Feds designate southwest Alaska shoreline as protected habitat for threatened sea ottersOctober 7th, 2009 Feds give sea otters habitat protection in AlaskaANCHORAGE, Alaska — Four years after being placed on the Endangered Species List, the dwindling sea otters of southwest Alaska on Wednesday were given an important recovery tool. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated nearly 5,900 square miles as critical habitat for sea otters in the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and Alaska Peninsula.
Scientists discover 850 new species of invertebrates in AustraliaSeptember 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Australian researchers have discovered 850 new species of invertebrates, which include various insects, small crustaceans, spiders, worms and many others, in underground water, caves and "micro-caverns" amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. The team, led by Professor Andy Austin (University of Adelaide), Dr Steve Cooper (South Australian Museum) and Dr Bill Humphreys (Western Australian Museum), has conducted a comprehensive four-year survey of underground water, caves and micro-caverns across arid and semi-arid Australia.
Mountains may be cradles of evolutionSeptember 26th, 2009 LONDON - American scientists have suggested that growing mountains may give rise to new species, thus making them cradles of evolution. "The major times of (species) diversification directly coincide with times of large tectonic events," Catherine Badgley, a palaeontologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, told Nature News.
Cell isolated from bio-clock can still keep timeSeptember 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Alexis Webb enters a small room painted dark green, turns off the lights and bends over a microscope over a black box to see a single nerve cell on a glass cover slip glowing dimly - indicating the isolated cell is busy keeping time. Researchers at Washington University in St.
Rat as big as a cat found in extinct volcano in Papua New GuineaSeptember 7th, 2009 LONDON - An expedition team has found a new species of giant rat in an extinct volcano in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, which at 82cm length, is as big as a cat. According to a report by BBC News, the creature, which has not yet been formally described, was discovered by an expedition team filming the BBC programme 'Lost Land of the Volcano'.
A unique story of parallel evolution in moths unraveledSeptember 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new revision of the taxonomic relationships among one group of moths, the subfamily Dioptinae, sheds light on the diversity of tropical moth species and presents a unique story of parallel evolution. "These diurnal moths are a microcosm of butterfly evolution," said James Miller, author of the new Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History and a research associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the Museum.
Scientists discover new species of crustacean that has long antennae for eyesAugust 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered a previously unknown species of predatory crustaceans in the Canary Islands, which have a head equipped with long antennae for eyes, powerful prehensile limbs and poisonous fangs. The species was found by an international team of scientists and cave divers in the Tunnel de la Atlantida, the world's longest submarine lava tube on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
Migratory birds not choosy about their haltAugust 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - If a lush, protected forest with a winding stream is considered luxury accommodation for a migratory bird, a new study shows that they would be just as happy with the equivalent of a cheap roadside motel. John Dunning, associate professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University, found that migrating birds are just as likely to stop in small woodlots in the middle of an agricultural field for the night as long as there is adequate protection and food.
Species diversity can arise without influence from geographical barriersJuly 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of scientists has demonstrated, using a computer model, how diverse species can arise from the arrangement of organisms across an area, without any influence from geographical barriers or even natural selection. The study, "Global patterns of speciation and diversity," was done by Les Kaufman, Boston University professor of biology and associate director of the BU Marine Program, along with a team of researchers from The New England Complex Systems Institute.
Ferns climbed aboard trees to experience flowering of their own species diversityJuly 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have constructed a new time-calibrated family tree for ferns, which has indicated that while modern tropical rain forests were becoming established, ferns climbed aboard, and experienced a flowering of their own species diversity. The family tree for ferns was created by Duke University researcher Eric Schuettpelz, along with associate professor Kathleen Pryer.
Global warming may increase dispersal of flora in Northern forestsJune 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has indicated that an increase in temperature of only a couple of degrees may increase the dispersal of plants in Northern forests and the spread of plant species into forest clearings after felling or forest fires. The research, in the impact of global warming on seed and pollen dispersal, was led by University of Helsinki researcher Anna Kuparinen.
Judge finds US agencies violated Endangered Species Act in Southern California forest plansJune 11th, 2009 Judge finds violation in Calif. forest planningLOS ANGELES — Federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by developing plans for four national forests in California without adequately addressing the impact on endangered animals, a judge ruled.
Different genes cause loss of body parts in similar fishJune 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has shown that different genes can cause loss of body parts in similar fish, by comparing how 2 species of sticklebacks lost pelvises and body armor. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Divisions of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Systems, shows that when two species of stickleback fish evolved and lost their pelvises and body armor, different genes in each species caused the changes.
Where do parasites go when their hosts become extinct?June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The loss of endangered species sends alarm bells ringing among conservationists, but what happens to the parasites they host?
Although most people would side with the panda over the parasite, which group should we worry about more?
North Carolina State University (NCSU) biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues examined the concept of co-extinction, the loss of one species upon the extinction of another. "Decline in host species could drive parasite species to switch onto alternative hosts, which could escalate the rate of emerging pathogens and parasites both for humans and our domesticated animals and plants," Dunn said.
Animal families with most diversity also have largest range of body sizesMarch 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research has found that families of animals grouped together by a similar body plan, with the greatest diversity of species, were also those with the largest range of body sizes. The research was carried out by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) researchers in the US, as part of an analysis of body sizes across all orders of animal life.
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