Poison dart frog mimics gain when birds learn to stay away
Studying neotropical poison dart frogs, biologists at the University of Texas at Austin uncovered a new way that the frog species can evolve to look similar, and it hinges on the way predators learn to avoid the toxic, brightly colored amphibians. view more (2006-03-09)
Sensorial evaluation of the freshness of fish
AZTI has drawn up some 40 tables for freshness specific for the most important commercial species in southern Europe, including fish and shellfish. The sensorial method, known as QIM (Quality Index Method) and introduced into Europe some years ago, is being applied to a greater number of species, including some in the frozen state. Concretely, for... view more... (2005-04-18)
Do we need a paradigm change? Disputing coevolution in herbivorous insects
Coleoptera (beetles) are one of the most successful groups of organisms on Earth. Their success in evolutionary terms is recognised by their extreme adaptive diversity (occupying almost every possible ecological niche) and their longevity (fossils from the Palaeozoic, 280 million years ago). view more (2007-04-11)
Jungle yeast
A new species of yeast has been discovered deep in the Amazon jungle. In a paper published on-line in FEMS Yeast Research, IFR scientists and colleagues from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador describe the novel characteristics of Candida carvajalis sp. nov. view more (2009-05-21)
Media invitation: How many species in Noah's Arc?
Scientists gather in Mallorca (Spain) to assess the role of biodiversity in ecosystem function. The remarkable increase, towards the end of 20th Century in the rate of species extinctions and the loss of biological diversities in the planet's ecosystems have generated considerable concern on the consequences that, beyond the severe damage of the... view more... (2004-05-11)
Elevated Water Temperature and Acidity Boost Growth of Key Sea Star Species, UBC Researchers
New research by UBC zoologists indicates that elevated water temperatures and heightened concentrations of carbon dioxide can dramatically increase the growth rate of a keystone species of sea star. view more (2009-06-02)
3D birds on internet
The Zoological Museum of the Universiteit van Amsterdam (ZMA), Netherlands, is now presenting 3D images of part of the bird collection on the internet. This is a completely new technology and never before a part of the collection has been presented in this way. The database contains 151 images of 50 species. By using the mouse, the 3D images can... view more... (2004-04-29)
Study suggests past climate changes may have promoted the formation of new species in the Amazon
The results of a new study suggest that past climate changes and sea level fluctuations may have promoted the formation of new species in the Amazon region of South America. view more (2008-07-23)
Hearing is believing
Novel developments in electronics which are giving ecologists important new tools to quickly and easily measure biodiversity will be described at the British Ecological Society's Winter Meeting, being held at the University of York on 18-20 December 2002. Speaking at the meeting, electronics expert and entomologist Dr David Chesmore from the... view more... (2002-12-09)
Cows as unravellers
Long-term conservation of biodiversity may depend not only on the maintenance of its component parts but also on their interactions. Human-aided species introductions stand out as a major anthropogenic modification of ecological systems, and there is increasing concern that such introductions can modify interactions among species in the invaded... view more... (2003-11-24)
DNA barcodes put to the test
With species around the world disappearing faster than biologists can identify them, many scientists pinned their hopes on DNA barcoding, a recently proposed strategy that treats a short fragment of DNA as a sort of universal product code to identify species. view more (2005-11-29)
Multiple genes permit closely related fish species to mix and match their color vision
Vision, like other biological attributes, is shaped by evolution through environmental pressures and demands, and even closely-related species that are in other ways very similar might respond to their particular environments by interpreting the visual world slightly differently, using photoreceptors that are attuned to particular wavelengths of... view more... (2005-10-11)
Attack of the invasive garden ants
An ant that is native to Eurasia is threatening to become the latest in a procession of species to invade Europe, as a result of inadvertent human introduction. Research published in the online open access journal BMC Biology demonstrates that the invasive garden ant, Lasius neglectus, which is a threat to native species, may already be more... view more... (2008-02-26)
Life in the extreme
Cold seeps are deep-sea environments, usually a few square meters in size, where fluid is released through slow diffusion from the sea floor. Mud volcanoes which are active areas of fluid seepage, are other extreme environments discovered in the 1990s. These harsh conditions give rise to some of the most extreme and scientifically challenging... view more... (2006-11-09)
Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide promotes algal growth
It is usually thought that unlike terrestrial plants, submerged plants like algae will not show any response to an increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This view may be biased by a neglect of the effects of the plants themselves on the water chemistry. In the June issue of Ecology Letters, Schippers, Lürling and Scheffer of the Wageningen... view more... (2004-05-13)
World's smallest snake found in Barbados
The world's smallest species of snake, with adults averaging just under four inches in length, has been identified on the Caribbean island of Barbados. The species -- which is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and small enough to rest comfortably on a U.S. quarter --was discovered by Blair Hedges, an evolutionary biologist at Penn State. view more (2008-08-04)
X-Effect: Female Chromosome Confirmed a Prime Driver of Speciation
Researchers at the University of Rochester believe they have just confirmed a controversial theory of evolution. The X chromosome is a strikingly powerful force in the origin of new species. view more (2007-10-18)
New Species of Snapper Discovered in Brazil
A popular game fish mistaken by scientists for a dog snapper is actually a new species discovered among the reefs of the Abrolhos region of the South Atlantic Ocean. view more (2007-03-14)
Report lists top 20 most-vulnerable African carnivores
It may still be "king of the beasts," but the African lion's kingdom is dwindling, according to a new report released by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) that says these emblematic big cats have disappeared from 82 percent of their historic distribution over the past several decades. view more (2006-02-02)
Spatial patterns in tropical forests can help to understand their high biodiversity
The high biodiversity in tropical forests has both fascinated and puzzled ecologists for more than half a century. view more (2007-09-26)
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