Navigation Links
Working to conserve endangered 'Playboy' bunnies
Date:6/29/2009

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's legacy will live on with a new University of Central Florida study aimed at saving the endangered bunnies named after him.

Rosanna Tursi, a master's student and graduate teaching assistant, is using population genetics to aid in the conservation of the Lower Keys marsh rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri), which were declared endangered in 1990. It is estimated that less than 300 rabbits remain today.

Hefneri, the most recently recognized subspecies of the marsh rabbit, is small with short, dark brown fur and a grayish-white belly. Discovered in 1984, the subspecies was named in honor of Hefner after his organization donated money to support fieldwork on the rabbits.

Hefneri live in an island environment and are dependent on specific grasses and plants for feeding, nesting and shelter. Population growth and development in the Lower Keys has led to the death of the bunnies at the hands of vehicles or domestic animals. Their natural habitat also is being destroyed.

According to Tursi, the ability of a species to adapt to new conditions depends on the variety of genetic information present in natural populations. The more genetic diversity a species has, the greater its rate of survival is.

"The loss of genetic diversity can have long-term repercussions by affecting the evolutionary potential of the species," Tursi said.

UCF Assistant Professor Eric Hoffman and Philip Hughes, an endangered species biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Big Pine Key, landed a grant to study the bunnies. Tursi joined the team and is conducting fieldwork this summer in the Everglades and Florida Keys. The USFWS is interested in Tursi's finding because it wants to prevent the bunnies' from becoming extinct.

The USFWS hopes to identify rabbits from the most genetically diverse populations, relocate them and create a new population in a
'/>"/>

Contact: Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala
zkotala@mail.ucf.edu
407-823-6120
University of Central Florida
Source:Eurekalert  

3

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Scientists shed light on inner workings of human embryonic stem cells
2. Singapore scientists synthesize gold to shed light on cells inner workings
3. Computer simulations explain the limitations of working memory
4. LabRoots Launches Social Networking Site for Scientists & Engineers
5. Virtual reality: Keyhole surgeons training could help meet European working time directives
6. Scientists film inner workings of the immune system
7. Dont forget the vitamin A when working with its carrier protein
8. Researcher working on destruction of chemical weapons
9. FSU joins coalition working to improve nations power grid
10. £2 million study to reveal workings of dementia genes
11. Indiana U researchers launch social networking and research management tool for scientists

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Working to conserve endangered 'Playboy' bunnies
Working to conserve endangered 'Playboy' bunnies
(Date:12/1/2009)...d international research team has developed an inn...tion of solar cells. , Scientists at Monash Univ...universities of Wollongong and Ulm in Germany, hav...a three-fold increase in energy conversion efficie...ensitised solar cells. , Lead researcher Dr Udo...
(Date:12/1/2009)...among groups of people, research at the University...o and Harvard shows., Using longitudinal data fr...lth conditions for more than 60 years, a team of s...ir loneliness with others. Gradually over time, a ...fringes of social networks., We detected an extr...
(Date:11/30/2009)...s Ron Falta and Larry Murdoch have received an $89...dy the safe storage of carbon dioxide in geologica...e. , With carbon dioxide emissions from burning ...lobal warming, geologic storage of the gas is one ...issions using current technology. , "Geologic st...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Innovation puts next-generation solar cells on the horizon 2Loneliness can be contagious 2Loneliness can be contagious 3China Sky One Medical Inc Appoints New Independent Director 13412 1China Sky One Medical Inc Appoints New Independent Director 13412 2China Sky One Medical Inc Appoints New Independent Director 13412 3Kool Smiles Relies on Wyse Technology Virtual Clients to Improve Patient Care and Security of Electronic Health Records 28EHRs 29 53831 1Kool Smiles Relies on Wyse Technology Virtual Clients to Improve Patient Care and Security of Electronic Health Records 28EHRs 29 53831 2Kool Smiles Relies on Wyse Technology Virtual Clients to Improve Patient Care and Security of Electronic Health Records 28EHRs 29 53831 3Kool Smiles Relies on Wyse Technology Virtual Clients to Improve Patient Care and Security of Electronic Health Records 28EHRs 29 53831 4Kool Smiles Relies on Wyse Technology Virtual Clients to Improve Patient Care and Security of Electronic Health Records 28EHRs 29 53831 5CSC to Help Georgia Hospital Association Members Achieve Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records 53827 1CSC to Help Georgia Hospital Association Members Achieve Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records 53827 2
...west National Laboratory scientists have used elec...molecules lasagna-like around spaghetti-like carbo... a wide range of applications, from ultra-precise ...on, said Yuehe Lin, who led the research at the De...l Molecular Sciences Laboratory. , The technique...
...Riverside have discovered a molecular mechanism di...al development. The findings could hold promise fo.... , The research is published in the Feb. 24 edit...ssor Frank Sauer, with German colleague Elisabeth ... in Munich, and fellow UCR researchers Tilman Sanc...
...er to survey the entire human genome and identify ...lex diseases, researchers at Johns Hopkins, togeth...ramingham Heart Study, U.S.A., have identified a g...art rhythms that lead to sudden cardiac death, a c...s each year. , The gene called NOS1AP, not previo...
Other Biology News:A biosensor layered like lasagna 2Researchers unlock how cells determine their functions 2Whole-genome study at Johns Hopkins reveals a new gene associated with abnormal heart rhythm 2Whole-genome study at Johns Hopkins reveals a new gene associated with abnormal heart rhythm 3
(Date:11/30/2009)... COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 30 The Ohio ... of the nation,s first minority business early-sta...eland December 3, is called "Transforming the Land...Early-Stage Capital Summit." It will feature sever... business leaders and local minority entrepreneurs...
(Date:11/30/2009)... NEW YORK, Nov. 30 The ... (MJFF) today announced $1.5 million in total awar...ially disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson,s ...Approaches to Drug Discovery for Parkinson,s Disea...rporation, plc (NYSE: ELN ), a neuroscience-base...
(Date:11/30/2009)...HICAGO, Nov. 30 Dr. Jessica Torren...hington University Medical Center in Washington, D...t-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) in clinical practi...s of breast cancer today at the annual meeting of ...,, "The purpose of the exhibit was to demonstra...
(Date:11/30/2009)... PDS, a leader in providing smart and...announces Pajama Pathology®, evolutionizing wo...‘gold standard’ software used by 8 of ...but on a ‘cost per slide’ basis. , ...November 30, 2009 -- PDS has announced another evo...
Breaking Biology Technology:Ohio Capital Fund Announces Sponsorship of Minority Business Conference 2The Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in Funding to Advance Development of Drug Targets for Disease-Modifying Parkinson's Disease Treatments 2The Michael J. Fox Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in Funding to Advance Development of Drug Targets for Disease-Modifying Parkinson's Disease Treatments 3Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging In Clinical Practice as an Adjunct Imaging Modality for Diagnosis of Breast Cancer 2Pajama Pathology -- the New Wave of Preclinical Pathology Embraced by PDS 2Pajama Pathology -- the New Wave of Preclinical Pathology Embraced by PDS 3
...Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TBIO) is canceling the f...omic Inc. Fourth Quarter 2008 Earnings Release, ...nesday, February 25, 2009 @ 5:00 p.m. Eastern, ... , , , Transgenomic will communicate by Press R...r the Fourth Quarter 2008 Earnings Release Confere...
...ioidentical hormones are superior to synthetic HRT...risk of breast cancer , , TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. ...shed in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, a leadin...ans, showed that bioidentical hormones are associa...ious than their synthetic counterparts. Conducted ...
...GeneraMedix, Inc. announced,today that it has ente...ed,formulation of epoprostenol sodium for the intr...on (PAH) to Actelion LTD., a biopharmaceutical com...tzerland. Financial terms of the deal,were not dis...mpany,s ongoing commitment to serving,the unique n...
Other Biology Technology:New Analysis Finds Bioidentical Hormones Safer Than Standard Hormone Replacement Therapy 2New Analysis Finds Bioidentical Hormones Safer Than Standard Hormone Replacement Therapy 3GeneraMedix, Inc. Announces Sale of Innovative Epoprostenol Formulation to Actelion Ltd. 2GeneraMedix, Inc. Announces Sale of Innovative Epoprostenol Formulation to Actelion Ltd. 3
Experion Pro260 Reagents and Supplies, for 10 chips from Bio-Rad
...Staccato Mini-Workstations provide fast and reliab..., proteomics and drug development laboratories. St...of instrumentation to automate basic liquid handli...rkstations are controlled with either Caliper's ti...
Aldehyde Slides from Genetix
...The Experion system, 100-120 and 220-240 V, is a m...eps of gel-based electrophoresis, including some d...tion is used for protein analysis (it does not inc.... The system includes the electrophoresis station,...
Biology Products: