ecology

Introduced foxes transformed vegetation on Aleutian Islands from lush grasslands to tundra

...ays," said Donald Croll, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Cali... the foxes, said James Estes, adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCSC and a coauthor of the paper. "Most seabirds only have a single off...

Why do insects stop 'breathing'? To avoid damage from too much oxygen, say researchers

...e to their tissues. Timothy Bradley, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCI, and Stefan Hetz, assistant professor of physiology at Humboldt University, Germany, report their findings in the Feb. 3 issue of Nature. The insect respiratory system is designed to accommodate occasions when the ins...

A new study examines how shared pathogens affect host populations

...n Naturalist is a leading journal in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology and animal behavior. For more information, please see our website: www.journals.uchicago.edu/AN Volker H. W. Rudolf and Janis Antonovics, "Species coexistence and pathogens with frequency-dependent transmission" 165:7 July 2...

Cricket's finicky mating behavior boosts biodiversity

...s. The more species you have, the more complex the ecology is going to be." In down-to-earth terms: "What turns a female cricket on? Why does she prefer one pulse rate over another? Whatever the reason, it's very important that she exercise this preference in order to keep the species distinct." Mendelson...

Flocking together: Study shows how animal groups find their way

... the little guy," said Daniel Rubenstein, chair of ecology and evolutionary biology. "You don't need avowed leaders, you don't need complex signaling." In the simulations, a small number of "informed" individuals was just about as effective in leading a large group as a small one. When the size of the group...

Study reveals new technique for fingerprinting environmental samples

... environments. This may well develop environmental ecology into a fully quantitative science." Dubbed Environmental Genomic Tags, or EGTs, these indicators capture a DNA profile of a particular niche and reflect the presence and levels of nutrients, pollutants, and other environmental features. The EGT app...

Aggressive aquatic species invading Great Lakes

...arp, are invading the Great Lakes and changing the ecology of this vital ecosystem. A study from McMaster University published in the March issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research suggests that for the round goby, a recently introduced fish species, their ability to wrest territory from native fish play...

Scientists journey to southern Africa to unravel the secret world of elephant communication

...n 1995 she was accepted to the doctoral program in ecology at UC-Davis and began working with Professor Lynette Hart, an authority on the social behavior of large mammals. Their first goal was to prove to themselves, and to the scientific community, that elephants actually have the physical capability to sen...

Stanford gut check shows diversity of intestinal ecosystem

...es and borrowing statistical techniques from field ecology and population genetics, Paul Eckburg, MD, a postdoctoral scholar in infectious diseases and geographic medicine, conducted the most extensive study to date surveying the inhabitants of the lower digestive tract. In the three healthy subjects he stud...

Finding hidden invaders in a Hawaiian rain forest

...o species of invading plants that are changing the ecology of rain forest near the Kilauea Volcano in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Lead author, Dr. Gregory Asner of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, explained: "We found chemical fingerprints from the plant leaves and used them t...

A New Species of Monkey is Discovered in Tanzania: The First in Africa for More Than 20 Years

...on. The Udzungwas remain a focus for conservation ecology research, as should the Southern Highlands, and we must continue to strongly support Tanzania’s conservation efforts.? Butynski fully agrees, adding that, “This discovery is especially important because it not only expands the diversity of the genus...

Where bacteria get their genes

...oauthors are Nancy Moran, UA Regents' Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and BIO5 member, and Emmanuelle Lerat, now at Universite Claude Bernard (Lyon, France) and Vincent Daubin, now at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in France. The research was funded by the Department of...

Alcohol consumption disrupts breastfeeding hormones

... and appetite, health and well being, and chemical ecology and communication. For more information about Monell, please visit www.monell.org or email media@monell.org. CITATION: Julie A. Mennella, M. Yanina Pepino, and Karen L. Teff. Acute alcohol consumption disrupts the hormonal milieu of lactating women....

Evidence of 600-million-year old fungi-algae symbiosis discovered in marine fossils

... Virginia Tech; and Thomas N. Taylor, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, report their finding in the May 13 issue of Science ("Lichen-Like Symbiosis 600 Million Years Ago"). Yuan, Xiao, and their collaborators have been exploring the Doushantuo Formation in South Chin...

Where Bacteria Get Their Genes

...oauthors are Nancy Moran, UA Regents' Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and BIO5 member, and Emmanuelle Lerat, now at Universite Claude Bernard (Lyon, France) and Vincent Daubin, now at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in France. The research was funded by the Department of...

ORNL, UC Berkeley unravel real-world clues to Earth's mysteries

...together researchers with expertise in biology and ecology of microbial communities, analytical technologies and bioinformatics." Banfield and colleagues at UC Berkeley supplied the bacterial samples and characterized genome information while Hettich and Nathan VerBerkmoes, a post-doctoral student in ORNL's...

Researchers use 3-D imaging system to unveil swimming behavior of microscopic plankton

...iting challenge for future research in zooplankton ecology and evolution." ...

Caloric restriction won't dramatically extend life span in humans: UCLA research

...t and longevity. He and Michael Rose, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine, published their findings in a journal article titled, "Why dietary restriction substantially increases longevity in animal models but won't in humans," published in the August issue of...

Why are coyotes getting more aggressive?

...lleagues are launching a five-year study of coyote ecology and behavior in urban and suburban areas of New York state, thanks to a grant of $428,000 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Additional funding from DEC through an existing study with Dan Decker, director of the C...

Space matters: Estimating species diversity in the fossil record

...is assumption and discover that the golden rule of ecology holds for the rock record as well. Just as geographic sampling influences diversity counts in the modern landscape, the species-area effect strongly influences counts in the fossil record. Taking this into account will alter historical estimates of s...

Looks matter to female barn swallows

...e study while a Cornell postdoctoral researcher in ecology and evolutionary biology, and in the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. "It is dynamic and continual. This is something that most humans can relate to -- think of how much time and money we spend on our looks and status long after we have established...

New Scripps Oceanography project to study sediments and ecosystem restoration in Venice lagoon

...ny Rathburn: geochemistry and benthic foraminifera ecology * Lisa Levin: biodiversity of benthic communities * Bradley Tebo: sediment microbial communities and metal biogeochemistry * Douglas Bartlett: pathogen analysis * Farooq Azam: water column microbial communities and carbon cycle * ...

Discovering an ecosystem beneath a collapsed Antarctic ice shelf

...nse of urgency to investigate the unusual seafloor ecology below the Larsen shelf because of the likelihood of increased sediment deposition. In addition, he suggests that the newfound system may provide incentive to launch studies to other remote undersea environments in the poles and in other glacial sett...

Organic farms produce same yields as conventional farms

... David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and agriculture, concludes, "Organic farming offers real advantages for such crops as corn and soybeans." Pimentel is the lead author of a study that is published in the July issue of Bioscience (Vol. 55:7) analyzing the environmental, energy and eco...

Proposal would allow wild animals to roam North America

...think we're nuts," said Harry Greene, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell. "But if people hear the one-hour version, they realize they haven't thought about this as much as we have. Right now, we are investing all of our megafauna hopes on one continent -- Africa." Greene and a number o...

Otter adaptations: How do otters remain sleek and warm

...ed in 1959, are part of the longest-running animal ecology study in the world. Isle Royale has been a training ground for many ecologists, and lessons learned here have been applied to the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.) Weisel examined wolf prey hair with light and electron microsc...

Genome Sequence for Haemophilus Influenzae Completed

...ed in 1959, are part of the longest-running animal ecology study in the world. Isle Royale has been a training ground for many ecologists, and lessons learned here have been applied to the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.) Weisel examined wolf prey hair with light and electron microsc...

Retina adapts to seek the unexpected, ignore the commonplace

...ibians and mammals, animals that differ greatly in ecology and physiology but share the challenge of adjusting to a variable visual environment. ...

Drugs from the deep blue

... big investment of energy and resources. Chemical ecology is the field of research that explores how natural products serve the organisms that produce or harbor them. The compounds could be chemical defenses to deter predators. For example, some fish "taste" food items before swallowing them, sometimes spit...

Ethanol and biodiesel from crops not worth the energy

...or liquid fuel," says David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell. "These strategies are not sustainable." Pimentel and Tad W. Patzek, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Berkeley, conducted a detailed analysis of the energy input-yield ratios of producing ethanol from co...

Using the genomic shortcut to predict bacterial behavior

...or liquid fuel," says David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell. "These strategies are not sustainable." Pimentel and Tad W. Patzek, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Berkeley, conducted a detailed analysis of the energy input-yield ratios of producing ethanol from co...

Birds and bats sow tropical seeds

...ruz. Henry Howe, a noted authority in restoration ecology and a professor of biological sciences at UIC, wil...close academic collaboration between UNAM and U.S. ecology programs like UIC's. "It will involve environmental issues which will occupy a great many students,...

Plants discriminate between self and non self

...gy and Dr. Roger Koide, professor of horticultural ecology on examining how the latitude of a plants origin affects the respiratory responses of plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi to soil temperatures. ...

Prozac for future Plants on Mars

...gy and Dr. Roger Koide, professor of horticultural ecology on examining how the latitude of a plants origin affects the respiratory responses of plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi to soil temperatures. ...

Genetically modified maize not found in southern Mexico

...hers, said Allison Snow, a professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University . She helped lead the study that appears online this week in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study is the first published report to survey the frequency of...

Oceans turning to acid from rise in CO2

...t predict is just what acidic oceans mean to ocean ecology and to Earth's climate. International and governmental bodies must focus on this area before it's too late." The pH (potential of Hydrogen) scale is from 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Anything that lowers pH makes the solution more acidic. The scie...

Confronting Influenza: Are We Prepared?

.... Collaborating Center of the WHO dealing with the ecology of animal influenza viruses. Discussion topics will include the structure of the influenza viral proteins and the relevance of that structure for drug development, lessons learned from the 1918 pandemic, current H5N1 (Avian influenza) developmen...

Costly breeding programs for endangered species pay off

...iduals," said Lisa Meffert, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the lead researcher on the project. "Ours are the first tests of the long-term consequences of these strategies. In particular, we wanted to simulate several generations of captive breeding followed by several generations...

On a wing and a prayer - Alaska researchers seek clues to bird flu

...dies. "One of the reasons we don't understand the ecology of the virus is that we don't know what happens to the virus in its natural ecosystem," Runstadler said. "We need to understand how the biology of birds impacts disease transmission. For instance, does the time of year when birds nest, fledge, stage,...

Creeping crinoids! Sea lilies crawl to escape predators, new video shows

...s help paint a bigger picture of the evolution and ecology of these deep-sea creatures and their predators. University of Michigan professor of geological sciences Tomasz Baumiller will show the videos and discuss the research Oct.16 at a meeting of the Geological Society of America in Salt Lake City, Utah...

U. of Colorado researcher identifies tracks of swimming dinosaur in Wyoming

...s help paint a bigger picture of the evolution and ecology of these deep-sea creatures and their predators. University of Michigan professor of geological sciences Tomasz Baumiller will show the videos and discuss the research Oct.16 at a meeting of the Geological Society of America in Salt Lake City, Utah...

War on terror meets war on cancer

...stable isotopes to study what has been dubbed "the ecology of terrorism." He has helped the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service and Drug Enforcement Administration. Several years ago, Ehleringer analyzed counterfeit U.S. $100 bills and showed cotton in the counterfei...

Yale participates in global human genome initiative

...vin P. White , associate professor of genetics , ecology and evolutionary biology and the lead investigator for Yale. The library will be available to the Yale University research community and will be used to screen for human gene functions. "Coupling Yale's expertise in the molecular basis of human di...

Wild Gorillas Handy with a Stick

...ng the two populations, supporting the notion that ecology influences the evolution of novel tool use. Though Mbeli Bai gorillas often use intact branches to help them get around, the authors explain, these are the first observations of wild gorillas using detached objects as tools. However the gorillas acqu...

Research: Snails were overlooked contributors to marsh destruction

...trols potentially spurred by climate change. "For ecology in general, the take-home lesson here is that increasing climatic extremes, such as drought stress, can trigger formation of grazer fronts and subsequent waves of habitat die-off in an otherwise stable ecosystem," Silliman said. "For marsh ecology, ...

Plants, too, have ways to manage freeloaders

...hed during the nearly 15 years she has studied the ecology of nitrogen fixation in legumes. Lupines are widespread and beautiful wildflowers, but they also have been used for human and animal food for more than 2,000 years in parts of Europe and South America. Before new "sweet" breeds were developed 80 yea...

Odd energy mechanism in bacteria analyzed

...advance that may ultimately help shed light on the ecology of the world's oceans. The microorganism is SAR11, the smallest free living cell known and probably the most abundant organism in the seas. By being able for the first time to study the SAR11 "proteorhodopsin" gene in a laboratory, researchers will ...

Why the Amazon rainforest is so rich in species

...tion or transformation is mostly determined by the ecology and biology of each species. We want to discover more about why some species survive and multiply, while others remain static or become extinct." Around 40% of the world's species can be found in the tropical areas of south and central America. Scie...

Poison + water = hydrogen. New microbial genome shows how

...tion from the genome of this organism to study the ecology of microbes living in diverse hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park. They want to know what types of microbes are found in different hot springs--and why. To find out, the researchers are dipping into the hot springs of Yellowston...

Primates harvest bee nests in Ugandan reserve

...ffects of pollen and nectar collecting and nesting ecology on native-American stingless bees. Kajobe invited...h America and south-east Asia and have ignored the ecology and context of Afro-tropical stingless bee species, particularly in equatorial regions. I hope this ...

Frog’s ear canal may provide insights for understanding human hearing loss

...arins, UCLA professor of physiological science and ecology and evolutionary biology, and co-author of the study. "In addition, we now add amphibians to the small group of vertebrates (bats, whales and some rodents) that use ultrasound for communication. This study may provide a clue for understanding why hum...

Free access to a digital library for developing countries

...tal subjects such as botany, conservation biology, ecology and zoology will be available through a portal presented in several world languages, in-cluding Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. The project developing OARE is a partnership between Yale University, the United Nations Environment Pro...

Sequencing our seas

.... This approach transformed what we know about the ecology and evolution of microbial life in the ocean," he ...ms, which also supported the work. "By approaching ecology through genomics, we are starting to get a truly paradigm-shifting view of all life on the planet." ...

Wyoming cloud seeding experiment begins this month

.... This approach transformed what we know about the ecology and evolution of microbial life in the ocean," he ...ms, which also supported the work. "By approaching ecology through genomics, we are starting to get a truly paradigm-shifting view of all life on the planet." ...

Vaccine provides 100 percent protection against avian flu virus in animal study

.... This approach transformed what we know about the ecology and evolution of microbial life in the ocean," he ...ms, which also supported the work. "By approaching ecology through genomics, we are starting to get a truly paradigm-shifting view of all life on the planet." ...

Minimal genome should be twice the size, study shows

...omputer modelling and knowledge of the present day ecology of the bacteria the researchers were able to model...le to predict the content of a genome based on the ecology of an organism is useful because we could potentially use it to predict gene content at different st...

Underdogs in the understory: Study suggests nature favors rarer trees

.... Helene Muller-Landau, an assistant professor of ecology in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences, is a co-author of the study, which supports previous research by her colleague David Tilman, a Regents Professor of Ecology, into the causes and value of biodiversity. "This research ...

Evolutionary biology research techniques predict cancer

...nce, between those varieties. "Simply put, we took ecology measures of species diversity and translated them into measures of cell diversity within tumors," Maley says. The found a striking correlation between increased diversity of tumor cells and progression to cancer. For every additional cell variety det...

Researchers create pigs that produce heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids

...nce, between those varieties. "Simply put, we took ecology measures of species diversity and translated them into measures of cell diversity within tumors," Maley says. The found a striking correlation between increased diversity of tumor cells and progression to cancer. For every additional cell variety det...

Invasive species harms native hardwoods by killing soil fungus

...ulation biologist at the Harvard Forest, Harvard's ecology and conservation center in Petersham, Mass. "In North America, thousands of nonnative plants and animals have become established since European settlement and many more continue to be introduced. Some alien species cause little harm, while others can...