101 posts · 27,911 views
EcoTone is a blog produced by the Ecological Society of America. The blog showcases ecology and ecologists, focusing on ecological science in the news and its use in policy and education. EcoTone welcomes guest submissions and suggestions of timely, relevant news of importance to the broad ecological community. EcoTone is moderated by ESA’s communications officer, Katie Kline. To submit feedback or suggest a post, please e-mail esablog@esa.org.
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- August 26, 2010
- 05:22 PM
- 34 views
Inside out: cannibalism, nutrition and swarm formation in locusts
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
It may be difficult to picture just one locust singled out from a swarm. But believe it or not, desert locusts—insects infamous for their contribution to plagues and famine—are naturally solitary creatures. So what causes the group uprising that farmers are so familiar with? Research has shown that the internal workings of a solitary locust can affect the swarming behavior of the entire group.
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Anstey, M., Rogers, S., Ott, S., Burrows, M., & Simpson, S. (2009) Serotonin Mediates Behavioral Gregarization Underlying Swarm Formation in Desert Locusts. Science, 323(5914), 627-630. DOI: 10.1126/science.1165939
Bazazi, S., Romanczuk, P., Thomas, S., Schimansky-Geier, L., Hale, J., Miller, G., Sword, G., Simpson, S., & Couzin, I. (2010) Nutritional state and collective motion: from individuals to mass migration. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1447
- July 15, 2010
- 05:35 PM
- 80 views
Gut flora and the human rainforest
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Scientists have known for decades that the human intestinal tract is home to an abundance of diverse bacteria. This microbial rainforest is introduced incrementally to infants as they grow—primarily from their mothers during birth and breastfeeding and from everyday encounters. Many of these microbes aid in digestion and fight off pathogens, but until recently, researchers were not certain if phages, viruses that infect bacteria, were also present in the human gut.
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Reyes, A., Haynes, M., Hanson, N., Angly, F., Heath, A., Rohwer, F., & Gordon, J. (2010) Viruses in the faecal microbiota of monozygotic twins and their mothers. Nature, 466(7304), 334-338. DOI: 10.1038/nature09199
- July 14, 2010
- 04:21 PM
- 76 views
Scientists closely examine causes of frog abnormalities
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
urrently, research on the possible causes of limb deformities in amphibians is expansive, with evidence supporting parasite infection, chemical contaminants, UVB radiation and amputation as possible factors. However, as Mari Reeves from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and colleagues explained in an article in the August issue of Ecological Monographs, the most likely cause of amphibian abnormalities is a combination of several stressors.
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Reeves, M., Jensen, P., Dolph, C., Holyoak, M., & Trust, K. (2010) Multiple stressors and the cause of amphibian abnormalities. Ecological Monographs, 80(3), 423-440. DOI: 10.1890/09-0879.1
- June 30, 2010
- 04:54 PM
- 90 views
Field Talk: Uniformity and diversity in the Homogecene era
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Imagine a small town where everything is uniform—a tiny community of individuals who eat the same meals and pair up with people with similar qualities and traits. The scenery is stripped down: one church, one pub and cookie-cutter houses. Now add in social interactions. Greetings occur but they have few variations; life is routine. And just a few miles over in a town with the same layout, similar individuals are interacting, eating and greeting, in all the same ways.
... Read more »
Laliberté, E., & Tylianakis, J. (2010) Deforestation homogenizes tropical parasitoid–host networks. Ecology, 91(6), 1740-1747. DOI: 10.1890/09-1328.1
- June 26, 2010
- 09:36 AM
- 113 views
Incorporating science into home gardening
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Blanketing a home garden in pesticides poses a clear risk to the humans and animals who dine on it. But when the garden is compared to a human immune system, another problem becomes apparent: Just like antibiotics, pesticides wipe out the “good bugs” with the bad. These helpful predators and parasitoids are called natural enemies and they help to naturally control pests like aphids and caterpillars. Certain plants attract natural enemies and/or deter pests all together and can be used in pla........ Read more »
Bilu, E., & Coll, M. (2009) Parasitized Aphids Are Inferior Prey for a Coccinellid Predator: Implications for Intraguild Predation. Environmental Entomology, 38(1), 153-158. DOI: 10.1603/022.038.0119
- June 18, 2010
- 05:40 PM
- 94 views
Insect-eating not (just) for the birds
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Nutritious, chemical-free and all-natural, insects are featured as the main protein several Latin American, Asian and African countries. For example, in the Santander region of Colombia, leaf-cutter ants (called "hormigas culonas") are sometimes eaten roasted, salted and have a slightly acidic taste. Mopane worms—the caterpillar for the moth Gonimbrasia belina—are popular in Botswana and are served dried or rehydrated with sauces and other ingredients.
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Vogel, G. (2010) For More Protein, Filet of Cricket. Science, 327(5967), 811-811. DOI: 10.1126/science.327.5967.811
- June 17, 2010
- 04:22 PM
- 77 views
Flowers make it rain (and then some)
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
The Amazon rainforest—with its millions of creaking, chirping and buzzing insects, sticky frogs, vibrant birds, and unique fish—may owe its diversity primarily to flowers, said researchers from the University of Chicago. And, they say, just as flowering plants formed the building block of biodiversity in this region, their removal could result in a cascade of declining diversity.
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Boyce, C., & Lee, J. (2010) An exceptional role for flowering plant physiology in the expansion of tropical rainforests and biodiversity. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0485
- June 10, 2010
- 05:10 PM
- 99 views
Offsetting the 2010 FIFA World Cup
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
It goes without saying that tomorrow, June 11, 2010, literally kicks off the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The media has been throwing around stories on projected winners, South Africa’s history in the making and even possible flu outbreaks from vuvuzelas. Fans around the world wait in anticipation; meanwhile in South Africa, staff from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) ar........ Read more »
Jen Fela. (2010) Dispatches. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8(5), 228-232. DOI: 10.1890/1540-9295-8.5.228
- June 8, 2010
- 09:28 AM
- 364 views
Female jumping spiders fight to the death
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Male jumping spiders (Phidippus clarus) size one another up before engaging in a fight—whether the aggression is based on rights to mating or territory—and in many cases, the pre-fight displays are sufficient to deter physical contact. The males do not nest but instead wander between female nests looking for opportunities to mate. The females, on the other hand, are not nomads—they build nests from silk and leaves in which they wait while they draw closer to sexual maturity.
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Elias, D., Botero, C., Andrade, M., Mason, A., & Kasumovic, M. (2010) High resource valuation fuels "desperado" fighting tactics in female jumping spiders. Behavioral Ecology. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq073
- June 4, 2010
- 05:17 PM
- 143 views
Saliva from moth larva increases potato crop yields in Colombia
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Many farmers throughout Latin America and around the world rely on pesticides to control pest invasions; in the case of Andean potato crops, this method is not only costly but has been shown to cause adverse health effects as well. Due to the risks involved in pesticide usage, and the ever-increasing demand for high-yield crops, new methods of controlling pest invasions are being explored by researchers regularly. And as counterintuitive as these new findings sound, ecological scientists have d........ Read more »
Poveda, K., Gomez Jimenez, M., & Kessler, A. (2010) The enemy as ally: herbivore-induced increase in crop yield. Ecological Applications, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1890/09-1726
- June 2, 2010
- 05:21 PM
- 85 views
Biodiversity is a delicate recipe
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Unless you enjoy cooking regularly, you probably would not have known the sequence for preparing corn chowder just by the taste. According to a study recently published in Science Express, biodiversity is a similar process. Some scientists go about recreating an ecosystem by adding all of the elements at once into an experiment. The results, however, usually do not replicate the original ecosystem that the researchers were trying to reproduce.
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Chase, J. (2010) Stochastic Community Assembly Causes Higher Biodiversity in More Productive Environments. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1187820
- May 27, 2010
- 02:21 PM
- 114 views
Sexually-mature tortoises are at greatest risk of disease
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Currently, upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) and habitat loss are the main contributors to a decline in gopher and desert tortoise populations. And since these reptiles are keystone species—that is, the habitats they create are home to more than 300 other species—their population decline significantly affects the ecosystem. According to a recent study in Ecology, sexually-mature male tortoises were at the greatest risk of carrying and spreading URTD due in large part to their social beh........ Read more »
Wendland, L., Wooding, J., White, C., Demcovitz, D., Littell, R., Berish, J., Ozgul, A., Oli, M., Klein, P., Christman, M.... (2010) Social behavior drives the dynamics of respiratory disease in threatened tortoises. Ecology, 91(5), 1257-1262. DOI: 10.1890/09-1414.1
- May 26, 2010
- 09:46 AM
- 129 views
Ballistics experts of the bug world
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Meet the ballistics experts of the bug world: A quick draw beetle that fires volatile liquids with the pulse of a Tommy Gun, aphids that self-combust at the threat of a predator and a double-pistoled worm that sprays its victim with streams of goo. Of course, these insects are not the only invertebrates carrying chemical artillery—bees are maybe the most famous projectile-launching bugs around. The below insects, however, give a unique look into chemical warfare on a small scale.
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Eisner, T. (1999) Spray aiming in the bombardier beetle: Photographic evidence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 96(17), 9705-9709. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.17.9705
Kazana, E., Pope, T., Tibbles, L., Bridges, M., Pickett, J., Bones, A., Powell, G., & Rossiter, J. (2007) The cabbage aphid: a walking mustard oil bomb. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274(1623), 2271-2277. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0237
Benkendorff, K., Beardmore, K., Gooley, A., Packer, N., & Tait, N. (1999) Characterisation of the slime gland secretion from the peripatus, Euperipatoides kanangrensis (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 124(4), 457-465. DOI: 10.1016/S0305-0491(99)00145-5
- May 19, 2010
- 11:16 AM
- 122 views
How a polluted environment can lead to illness
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics revealed alarming findings: A link between children diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and traces of the breakdown of organophosphate pesticides in their urine. Pollutants like pesticides can have both direct and indirect effects on human and wildlife health as a result of changes in an ecosystem.
... Read more »
Bouchard, M., Bellinger, D., Wright, R., & Weisskopf, M. (2010) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides. PEDIATRICS. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-3058
Palmer, M., Bernhardt, E., Schlesinger, W., Eshleman, K., Foufoula-Georgiou, E., Hendryx, M., Lemly, A., Likens, G., Loucks, O., Power, M.... (2010) Mountaintop Mining Consequences. Science, 327(5962), 148-149. DOI: 10.1126/science.1180543
Hitt NP, & Hendryx M. (2010) Ecological Integrity of Streams Related to Human Cancer Mortality Rates. EcoHealth. PMID: 20361230
Johnson, P., Townsend, A., Cleveland, C., Glibert, P., Howarth, R., McKenzie, V., Rejmankova, E., & Ward, M. (2010) Linking environmental nutrient enrichment and disease emergence in humans and wildlife. Ecological Applications, 20(1), 16-29. DOI: 10.1890/08-0633.1
- May 14, 2010
- 03:25 PM
- 129 views
Water pollution turns microbes virulent
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
An idyllic lake turns threatening when heavy rainfall causes a sewage treatment plant to overflow. Within 24 hours, once-benign microbes turn into virulent pathogens, breeding incessantly and attacking the embryos of lake fish. As much as that may sound like the synopsis of a movie on Mystery Science Theater, this is an impact on lake ecosystems that is actually occurring.
... Read more »
Wedekind, C., Gessner, M., Vazquez, F., Maerki, M., & Steiner, D. (2010) Elevated resource availability sufficient to turn opportunistic into virulent fish pathogens. Ecology, 91(5), 1251-1256. DOI: 10.1890/09-1067.1
- May 11, 2010
- 04:49 PM
- 123 views
Smell, not sight, guides fly and wasp flower selection (or why stinky flowers attract flies)
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Picture this: a luscious green mountain range littered off and on with flowers of every type. Lower in the mountains is green vegetation, higher up are grasslands. Eucomis, or pineapple lilies, have a striking, colorful appearance and grow at varying altitudes along the mountainside. But there tends to be one surpising difference: Two species of the higher altitude pineapple lilies have, not the delicate scent of coconut as do some of the other species, but the much more alarming scent of carrio........ Read more »
Shuttleworth, A., & Johnson, S. (2010) The missing stink: sulphur compounds can mediate a shift between fly and wasp pollination systems. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0491
- April 29, 2010
- 03:49 PM
- 142 views
Invasive lionfish: from aquarium to dinner plate
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) has decorated fish tanks, and invaded Atlantic waters, for decades. While sightings along the East Coast started popping up as early as the mid-1980s, lionfish began to spread rapidly, occupying reefs in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas in the 1990s. Since then, invasive red lionfish have been reported as far north as Rhode Island and, as of this January, tracked to the southern Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan Peninsula.
... Read more »
Côté, I., & Maljkovic, A. (2010) Predation rates of Indo-Pacific lionfish on Bahamian coral reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 219-225. DOI: 10.3354/meps08458
- April 21, 2010
- 09:46 AM
- 178 views
The sharp shooters of marine life
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
The archerfish’s long distance spitting can fire a bug off of a branch and send it down to the water’s surface, and the nearly-blind pistol shrimp uses its gigantic claw to stun its prey with a bubble nearly as hot as the Sun. However, if the archerfish didn’t have keen eyes enabling it to detect an insect against a vegetative background, and if the pistol shrimp lacked its protective eye covers, called orbital hoods, these animals might never have developed the ballistic mechanisms that ........ Read more »
Temple, S., Hart, N., Marshall, N., & Collin, S. (2010) A spitting image: specializations in archerfish eyes for vision at the interface between air and water. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0345
Lohse, D., Schmitz, B., & Versluis, M. (2001) Snapping shrimp make flashing bubbles. Nature, 413(6855), 477-478. DOI: 10.1038/35097152
Anker, A., Ahyong, S., Noël, P., & Palmer, A. (2006) MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENY OF ALPHEID SHRIMPS: PARALLEL PREADAPTATION AND THE ORIGIN OF A KEY MORPHOLOGICAL INNOVATION, THE SNAPPING CLAW. Evolution, 60(12), 2507. DOI: 10.1554/05-486.1
- April 15, 2010
- 02:14 PM
- 113 views
Field Talk: Termites enrich the soil in East Africa
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Vertebrate fertilizer is not the only source of nutrients in the soils of East African savannahs, at least according to a study recently published in the journal Ecology. Alison Brody from the University of Vermont and colleagues found that termites actually had more of an effect on the fruiting success of Acacia trees in Kenya than did dung and urine deposition from ungulate herbivores, such as zebras and gazelles.
... Read more »
Brody, A., Palmer, T., Fox-Dobbs, K., & Doak, D. (2010) Termites, vertebrate herbivores, and the fruiting success of Acacia drepanolobium. Ecology, 91(2), 399-407. DOI: 10.1890/09-0004.1
- April 9, 2010
- 04:24 PM
- 150 views
Bumblebee advertises infertility to avoid harassment, keep order in the colony
by Katie Kline in EcoTone
Researchers have found that pheromones play a key role in reproduction and social status in the buff-tailed bumblebee colony. Specifically, sterile female workers seem to advertise their infertility with extra pheromones in an attempt to ward off harassment from competing bees.
... Read more »
Amsalem, E., Twele, R., Francke, W., & Hefetz, A. (2009) Reproductive competition in the bumble-bee Bombus terrestris: do workers advertise sterility?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, -1(-1), -1--1. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1688
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