Ecology / Conservation posts
- May 7, 2015
- 03:17 PM
- 811 views
Nanoparticles in products can significantly alter normal gut microbiome
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Nanoparticles, it’s the new buzzword that cosmetics and even consumer “anti-aging” products use to promote their brand. As the word suggests, nanoparticles are small and it shouldn’t be too surprising that these nanoparticles are causing problems in nature because of their prevalence. In that light, it might not be a surprise that there could also be some serious health issues associated with these nanoparticles.... Read more »
Taylor, A., Marcus, I., Guysi, R., & Walker, S. (2015) Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Induce Minimal Phenotypic Changes in a Model Colon Gut Microbiota. Environmental Engineering Science, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1089/ees.2014.0518
- May 6, 2015
- 08:00 AM
- 1,220 views
Plants Aren’t Just Male Or Female
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
It’s hard enough to believe that flowering plants have different sexes, but how about plants that have three sexes? One trioecious plant varies it sex ratio depending on how much water is around, while another only shows three sexes when it lives near a particular bat. But most amazing, man made the papaya into a three-sex plant. Your tropical fruit salad is made with a hermaphrodite.... Read more »
Armoza-Zvuloni, R., Kramarsky-Winter, E., Loya, Y., Schlesinger, A., & Rosenfeld, H. (2014) Trioecy, a Unique Breeding Strategy in the Sea Anemone Aiptasia diaphana and Its Association with Sex Steroids. Biology of Reproduction, 90(6), 122-122. DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.113.114116
VanBuren, R., & Ming, R. (2013) Organelle DNA accumulation in the recently evolved papaya sex chromosomes. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 288(5-6), 277-284. DOI: 10.1007/s00438-013-0747-7
VanBuren R, Zeng F, Chen C, Zhang J, Wai CM, Han J, Aryal R, Gschwend AR, Wang J, Na JK.... (2015) Origin and domestication of papaya Yh chromosome. Genome research, 25(4), 524-33. PMID: 25762551
Ueno, H., Urasaki, N., Natsume, S., Yoshida, K., Tarora, K., Shudo, A., Terauchi, R., & Matsumura, H. (2014) Genome sequence comparison reveals a candidate gene involved in male–hermaphrodite differentiation in papaya (Carica papaya) trees. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 290(2), 661-670. DOI: 10.1007/s00438-014-0955-9
- May 5, 2015
- 08:55 AM
- 835 views
Journal Club: Birdfeeding favours non-native bird species
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Feeding wild birds on bread and seed encourages high densities of introduced bird species at the expense of native species, thereby altering urban bird communities, according to a new study... Read more »
Galbraith Josie A. . (2015) Supplementary feeding restructures urban bird communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1501489112
Fuller Richard A., Paul R. Armsworth, Olga Barbosa, & Kevin J. Gaston. (2007) Garden bird feeding predicts the structure of urban avian assemblages. Diversity and Distributions, 14(1), 131-137. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00439.x
- May 5, 2015
- 08:44 AM
- 959 views
Journal Club: Birdfeeding favours non-native bird species
by GrrlScientist in The Invisible Scientist
SUMMARY: Feeding wild birds on bread and seed encourages high densities of introduced bird species at the expense of native species, thereby altering urban bird communities, according to a new study... Read more »
Galbraith Josie A. . (2015) Supplementary feeding restructures urban bird communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1501489112
Fuller Richard A., Paul R. Armsworth, Olga Barbosa, & Kevin J. Gaston. (2007) Garden bird feeding predicts the structure of urban avian assemblages. Diversity and Distributions, 14(1), 131-137. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00439.x
- May 4, 2015
- 07:22 PM
- 952 views
Fracked, shale-drilling additives in drinking-water taps near leak
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Shale oil has helped the US see lower gas prices and even an opportunity to start exporting. However, it isn’t as great as it might sound, hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — has been scrutinized by environmentalists since it’s inception. As it turns out, for good reason, substances commonly used for drilling or extracting Marcellus shale gas foamed from the drinking water taps of three Pennsylvania homes near a reported well-pad leak, according to new analysis from a team of........ Read more »
Garth T. Llewellyn, Frank Dorman, J. L. Westland, D. Yoxtheimer, Paul Grieve, Todd Sowers, E. Humston-Fulmer, & Susan L. Brantley. (2015) Evaluating a groundwater supply contamination incident attributed to Marcellus Shale gas development. PNAS. info:/10.1073/pnas.1420279112
- May 1, 2015
- 10:56 AM
- 800 views
Lizards in Long-Term Relationships Can Skip the Foreplay
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Why would two stubby-legged, blue-tongued Australian reptiles want to stay together not just for a mating season, but for decades? A 31-year study of the reptiles has suggested an answer. While newly formed couples are still getting to know each other, lizards in long-term relationships can start mating earlier in the season. And dispensing with the foreplay might give them a reproductive advantage over their casually dating neighbors.
Tiliqua rugosa is a species of blue-tongued skink tha... Read more »
Leu, S., Burzacott, D., Whiting, M., & Bull, C. (2015) Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study. Ethology. DOI: 10.1111/eth.12390
- May 1, 2015
- 07:00 AM
- 415 views
Biological fight: the case of artificial stimuli in behavior research
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll The study of animal behavior is an important approach to understand several aspects on the ecology and the evolution of living beings, both from the analyzed animals themselves and the species with which they interact. For … Continue reading →... Read more »
Hauber, M., Tong, L., Bán, M., Croston, R., Grim, T., Waterhouse, G., Shawkey, M., Barron, A., & Moskát, C. (2015) The Value of Artificial Stimuli in Behavioral Research: Making the Case for Egg Rejection Studies in Avian Brood Parasitism. Ethology, 121(6), 521-528. DOI: 10.1111/eth.12359
Lahti, D. (2015) The Limits of Artificial Stimuli in Behavioral Research: The Umwelt Gamble. Ethology, 121(6), 529-537. DOI: 10.1111/eth.12361
Moskat, C., Ban, M., Szekely, T., Komdeur, J., Lucassen, R., van Boheemen, L., & Hauber, M. (2010) Discordancy or template-based recognition? Dissecting the cognitive basis of the rejection of foreign eggs in hosts of avian brood parasites. Journal of Experimental Biology, 213(11), 1976-1983. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.040394
- April 30, 2015
- 07:41 PM
- 1,127 views
This Month in Blastocystis Research (APR 2015)
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
A post on trending Blastocystis research and on advances in the discoveries of plant extracts with anti-Blastocystis activity.... Read more »
Scanlan PD, Stensvold CR, Rajilić-Stojanović M, Heilig HG, De Vos WM, O'Toole PW, & Cotter PD. (2014) The microbial eukaryote Blastocystis is a prevalent and diverse member of the healthy human gut microbiota. FEMS microbiology ecology, 90(1), 326-30. PMID: 25077936
Bremer Christensen C, Soelberg J, Stensvold CR, & Jäger AK. (2015) Activity of medicinal plants from Ghana against the parasitic gut protist Blastocystis. Journal of ethnopharmacology. PMID: 25773490
Scanlan PD, Stensvold CR, & Cotter PD. (2015) Development and application of Blastocystis subtype-specific PCR reveals that mixed subtype infections are common in a healthy human population. Applied and environmental microbiology. PMID: 25841010
- April 30, 2015
- 04:26 PM
- 660 views
Pesticides alter bees’ brains, making them unable to live and reproduce adequately
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A new report suggests that a particular class of pesticides called “neonicotinoids” wreaks havoc on the bee populations, ultimately putting some crops that rely on pollination in jeopardy. Specifically, these pesticides kill bee brain cells, rendering them unable to learn, gather food and reproduce. The report, however, also suggests that the effects of these pesticides on bee colonies may be reversible by decreasing or eliminating the use of these pesticides on plants pollinated by bees and........ Read more »
Moffat, C., Pacheco, J., Sharp, S., Samson, A., Bollan, K., Huang, J., Buckland, S., & Connolly, C. (2015) Chronic exposure to neonicotinoids increases neuronal vulnerability to mitochondrial dysfunction in the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). The FASEB Journal. DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-267179
- April 29, 2015
- 08:00 AM
- 781 views
The Flower Child Must Be Confused
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Very few animal species have true hermaphrodites, but over 90% of flowering plants are bisexual. Even though the rest are exceptions, they aren’t all the same type of exception. Some plants are male and some are female all the time, but some change sex every morning they flower. And maple tress can decide to be male or female for a whole year and then change their mind for next year.... Read more »
Fukuhara, T., & Tokumaru, S. (2013) Inflorescence dimorphism, heterodichogamy and thrips pollination in Platycarya strobilacea (Juglandaceae). Annals of Botany, 113(3), 467-476. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mct278
Spigler, R., & Ashman, T. (2011) Gynodioecy to dioecy: are we there yet?. Annals of Botany, 109(3), 531-543. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcr170
Matallana, G., Wendt, T., Araujo, D., & Scarano, F. (2005) High abundance of dioecious plants in a tropical coastal vegetation. American Journal of Botany, 92(9), 1513-1519. DOI: 10.3732/ajb.92.9.1513
Renner SS, Beenken L, Grimm GW, Kocyan A, & Ricklefs RE. (2007) The evolution of dioecy, heterodichogamy, and labile sex expression in Acer. Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 61(11), 2701-19. PMID: 17894810
- April 28, 2015
- 11:35 AM
- 802 views
Snowshoe Hares Pass Down Stress to Multiple Future Generations
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
It's hard to be a showshoe hare. The northern animals are in a constant race for survival with their predators, always cycling between population booms and busts. In hard years, hares are understandably stressed. And that stress can leave its signature not just on those animals, but on several future generations.
When life is good, populations of showshoe hares (Lepus americanus) can roughly double every year. But the hare's predators—lynx, foxes, coyotes—also increase in numbers as ........ Read more »
Sheriff, M., McMahon, E., Krebs, C., & Boonstra, R. (2015) Predator-induced maternal stress and population demography in snowshoe hares: the more severe the risk, the longer the generational effect. Journal of Zoology. DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12249
- April 27, 2015
- 12:28 PM
- 1,063 views
Boron and the Permian extinction: a glimpse into the past gives a hint of the future
by Jonathan Trinastic in Goodnight Earth
How will ocean acidification from anthropogenic CO2 emissions affect marine life? Recent work studying a similar time during the Permian extinction 200 million years ago gives a clue.... Read more »
Clarkson MO, Kasemann SA, Wood RA, Lenton TM, Daines SJ, Richoz S, Ohnemueller F, Meixner A, Poulton SW, & Tipper ET. (2015) Ocean acidification and the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. Science (New York, N.Y.), 348(6231), 229-32. PMID: 25859043
- April 26, 2015
- 03:14 PM
- 679 views
Fatal attraction: the intuitive appeal of GMO opposition
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A team of Belgian philosophers and plant biotechnologists have turned to cognitive science to explain why opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has become so widespread, despite positive contributions GM crops have made to sustainable agriculture. They argue that the human mind is highly susceptible to the negative and often emotional representations put out by certain environmental groups and other opponents of GMOs. The researchers urge the general public to form opinions on GMOs........ Read more »
Blancke, S., Van Breusegem, F., De Jaeger, G., Braeckman, J., & Van Montagu, M. (2015) Fatal attraction: the intuitive appeal of GMO opposition. Trends in Plant Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2015.03.011
- April 24, 2015
- 04:19 PM
- 727 views
Diabetes drug found in freshwater potential cause of intersex fish
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A medication commonly taken for Type II diabetes, which is being found in freshwater systems worldwide, has been shown to cause intersex in fish –or male fish that produce eggs. The study determined exposure to the diabetes medicine metformin causes physical changes in male fish exposed to doses similar to the amount in wastewater effluent.... Read more »
Niemuth, N., & Klaper, R. (2015) Emerging wastewater contaminant metformin causes intersex and reduced fecundity in fish. Chemosphere, 38-45. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.03.060
- April 24, 2015
- 04:59 AM
- 780 views
Will climate change affect competitive relationships between species?
by sceintists from the Marine group at CEES in Marine Science blog
Climate warming is known to affect predator-prey relationship and phenology. Less is known about competitive relationships specifically in a nonlinear framework. In a recent study, we studied this topic on…
passerine birds.
... Read more »
Stenseth, N., Durant, J., Fowler, M., Matthysen, E., Adriaensen, F., Jonzen, N., Chan, K., Liu, H., De Laet, J., Sheldon, B.... (2015) Testing for effects of climate change on competitive relationships and coexistence between two bird species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1807), 20141958-20141958. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1958
Stenseth, N. (2002) Ecological Effects of Climate Fluctuations. Science, 297(5585), 1292-1296. DOI: 10.1126/science.1071281
Saetre, G., Post, E., & Kral, M. (1999) Can environmental fluctuation prevent competitive exclusion in sympatric flycatchers?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 266(1425), 1247-1251. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0770
- April 23, 2015
- 03:17 PM
- 559 views
Changes in ecological baselines can be notably amplified when translated into socio-economics
by sceintists from the Marine group at CEES in Marine Science blog
In this study we assessed the chances of recovery of the Baltic Sea cod stock and conclude that it will never come back to the status it had more than three decades ago and that the economic losses associated to this new baseline amount to 120 million euros per year.
... Read more »
Blenckner, T., Llope, M., Mollmann, C., Voss, R., Quaas, M., Casini, M., Lindegren, M., Folke, C., & Chr. Stenseth, N. (2015) Climate and fishing steer ecosystem regeneration to uncertain economic futures. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1803), 20142809-20142809. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2809
Llope, M., Licandro, P., Chan, K., & Stenseth, N. (2012) Spatial variability of the plankton trophic interaction in the North Sea: a new feature after the early 1970s. Global Change Biology, 18(1), 106-117. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02492.x
Llope, M., Daskalov, G., Rouyer, T., Mihneva, V., Chan, K., Grishin , A., & Stenseth, N. (2011) Overfishing of top predators eroded the resilience of the Black Sea system regardless of the climate and anthropogenic conditions. Global Change Biology, 17(3), 1251-1265. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02331.x
- April 23, 2015
- 08:00 AM
- 1,861 views
Two Species of Cottonmouths? This Scientist Says Yes!
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
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Burbrink, F. T., & Guiher, T. J. (2015) Considering gene flow when using coalescent methods to delimit lineages of North American pitvipers of the genus Agkistrodon. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 173(2), 505-526. info:/
- April 22, 2015
- 03:06 PM
- 877 views
Earth Day Turns 45
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Ever since Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, the event has adapted to the environmental issues of the times. During its inaugural year, 20 million people across the U.S. attended teach-ins and learned about the quality of the nation's water. Months earlier, coastal Santa Barbara had experienced an oil spill, while Time photographs had brought the fires of Ohio's Cuyahoga River to the country's attention. The teach-ins prompted widespread awareness of the pollution, and withi........ Read more »
Liu C, Gallagher JJ, Sakimoto KK, Nichols EM, Chang CJ, Chang MC, & Yang P. (2015) Nanowire-Bacteria Hybrids for Unassisted Solar Carbon Dioxide Fixation to Value-Added Chemicals. Nano Letters. PMID: 25848808
- April 22, 2015
- 11:42 AM
- 681 views
Earth Day spotlight: a survey of the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
by Jonathan Trinastic in Goodnight Earth
Five years ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill changed the trajectory of ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. We take a look at how species have been affected and what we can do to prevent another disaster.... Read more »
Cornwall W. (2015) Deepwater Horizon: after the oil. Science (New York, N.Y.), 348(6230), 22. PMID: 25838362
- April 22, 2015
- 08:00 AM
- 788 views
Boys Will Be Boys… And Then Girls
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Country teenagers still make summer money detasseling corn, but do you know why it has to be done? This is part of the interesting story of the many breeding systems in plants. Self-pollination is a bad idea, so some plants go to the trouble of switching sexes several times in a week just to avoid it!... Read more »
Casimiro-Soriguer I, Buide ML, & Narbona E. (2013) The roles of female and hermaphroditic flowers in the gynodioecious-gynomonoecious Silene littorea: insights into the phenology of sex expression. Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany), 15(6), 941-7. PMID: 23174011
Pérez-Barrales, R., Vargas, P., & Arroyo, J. (2006) New evidence for the Darwinian hypothesis of heterostyly: breeding systems and pollinators in Narcissus sect. Apodanthi. New Phytologist, 171(3), 553-567. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01819.x
Miller, J., & Diggle, P. (2003) Diversification of andromonoecy in Solanum section Lasiocarpa (Solanaceae): the roles of phenotypic plasticity and architecture. American Journal of Botany, 90(5), 707-715. DOI: 10.3732/ajb.90.5.707
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