative of piranhas weighing about 20 pounds delivered a bite with a force more fierce than prehistoric whale-eating sharks, the four-ton ocean-dwelling Dunkleosteus terrelli and – even – Tyrannosaurus rex.

Besides the force of the bite, Megapiranha paranensis appears to have had teeth capable of shearing through soft tissue the way today’s piranhas do, while also being able to pierce thick shells and crack armoring and bones, according to Stephanie Crofts, a University of Washington doctoral student in biology. (more…)

Birdsong Bluster may Dupe Strange Females, But It Won’t Fool Partners

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2012Natureaustralia, bettencourt schueller foundation, birdsong, cheat, energy, evolution, mate, morgan david, most popular finch, patterns, sasha dall, song rate, university of exeter, unknown female, zebra finches

Male birds use their song to dupe females they have just met by pretending they are in excellent physical condition.

Just as some men try to cast themselves in a better light when they approach would-be dates, so male birds in poor condition seek to portray that they are fitter than they really are. But males do not even try to deceive their long-term partners, who are able to establish the true condition of the male by their song.

Researchers at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus studied zebra finches to establish how trustworthy birdsong was in providing honest signals about the male’s value as a mate. Singing is a test of the condition of birds because it uses a lot of energy. Fit and healthy birds are thought to be able to sustain a high song rate for longer, making them more attractive to females. (more…)

Emerging Consensus Shows Climate Change Already Having Major Effects on Ecosystems and Species

By Guest PostDecember 22, 2012Environment, Natureamanda staudt, animal species, arizona state university, atlantic, bark beetles, biodiversity, bird population, bruce stein, carbon, climate change, coastal habitat, diversity of species, ecological systems, ecological tolerance, ecosystems, extinction, food source, gulf of mexico, human caused stressors, marine fish, mary ruckelshaus, michelle staudinger, migrating birds, nancy grimm, natural resource, pacific coast, peter kareiva, plant, pollution, rainfall, risk, shawn carter, stuart chapin, tempe, U.S. Geological Survey, united states, waterborne disease, wildlife

Plant and animal species are shifting their geographic ranges and the timing of their life events – such as flowering, laying eggs or migrating – at faster rates than researchers documented just a few years ago, according to a technical report on biodiversity and ecosystems used as scientific input for the 2013 Third National Climate Assessment.

The report, Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services, synthesizes the scientific understanding of the way climate change is affecting ecosystems, ecosystem services and the diversity of species, as well as what strategies might be used by natural resource practitioners to decrease current and future risks. More than 60 federal, academic and other scientists, including the lead authors from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Wildlife Federation and Arizona State University in Tempe, authored the assessment. (more…)

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