Ecology / Conservation posts
- January 29, 2016
- 12:25 AM
- 346 views
European killer whales face extinction due to banned pollutants
by TakFurTheKaffe in Tak Fur The Kaffe
Levels of the toxic compound PCBs in the marine environment are now so high that they threaten the very existence of some of Europe’s top sea predators, suggests new research. ... Read more »
Jepson, P., Deaville, R., Barber, J., Aguilar, �., Borrell, A., Murphy, S., Barry, J., Brownlow, A., Barnett, J., Berrow, S.... (2016) PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters. Scientific Reports, 18573. DOI: 10.1038/srep18573
- January 25, 2016
- 11:52 AM
- 531 views
Zika virus and the negligence towards health research in poor countries
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll About a year ago, almost nobody on the whole world was aware of the existence of a virus named Zika virus and the illness it may cause in humans, the Zika fever or Zika disease. But … Continue reading →... Read more »
Kohl, A., & Gatherer, D. (2015) Zika virus: a previously slow pandemic spreads rapidly through the Americas. Journal of General Virology. DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000381
Vasconcelos, P. (2015) Doença pelo vírus Zika: um novo problema emergente nas Américas?. Revista Pan-Amazônica de Saúde, 6(2), 9-10. DOI: 10.5123/S2176-62232015000200001
- January 23, 2016
- 12:25 AM
- 435 views
Top four threats to the ocean, according to marine scientists
by TakFurTheKaffe in Tak Fur The Kaffe
Overfishing, global warming, waste and contamination, and ocean acidification are at the forefront of scientists concerns.... Read more »
Boonstra, W., Ottosen, K., Ferreira, A., Richter, A., Rogers, L., Pedersen, M., Kokkalis, A., Bardarson, H., Bonanomi, S., Butler, W.... (2015) What are the major global threats and impacts in marine environments? Investigating the contours of a shared perception among marine scientists from the bottom-up. Marine Policy, 197-201. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2015.06.007
- January 22, 2016
- 10:21 AM
- 477 views
When good intentions don't mix: designing policy to stop global warming and improve clean cookware access
by Jonathan Trinastic in Goodnight Earth
Carbon fees are a tremendous policy tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But what is their effect on other public health missions, like providing cleaner cookware to the poor in developing countries. We take a look at new research designing policy to meet both public health needs.... Read more »
Cameron, C., Pachauri, S., Rao, N., McCollum, D., Rogelj, J., & Riahi, K. (2016) Policy trade-offs between climate mitigation and clean cook-stove access in South Asia. Nature Energy, 1(1), 15010. DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2015.10
- January 21, 2016
- 08:35 AM
- 250 views
Climate change and ocean productivity
by sceintists from the Marine group at CEES in Marine Science blog
Marine phytoplankton contribute nearly 50% to global primary production, support zooplankton production and play a vital role in regulating Carbon sequestration. Phytoplankton productivity fluctuations are caused by various direct and indirect effects of temperature, the balance of which show large-scale geographical patterns.
... Read more »
Feng, J., Durant, J., Stige, L., Hessen, D., Hjermann, D., Zhu, L., Llope, M., & Stenseth, N. (2015) Contrasting correlation patterns between environmental factors and chlorophyll levels in the global ocean. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 29(12), 2095-2107. DOI: 10.1002/2015GB005216
- January 20, 2016
- 02:38 PM
- 343 views
2°C or hotter
by dominicwhite in Two Degrees or Under
The nations of the world have agreed to aim for a 2°C limit to global warming. Whether you think they can make it happen is one thing - whether a 2°C temperature increase is as moderate as it sounds is another....... Read more »
Seneviratne, S., Donat, M., Pitman, A., Knutti, R., & Wilby, R. (2016) Allowable CO2 emissions based on regional and impact-related climate targets. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature16542
- January 19, 2016
- 12:20 PM
- 344 views
What Is Citizen Science Good For? Birds, Butterflies, Big Data
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
No matter how unhip you feel wearing waders or hauling a butterfly net, citizen science is cool. That's obvious from the boom in online projects that let you count penguins, hunt planets, or identify animals in the Serengeti, as well as the scientific papers using these data. Now researchers in Sweden have looked into the science of citizen science itself. How much of this volunteer research is really happening, they asked—and what is it producing?
Christopher Kullenberg and Dick Kaspe........ Read more »
Kullenberg, C., & Kasperowski, D. (2016) What Is Citizen Science? – A Scientometric Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE, 11(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147152
- January 18, 2016
- 11:29 AM
- 457 views
Catch Him If You Can
by Miss Behavior in The Scorpion and the Frog
By Caitlin LockardWhen playing Frisbee with your dog, do you ever wonder how they have the ability to catch it so effortlessly? The art of being able to figure out where something like a Frisbee is headed requires some crazy math skills. Ostracods are one kind of animal that puts their wicked math skills to the test while finding a mate.The image above of a female ostracod was provided by Trevor Rivers.You’ve never heard of an ostracod you say? Ostracods are small crustaceans, which basicall........ Read more »
Rivers, T., & Morin, J. (2013) Female ostracods respond to and intercept artificial conspecific male luminescent courtship displays. Behavioral Ecology, 24(4), 877-887. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art022
- January 17, 2016
- 10:11 PM
- 353 views
A Primer on Linear Regression and its Associated Misconceptions
by Geoffrey Hannigan in Prophage
I wanted to start the year off with post about math. I know, I know, math is an intimidating way to start the year, but don't run off yet! I swear that this will be painless and we will even learn something new! We are going to keep things simple and focus on an elegant paper that presents some misconceptions about a complicated topic. This topic is multiple linear regression...... Read more »
Frasier TR. (2015) A note on the use of multiple linear regression in molecular ecology. Molecular ecology resources. PMID: 26650184
- January 17, 2016
- 08:58 PM
- 399 views
Spreading climate misinformation like butter
by dominicwhite in Two Degrees or Under
A new study in PNAS concludes that echo chambers and confirmation bias spread misinformation. The authors “readable summary”: The wide availability of user-provided content in online social media facilitates the aggregation of people around common interests, worldviews, and narratives. However,...... Read more »
Del Vicario, M., Bessi, A., Zollo, F., Petroni, F., Scala, A., Caldarelli, G., Stanley, H., & Quattrociocchi, W. (2016) The spreading of misinformation online. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201517441. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1517441113
- January 17, 2016
- 10:00 AM
- 532 views
Week Two In Review: Open-Access Science | 11 to 17 Jan
by TakFurTheKaffe in Tak Fur The Kaffe
The world’s largest canyon discovered hidden under the Antarctic ice, citizen science is on the up, new genetic secrets of Ötzi Iceman, and the social lives of chimps. Here are 5 of the latest scientific studies published open-access this week.... Read more »
Jamieson, S., Ross, N., Greenbaum, J., Young, D., Aitken, A., Roberts, J., Blankenship, D., Bo, S., & Siegert, M. (2015) An extensive subglacial lake and canyon system in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. Geology. DOI: 10.1130/G37220.1
Kullenberg, C., & Kasperowski, D. (2016) What Is Citizen Science? – A Scientometric Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE, 11(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147152
Moeller, A., Foerster, S., Wilson, M., Pusey, A., Hahn, B., & Ochman, H. (2016) Social behavior shapes the chimpanzee pan-microbiome. Science Advances, 2(1). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500997
Coia, V., Cipollini, G., Anagnostou, P., Maixner, F., Battaggia, C., Brisighelli, F., Gómez-Carballa, A., Destro Bisol, G., Salas, A., & Zink, A. (2016) Whole mitochondrial DNA sequencing in Alpine populations and the genetic history of the Neolithic Tyrolean Iceman. Scientific Reports, 18932. DOI: 10.1038/srep18932
Engelmann, J., & Herrmann, E. (2016) Chimpanzees Trust Their Friends. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.037
- January 16, 2016
- 06:22 PM
- 377 views
Damm(n)ing the Amazon
by dominicwhite in Two Degrees or Under
From the abstract of a recent Science paper: The world’s most biodiverse river basins—the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong—are experiencing an unprecedented boom in construction of hydropower dams. These projects address important energy needs, but advocates often overestimate economic benefits and...... Read more »
Winemiller, K., McIntyre, P., Castello, L., Fluet-Chouinard, E., Giarrizzo, T., Nam, S., Baird, I., Darwall, W., Lujan, N., Harrison, I.... (2016) Balancing hydropower and biodiversity in the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong. Science, 351(6269), 128-129. DOI: 10.1126/science.aac7082
- January 15, 2016
- 12:57 PM
- 428 views
Dawn of a New Geologic Era
by Jenny Ludmer in Rooster's Report
In the Jurassic period, dinosaurs ruled and continents separated, while in the more recent Holocene, glaciers retreated and the earth warmed. Now, using the same type of data, geologists say we’ve entered a new era. Welcome to the Anthropocene — a geologic era triggered by humankind.... Read more »
Waters, C., Zalasiewicz, J., Summerhayes, C., Barnosky, A., Poirier, C., Ga uszka, A., Cearreta, A., Edgeworth, M., Ellis, E., Ellis, M.... (2016) The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene. Science, 351(6269). DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2622
- January 15, 2016
- 12:08 PM
- 478 views
Amazon resilience buoyed by diversity
by Jonathan Trinastic in Goodnight Earth
Previous research has suggested that the Amazon could reach a tipping point when rainforest gives way to a grassy savannah. Could this really happen? A new modeling study suggests the diversity of the Amazon could prevent such a drastic change.... Read more »
Levine NM, Zhang K, Longo M, Baccini A, Phillips OL, Lewis SL, Alvarez-Dávila E, Segalin de Andrade AC, Brienen RJ, Erwin TL.... (2015) Ecosystem heterogeneity determines the ecological resilience of the Amazon to climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. PMID: 26711984
- January 13, 2016
- 01:30 AM
- 341 views
EcoTourism: Imperfect, but Necessary
by Jenny Ludmer in Rooster's Report
On a frosty winter day, a packed snowcoach cruises through Yellowstone National park. “Elk at 9-o-clock!” yells an excited patron and, in record time, dozens of tourists spill out of the bus and jockey for the perfect photograph. Across the river, both a majestic elk and massive buffalo graze, seemingly unfazed by the growing crowd. While some believe that’s a problem, there’s more to the story.... Read more »
Fitzgerald, L., & Stronza, A. (2016) In Defense of the Ecotourism Shield: A Response to Geffroy et al. Trends in Ecology . DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.11.002
Geffroy, B., Samia, D., Bessa, E., & Blumstein, D. (2015) How Nature-Based Tourism Might Increase Prey Vulnerability to Predators. Trends in Ecology , 30(12), 755-765. DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.09.010
- January 12, 2016
- 12:25 AM
- 433 views
Sharks smell their way to shore
by TakFurTheKaffe in Tak Fur The Kaffe
New research suggests that Leopard sharks navigate with their nose, using chemical changes in the water to ‘smell’ their way home.... Read more »
Nosal, A., Chao, Y., Farrara, J., Chai, F., & Hastings, P. (2016) Olfaction Contributes to Pelagic Navigation in a Coastal Shark. PLOS ONE, 11(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143758
- January 7, 2016
- 01:45 PM
- 479 views
Are you multicellular? Thank a random mutation that created a new protein
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
All it took was one mutation more than 600 million years ago. With that random act, a new protein function was born that helped our single-celled ancestor transition into an organized multicellular organism. That’s the scenario — done with some molecular time travel — that emerged from basic research in the lab of University of Oregon biochemist Ken Prehoda.... Read more »
Anderson, D., Whitney, D., Hanson-Smith, V., Woznica, A., Campodonico-Burnett, W., Volkman, B., King, N., Prehoda, K., & Thornton, J. (2016) Evolution of an ancient protein function involved in organized multicellularity in animals. eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.10147
- January 6, 2016
- 04:26 PM
- 604 views
Slice of PLOS: Mesocosms and Climate Change
by Lauren Richardson in PLOS Biologue
By 2016, most scientifically literate people have come to accept the inevitability of climate change. But what’s much less clear is how different species will respond to the world-wide shifts in temperature and weather pattern... Read more »
Bestion, E., Teyssier, A., Richard, M., Clobert, J., & Cote, J. (2015) Live Fast, Die Young: Experimental Evidence of Population Extinction Risk due to Climate Change. PLOS Biology, 13(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002281
- January 5, 2016
- 07:00 PM
- 424 views
Too hot to handle: investigating birds’ heat tolerance sheds light on their ability to adapt to climate change
by Betty Zou in Eat, Read, Science
Researchers at the University of New Mexico and University of Massachusetts Amherst are undertaking the "Hot Birds" project to complete a global survey of the heat tolerance of bird species living in extremely hot areas. The first paper to come out of those studies looks at doves and quails in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona with different strategies for staying cool.... Read more »
Smith EK, O'Neill J, Gerson AR, & Wolf BO. (2015) Avian thermoregulation in the heat: resting metabolism, evaporative cooling and heat tolerance in Sonoran Desert doves and quail. The Journal of experimental biology, 218(Pt 22), 3636-46. PMID: 26582934
- January 4, 2016
- 06:00 PM
- 496 views
A piping hot plant-fungus-virus three-way
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
The Star Wars prequels, while fairly awful, managed to include a little bit of fictional biology. It turns out being sensitive to the Force, the mystical energy field that lets you confuse stormtroopers and toss debris at newly-minted amputees, requires having a whole lot of midi-chlorians in your cells. Midi-chlorians are clearly a bastardization of mitochondria, the squiggly energy-generating jelly beans (er, organelles) found within cells of all organisms except bacteria and archaea.Just as m........ Read more »
Marquez L, Redman R, Rodriguez R, & Roossinck M. (2007) A virus in a fungus in a plant: Three-way symbiosis required for thermal tolerance. Science, 315(5811), 513-515. DOI: 10.1126/science.1136237
Morsy M, Oswald J, He J, Tang Y, & Roossinck M. (2010) Teasing apart a three-way symbiosis: Transcriptome analyses of Curvularia protuberata in response to viral infection and heat stress. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 401(2), 225-230. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.09.034
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