All posts; Tags Include "Zoology"
- September 25, 2013
- 11:01 AM
- 164 views
Cooperation between predatory spiders
by Diego in macrostylis
Cooperation between predatory spiders Different predators can even cooperate with each other to catch their prey: a case of this kind recently discovered in some spiders... Read more »
Peng P., Blamires S.J., Agnarsson I., Lin H.-C., Tso I.-M. (2013) A color-mediated mutualism between two arthropod predators. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.057
- September 25, 2013
- 10:39 AM
- 136 views
The jellyfish that look at the trees
by Diego in macrostylis
The jellyfish that look at the trees Some jellyfish eyes look at the mangroves... Read more »
Garm A., Oskarsson M., Nilsson D.-E. (2011) Box Jellyfish Use Terrestrial Visual Cues for Navigation. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.03.054
- September 23, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 917 views
Cougars and Wolves in the East: Where Would They Live? --Guest Post--
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
In my first post to this blog, I made the ecological case for returning the top predators, wolves and cougars, to the eastern United States. I argued that the eastern ecosystem needed their star actors to make it all work. In ending, I posed several questions that needed to be addressed beyond the ecological necessity of bringing back cougars and wolves. The first of these was: Can wolves ... Read more »
John Laundre. (2013) The feasibility of the north-eastern USA supporting the return of the cougar Puma concolor. Oryx, 47(1), 96-104. DOI: 10.1017/S0030605311001475
- September 22, 2013
- 06:04 AM
- 314 views
The Philippine tarsier chirps, twitters and whistles and in different ultrasonic frequencies!
by nath in Imprints of Philippine Science
Last year, a team composed of scientists from the USA and the Philippines observed calls of the Philippine tarsier that …Continue reading »... Read more »
Ramsier MA, Cunningham AJ, Moritz GL, Finneran JJ, Williams CV, Ong PS, Gursky-Doyen SL, & Dominy NJ. (2012) Primate communication in the pure ultrasound. Biology letters, 8(4), 508-11. PMID: 22319094
Gursky-Doyen S. (2013) Acoustic characterization of ultrasonic vocalizations by a nocturnal primate Tarsius syrichta. Primates; journal of primatology, 54(3), 293-9. PMID: 23549838
- September 18, 2013
- 08:05 AM
- 559 views
It’s Not Just Our Tooth That’s Sweet
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Homochirality plays a role in the uses of sugars and amino acids in biologic systems. Some studies have begun to look at the development of homochirality and the maintenance of same over time. But homochirality does not take into account the many ways that L-sugars are used in organisms. New evidence shows that some bacteria have metabolic pathways to make ATP from L-glucose, and L-deoxy sugars are important in many biologic systems, from things as diverse as bacterial LPS to mammalian ABO blood........ Read more »
Shimizu T, Takaya N, & Nakamura A. (2012) An L-glucose catabolic pathway in Paracoccus species 43P. The Journal of biological chemistry, 287(48), 40448-56. PMID: 23038265
Toxvaerd S. (2009) Origin of homochirality in biosystems. International journal of molecular sciences, 10(3), 1290-9. PMID: 19399249
- September 17, 2013
- 06:21 AM
- 380 views
Scientists Plumb Blue Whales’ Secrets by Looking in Their Ears
by Josephine Lethbridge in United Academics
How do you get to know one of Earth’s most mysterious creatures? By looking at its earwax, according to a group of US researchers. Analysing the contents of blue whales’ ears, through a process similar to analysis of tree rings, led the team to construct a chemical timeline of the its life. This technique, they say, should allow significant further research both into how blue whales develop and how they respond to environmental concerns.... Read more »
Stephen J. Trumble et al. (2013) Blue whale earplug reveals lifetime contaminant exposure and hormone profiles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1311418110
- September 13, 2013
- 07:15 PM
- 415 views
Sunbird colonization and diversification in the Philippines; spotlight on Mindanao
by nath in Imprints of Philippine Science
The Philippines is the center of diversity of sunbirds belonging to the genus Aethopyga. The country boasts of 8 species, …Continue reading »... Read more »
Hosner, P. A., Nyári, Á. S., & Moyle, R. G. (2013) Water barriers and intra-island isolation contribute to diversification in the insular Aethopyga sunbirds (Aves: Nectariniidae). Journal of Biogeography, 40(6), 1094-1106. info:/10.1111/jbi.12074
- September 11, 2013
- 11:23 PM
- 458 views
The Odyssey of the Lesser Horseshoe Bat
by Andrew Harrington in Denise O'Meara
The lesser horseshoe bat hides a shadowy past, where great invasions and wanderings across vast expanses of Eurasia contrast with its slow pace of life in the present day. This saga has been revealed by a new paper by Dool et al. (2013), which looks at the patterns of diversity and distribution of different genes in the DNA of the lesser horseshoe bat and allowed the authors to look deep into the species’ history, revealing a fascinating story.... Read more »
Dool SE, Puechmaille SJ, Dietz C, Juste J, Ibáñez C, Hulva P, Roué SG, Petit EJ, Jones G, Russo D.... (2013) Phylogeography and postglacial recolonization of Europe by Rhinolophus hipposideros: evidence from multiple genetic markers. Molecular ecology, 22(15), 4055-70. PMID: 23889545
- August 29, 2013
- 10:14 AM
- 394 views
A Virus Emerges – with a Human Helping Hand
by Roli Roberts in PLOS Biologue
Where do viruses come from? Like us, they are products of their genomes, and like our genomes, viral genomes are palimpsests of writing, overwriting, cutting and pasting, plagiarism and happenstance. Genes all have to come from somewhere originally, and Nature …... Read more »
Anna Maria Niewiadomska,, & Robert J. Gifford. (2013) The Extraordinary Evolutionary History of the Reticuloendotheliosis Viruses. PLoS Biology, 11(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001642
- August 26, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 852 views
Indigo Success
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
By Jim Godwin
It’s the end of another season of monitoring of the Eastern Indigo Snake reintroduction project in Conecuh National Forest. During the winter months biologists and experienced volunteers have been systematically scouring the sandhills and longleaf forest for indigo snakes, using Gopher Tortoise burrows as cues in their searches. With the close of this round of ... Read more »
J. W. Gibbons, & K. M. Andrews. (2004) PIT tagging: simple technology at its best. BioScience, 54(5), 447-454. DOI: 10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0447:PTSTAI]2.0.CO;2
- August 25, 2013
- 11:02 AM
- 576 views
Timing and defining the Killarney shad
by Denise O'Meara in Denise O'Meara
The Killarney shad (Alosa fallax killarnensis) is the only landlocked species of shad. A new study by Coscia et al. (2013) has investigated the phylogenetic origins of the species and have estimated that the first colonisation event took place 16,000 years ago and a second event likely occurred 7000 years ago. ... Read more »
Coscia I, McDevitt AD, King JJ, Roche WK, McLoughlin C, & Mariani S. (2013) A species-to-be? The genetic status and colonization history of the critically endangered Killarney shad. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution. PMID: 23933070
- August 24, 2013
- 10:23 PM
- 361 views
Western Iranian Plague Foci Still Active, 2011-2012
by Michelle Ziegler in Contagions
In a letter in this month’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, an Iranian and French team of epidemiologists report that the old plague focus in western Iran bordering Kurdistan is still active. Between 1947 and 1966 there were nine human plague epidemics causing 156 human deaths. The last recorded human case occurred in 1966 and in animals […]... Read more »
Esamaeili S, Azadmanesh K, Naddaf SR, Rajerison M, Carniel E, & Mostafavi E. (2013) Serologic survey of plague in animals, Western iran. Emerging infectious diseases, 19(9). PMID: 23968721
- August 19, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 718 views
Two Trips to the Rainforest
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
By Brian Folt
Growing up, a summer-time ritual in our family was to visit the zoo. Most of my younger years were spent growing up in the greater Detroit, Michigan area, and the Detroit Zoo was a staple in our summer circuit of activities. While visiting the zoo during the dog days of summer, my favorite exhibit to see, without a doubt, was the Penguin House. These strange little birds had... Read more »
Chazdon R.L., C.A. Harvey, O. Komar, D.M. Griffith, B.G. Ferguson, M. Martínez-Ramos, H. Morales, R. Nigh, L. Soto-Pinto, M. van Breugel.... (2009) Beyond reserves: A research agenda for conserving biodiversity in human-modified tropical landscapes. Biotropica, 142-153. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2008.00471.x
Bradshaw, C.J.A., N.S. Sodhi, & B.W. Brook. (2009) Tropical turmoil: A biodiversity tragedy in progress. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 261-267. DOI: 10.1890/070193
Folt, B., & K.E. Reider. (2013) Leaf-litter herpetofaunal richness, abundance, and community assembly in mono-dominant plantations and primary forest of northeastern Costa Rica. Biodiversity and Conservation, 2057-2070. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-013-0526-0
- August 12, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 813 views
Cottonmouths in the Ocean: Fact or Fiction?
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
We know that some reptiles love the water. Alligators,
turtles, snakes, the swamps are crawling with them. But what about the ocean?
Are there any reptiles that use saltwater habitats?
Of course. Sea turtles are well-known for spending their lives in the ocean (aside
from their brief trips to the beach to lay eggs). Not technically a sea turtle
... Read more »
H.B. Lillywhite, C.M. Sheehy III, & F. Zaidan III. (2008) Pitviper scavenging at the intertidal zone: an evolutionary scenario for invasion of the sea. BioScience, 58(10), 947-955. DOI: 10.1641/B581008
Rasmussen AR, Murphy JC, Ompi M, Gibbons JW, & Uetz P. (2011) Marine reptiles. PloS one, 6(11). PMID: 22087300
- August 10, 2013
- 05:44 PM
- 441 views
Legs for laying eggs
by Africa Gomez in BugBlog
Most Nymphalid butterflies, a group of large species that include the Peacock, Painted Lady, Comma and the Monarch, have modified forelegs, smaller than the rest of the legs and normally tucked in under the head. In the Peacock (above) the forelegs are relatively large, but not used for walking and they even have the same dark colour as the body, giving the impression that the butterfly has only four legs. Why is this? Despite their vestigial appearance, experiments have shown that the forelegs ........ Read more »
Baur, R., Haribal, M., Renwich, J. A. A. and Staedler, E. (1998) Contact chemoreception related to host selection and oviposition behaviour in the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Physiological Entomology, 7-19. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3032.1998.2310007.x
- July 24, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 670 views
Married to a Hellbender
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
By David Jachowski
Who would marry a Hellbender? The name itself sounds unreputable at best, like a biker gang turned rock band. The reality is perhaps worse, an oversized soft and slimy salamander, with a nickname of “old lasagna sides.” But to be married to a Hellbender, or better yet one of the world’s leading experts on Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), means you spend lots ... Read more »
Jachowski, C. M. Bodinof, & Hopkins, W. A. (2013) Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Eastern Hellbender). Aggregate Behavior. Herpetological Review, 44(2), 292. info:/
Bodinof, C.M., J. T. Briggler, R. E. Junge, T. Mong, J. Beringer, M. D. Wanner, C. D. Schuette, J. Ettling, & J. J. Millspaugh. (2012) Survival and body condition of captive-reared juvenile Ozark Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) following translocation. Copeia, 2012(1), 150-159. DOI: 10.1643/CH-11-024
- July 22, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 1,334 views
Readers Write In: Are Water Moccasins and Cottonmouths Different Species?
by David Steen in Living Alongside Wildlife
I have recently heard from two independent sources that a cottonmouth and a water moccasin are "in fact" two different snakes. Both stated that coloration, body size/shape, habitat, and swimming behavior were the differentiating traits. I was taken aback by both accounts, never before hearing this in any of my herpetology classes or seeing this for myself in the field. Afterwards, my first ... Read more »
Guiher TJ, & Burbrink FT. (2008) Demographic and phylogeographic histories of two venomous North American snakes of the genus Agkistrodon. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 48(2), 543-53. PMID: 18539486
- July 19, 2013
- 12:37 PM
- 508 views
From faeces to species: genetic identification of otters from spraints
by Denise O'Meara in Denise O'Meara
A new paper by O'Neill et al (2013) has just been published in Molecular Ecology Resources. The study describes novel DNA techniques for the identification of otters from spraints (faeces). ... Read more »
David O'Neill, Peter D. Turner, Denise B. O'Meara, Elizabeth A. Chadwick, Lee Coffey, Catherine O'Reilly. (2013) Development of novel real-time TaqMan® PCR assays for the species and sex identification of otter (Lutra lutra) and their application to noninvasive genetic monitoring. Molecular Ecology Resources. DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12141
- July 10, 2013
- 08:25 AM
- 751 views
Grin And Water Bear It
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
While the tardigrade is often cited as the world’s toughest animal, it is harder to say just why it is so tough. It isn’t a hunter of great repute, but it can withstand conditions that would kill every other animal. Radiation, freezing, boiling, pressure, lack of oxygen – nothing stops this animal. However, it is important that the organism be in a state of cryptobiosis in order to withstand the stressors. In anhydrobiosis, a type of cryptobiosis, the tardigrade loses 99% of it........ Read more »
Borde, A., Ekman, A., Holmgren, J., & Larsson, A. (2012) Effect of protein release rates from tablet formulations on the immune response after sublingual immunization. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 47(4), 695-700. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2012.08.014
McGee, M., Weber, D., Day, N., Vitelli, C., Crippen, D., Herndon, L., Hall, D., & Melov, S. (2011) Loss of intestinal nuclei and intestinal integrity in aging C. elegans. Aging Cell, 10(4), 699-710. DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2011.00713.x
Guidetti, R., Altiero, T., & Rebecchi, L. (2011) On dormancy strategies in tardigrades. Journal of Insect Physiology, 57(5), 567-576. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.03.003
- July 9, 2013
- 10:11 AM
- 309 views
Lonely Lemurs Heed Warnings of Fellow Forest Creatures
by Michael Parker in United Academics
While not the brightest of primates, one species of lemur has shown it can still learn a trick or two, staying safe from predators by heeding the alarm calls of other creatures in the forest.
Of all the species of lemur living on the island of Madagascar only one, Lepilemur sahamalazensis, has been found to exhibit this trait. The solitary, nocturnal creatures were found to respond to the alarm calls of the blue-eyed black lemur, and to those from several different species of bird.... Read more »
Seiler M, Schwitzer C, Gamba M, & Holderied MW. (2013) Interspecific Semantic Alarm Call Recognition in the Solitary Sahamalaza Sportive Lemur, Lepilemur sahamalazensis. PloS one, 8(6). PMID: 23825658
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