Ecology / Conservation posts
- February 24, 2017
- 06:18 PM
- 96 views
Symbiote Separation: Coral Bleaching and Climate Change
by Melissa Chernick in Science Storiented
It’s been a while since I’ve broken down some studies for you, so I took on a big one.I’m sure you’ve heard of coral bleaching. What is it? Why does it happen? Why does it matter? To start off, you need to know a little bit more about the individuals that make up a head (fan, whip, etc.): the polyp. Coral polyps look like tiny plants but are actually tiny animals (less than ½ an inch in diameter). They produce calcium carbonate to create a protective shell or skeleton that, when thousan........ Read more »
Anthony KR, Kline DI, Diaz-Pulido G, Dove S, & Hoegh-Guldberg O. (2008) Ocean acidification causes bleaching and productivity loss in coral reef builders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(45), 17442-6. PMID: 18988740
Perry CT, & Morgan KM. (2017) Bleaching drives collapse in reef carbonate budgets and reef growth potential on southern Maldives reefs. Scientific reports, 40581. PMID: 28084450
- February 21, 2017
- 09:02 AM
- 144 views
Who Can Swim Further: A Race to the Depths and Back (A Guest Post)
by Miss Behavior in The Scorpion and the Frog
By Jefferson LeThe blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest mammal on the planet. Image byNMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA) available at Wikimedia Commons.Helloooooo! My name is Bailey and I am a 25 meter long blue whale, the largest living mammal on Earth! My friend Finley, a 21 meter long fin whale comes in second for largest in size. We had an interesting adventure recently where we were followed by humans. While Finley and I were foraging for food, I overheard the huma........ Read more »
Croll DA, Acevedo-Gutiérrez A, Tershy BR, & Urbán-Ramírez J. (2001) The diving behavior of blue and fin whales: is dive duration shorter than expected based on oxygen stores?. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular , 129(4), 797-809. PMID: 11440866
- February 17, 2017
- 05:00 AM
- 130 views
Friday Fellow: Brown-gutted Mud Roundworm
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll If you have your face buried in the mud at the bottom of a European lake, you may end up finding some of those tiny little roundworms known as Monhystera stagnalis. As usual, there is no common … Continue reading →... Read more »
Pehofer, H. (1989) Spatial Distribution of the Nematode Fauna and Production of Three Nematodes (Tobrilus gracilis, Monhystera stagnalis, Ethmolaimus pratensis) in the Profundal of Piburger See (Austria, 913 m a.s.l). Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie, 74(2), 135-168. DOI: 10.1002/iroh.19890740203
Traunspurger, W. (1996) Autecology of Monhystera paludicola De Man, 1880 – Seasonal, Bathymetric and Vertical Distribution of a Free-living Nematode in an Oligotrophic Lake. Internationale Revue der gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie, 81(2), 199-211. DOI: 10.1002/iroh.19960810205
- February 14, 2017
- 12:13 PM
- 210 views
The Complexities of “The Love Hormone”
by Miss Behavior in The Scorpion and the Frog
New York street art. Photo inWikimedia Commons posted by Pedroalmovar.Oxytocin, commonly known as “the love hormone”, is a small chemical that is produced in the brain of mammals, but can both act as a neurotransmitter and enter the blood stream and act as a hormone. It has long been heralded for its role in both maternal and romantic love, but more recent research is showing us just how complicated the physiology of love can be.Oxytocin is released in mammalian mothers after birth. It promo........ Read more »
Shamay-Tsoory SG, & Abu-Akel A. (2016) The Social Salience Hypothesis of Oxytocin. Biological psychiatry, 79(3), 194-202. PMID: 26321019
Zik JB, & Roberts DL. (2015) The many faces of oxytocin: implications for psychiatry. Psychiatry research, 226(1), 31-7. PMID: 25619431
- February 10, 2017
- 05:00 AM
- 143 views
Friday Fellow: Paraná pine
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll As the first conifer Friday Fellow, I decided to choose one of my beloved ones, the Paraná pine, Araucaria angustifolia, also known as Brazilian pine or candelabra tree. The Paraná pine can reach up to 50 m … Continue reading →... Read more »
IUCN. (2016) Araucaria angustifolia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T32975A2829141.en
SOUZA, A. (2007) Ecological interpretation of multiple population size structures in trees: The case of Araucaria angustifolia in South America. Austral Ecology, 32(5), 524-533. DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01724.x
Zandavalli, R., Dillenburg, L., & de Souza, P. (2004) Growth responses of Araucaria angustifolia (Araucariaceae) to inoculation with the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus clarum. Applied Soil Ecology, 25(3), 245-255. DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2003.09.009
- February 3, 2017
- 08:00 AM
- 237 views
American Alligator
by Jason Organ in Eatlemania!
The Eatles are munching on several juvenile American alligator skulls... Read more »
George, I., & Holliday, C. (2013) Trigeminal Nerve Morphology in and Its Significance for Crocodyliform Facial Sensation and Evolution . The Anatomical Record, 296(4), 670-680. DOI: 10.1002/ar.22666
Holliday, C., & Witmer, L. (2007) Archosaur adductor chamber evolution: Integration of musculoskeletal and topological criteria in jaw muscle homology. Journal of Morphology, 268(6), 457-484. DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10524
- February 3, 2017
- 05:00 AM
- 245 views
Friday Fellow: Northern Plaited Radiolarian
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Some weeks ago I introduced a diatom here and mentioned that, despite the fact that they are a very abundant group, little information on species is available. Today our species is a radiolarian and, just as … Continue reading →... Read more »
Dolven, J., & Bjørklund, K. (2001) An early Holocene peak occurrence and recent distribution of Rhizoplegma boreale (Radiolaria): a biomarker in the Norwegian Sea. Marine Micropaleontology, 42(1-2), 25-44. DOI: 10.1016/S0377-8398(01)00011-1
Dumitrica, P. (2013) Cleveiplegma nov. gen., a new generic name for the radiolarian species Rhizoplegma boreale (Cleve, 1899). Revue de Micropaléontologie, 56(1), 21-25. DOI: 10.1016/j.revmic.2013.01.001
- February 1, 2017
- 07:02 AM
- 474 views
Simple Jury Persuasion: A psychology vaccine for climate change disinformation
by Doug Keene in The Jury Room
Disinformation is everywhere you turn these days, so we need good tools to debunk those “alternative facts”. Last year we wrote about a strategy to combat distrust of science by using the concept of the “gateway belief”. While that paper received criticism from a well-known law professor, over at the Cultural Cognition blog, the same […]... Read more »
van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., & Maibach, E. (2017) Inoculating the Public against Misinformation about Climate Change. Global Challenges, 1600008. DOI: 10.1002/gch2.201600008
- January 27, 2017
- 05:00 AM
- 451 views
Friday Fellow: Black Bread Mold
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Today’s Friday Fellow lives in our houses and our gardens, among our food and our crops. And every time we notice it, we get upset, because it means that something we were supposed to eat is … Continue reading →... Read more »
Hernández-Lauzardo, A., Bautista-Baños, S., Velázquez-del Valle, M., Méndez-Montealvo, M., Sánchez-Rivera, M., & Bello-Pérez, L. (2008) Antifungal effects of chitosan with different molecular weights on in vitro development of Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb.:Fr.) Vuill. Carbohydrate Polymers, 73(4), 541-547. DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2007.12.020
- January 22, 2017
- 04:58 PM
- 54 views
Nature Shapes Faithful and Unfaithful Brains
by Miss Behavior in The Scorpion and the Frog
Among monogamous animals, some individuals are more faithful than others. Could these differences in fidelity be, in part, because of differences in our brains? And if so, why does this diversity in brain and behavior exist?A snuggly prairie vole family. Photo from theNerdPatrol at Wikimedia Commons.Prairie voles are small North American rodents that form monogamous pair bonds, share parental duties, and defend their homes. Although prairie voles form monogamous pairs, that does not mean they ar........ Read more »
Okhovat, M., Berrio, A., Wallace, G., Ophir, A., & Phelps, S. (2015) Sexual fidelity trade-offs promote regulatory variation in the prairie vole brain. Science, 350(6266), 1371-1374. DOI: 10.1126/science.aac5791
- January 21, 2017
- 09:54 PM
- 214 views
Don’t let the web bugs bite
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll If you think spiders are scary creatures, today you will learn that they are scared too. But what could scary a spider? Well, a web bug! We usually think of spider webs as an astonishing evolutionary … Continue reading →... Read more »
PAPE, R. (2013) Description and Ecology of A New Cavernicolous, Arachnophilous Thread-legged Bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesini) from Kartchner Caverns, Cochise County, Arizona. Zootaxa, 3670(2), 137. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3670.2.2
Resende, L., Zepon, T., Bichuette, M., Pape, R., & Gil-Santana, H. (2016) Associations between Emesinae heteropterans and spiders in limestone caves of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Neotropical Biology and Conservation, 11(3). DOI: 10.4013/nbc.2016.113.01
Wignall, A., & Taylor, P. (2010) Predatory behaviour of an araneophagic assassin bug. Journal of Ethology, 28(3), 437-445. DOI: 10.1007/s10164-009-0202-8
- January 20, 2017
- 05:00 AM
- 206 views
Friday Fellow: Giant Kelp
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll This week we’ll stay in the sea and meet on of the most impressive algae, the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera. It is called giant for a good reason, since it can grow up to 50 m in … Continue reading →... Read more »
Foster, M. (1975) Algal succession in a Macrocystis pyrifera forest. Marine Biology, 32(4), 313-329. DOI: 10.1007/BF00388989
- January 13, 2017
- 05:00 AM
- 213 views
Friday Fellow: Branching Vase Sponge
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll A fascinating group of animals that has not yet joined the Friday Fellows are the sponges. Different from all other animals, sponges have a unique body structure that behaves more like a plant or fungus. They … Continue reading →... Read more »
Hendler, G. (1984) The Association of Ophiothrix lineata and Callyspongia vaginalis: A Brittlestar-Sponge Cleaning Symbiosis?. Marine Ecology, 5(1), 9-27. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0485.1984.tb00304.x
Hoppe, W. (1988) Growth, regeneration and predation in three species of large coral reef sponges. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 117-125. DOI: 10.3354/meps050117
- December 30, 2016
- 05:00 AM
- 245 views
Friday Fellow: Peacock Spikemoss
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll This is the last Friday Fellow of the year and I decided to choose a beautiful and little known plant, the peacock spikemoss, more commonly known as Willdenow’s spikemoss or peacock fern, and scientifically known as Selaginella … Continue reading →... Read more »
Chai, Tsun-Thai, & Wong, Fai-Chu. (2012) Antioxidant properties of aqueous extracts of Selaginella willdenowii. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6(7). DOI: 10.5897/JMPR11.1378
- December 23, 2016
- 05:00 AM
- 228 views
Friday Fellow: Christmas Wreath Lichen
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Celebrating Christmas (or whatever you call this time of the year), today’s Friday Fellow is another lichen. And the reason I chose it is because it is known as Christmas wreath lichen due to its red … Continue reading →... Read more »
Elfie Stocker-Wörgötter. (2010) Stress and Developmental Strategies in Lichens. Symbioses and Stress, 525-546. DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-9449-0_27
- December 16, 2016
- 05:00 AM
- 302 views
Friday Fellow: Common Stonewort
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll It’s always hard to introduce a less charismatic species here. Not because they are less interesting to me, but because I cannot find good information available. But I try to do my best to show all … Continue reading →... Read more »
Ariosa, Y., Quesada, A., Aburto, J., Carrasco, D., Carreres, R., Leganes, F., & Fernandez Valiente, E. (2004) Epiphytic Cyanobacteria on Chara vulgaris Are the Main Contributors to N2 Fixation in Rice Fields. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70(9), 5391-5397. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.9.5391-5397.2004
- December 12, 2016
- 03:16 PM
- 428 views
Bacteria Help Pitcher Plants Trap Prey
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Pity the insect that tumbles into a pitcher plant's trap. The slippery walls and waiting pool of water ensure it won't clamber back out. There's nothing left to do but wait to be digested.
The California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica) is also called the cobra lily for its curled-over shape that hides its exit from its victims. Unlike other pitcher plants, it doesn't fill its trap from above with rainwater but from below, drawing water up with its roots. But like others, it seems... Read more »
Armitage DW. (2016) Bacteria facilitate prey retention by the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica. Biology letters, 12(11). PMID: 27881762
- December 8, 2016
- 10:56 AM
- 390 views
The Reconstruction of Ships: Sailing the Seas of International Collaboration
by Filipe Castro in United Academics
Working for both public and private institutions, archaeologists constantly construct and deconstruct narratives about our past, but traditionally publish only a fraction of the sites they excavate and thus destroy. Computers and the internet present a vast range of opportunities for archaeologists to share primary data and foster intercultural online collaborations and reinterpretations of archaeological contexts. ... Read more »
Bass, G. (1961) The Cape Gelidonya Wreck: Preliminary Report. American Journal of Archaeology, 65(3), 267. DOI: 10.2307/501687
- December 7, 2016
- 01:21 PM
- 331 views
The Hunt for the Higgs Bison Is Over
by Jeffrey Daniels in United Academics
A recently-published study has now resolved the mystery of the bison bones, with the help of some Ice Age cave artists. It turns out that there once existed, during the Ice Age, a hybrid between the now-extinct aurochs (the beast from which we domesticated the cow) and the equally-extinct steppe bison (basically, the Asian version of the American bison).... Read more »
Soubrier, J., Gower, G., Chen, K., & et al. (2016) Early cave art and ancient DNA record the origin of European bison. Nature Communications, 13158. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13158
- December 2, 2016
- 06:18 AM
- 298 views
Friday Fellow: Indian shot
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Today’s Friday Fellow may not seem to be such an astonishing plant, but it has its peculiarities, some of them quite interesting. Commonly known as Indian shot, African arrowroot, purple arrowroot, and many other names, it … Continue reading →... Read more »
Cui, L., Ouyang, Y., Lou, Q., Yang, F., Chen, Y., Zhu, W., & Luo, S. (2010) Removal of nutrients from wastewater with Canna indica L. under different vertical-flow constructed wetland conditions. Ecological Engineering, 36(8), 1083-1088. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.04.026
Woradulayapinij, W., Soonthornchareonnon, N., & Wiwat, C. (2005) In vitro HIV type 1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activities of Thai medicinal plants and Canna indica L. rhizomes. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 101(1-3), 84-89. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2005.03.030
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