Human activity destroys species that the Ice Age could not
Forest clearance and animal overgrazing in the last 5,000 years have destroyed important tree species that had survived even the Ice Age. Dr Mick Frogley, Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Sussex, is one of a British research team exploring a site near Lake Ioannina in the Pindus Mountains of northwestern Greece. "Given the... view more... (2002-09-20)
Genetic study finds treasure trove of new lizards
University of Adelaide research has discovered that there are many more species of Australian lizards than previously thought, raising new questions about conservation and management of Australia's native reptiles. view more (2009-03-04)
Biodiversity promotes evolutionary change
Evolutionary biologists at the University of East Anglia have discovered a new link between biodiversity and the evolution of new species. view more (2005-04-18)
Conservation in Canada
Conservation actions could be more efficient if there is similarity among taxa in the distribution of species. In a paper in Ecology Letters, May, by an international research team, patterns in the geographic distribution of five taxa were used to identify nationally important regions for conservation in Canada. There was congruence in both... view more... (2004-05-04)
New host species for avian influenza identified
In a new study published online in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, Dr. Vincent J. Munster, of Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, and colleagues identify new host species for avian influenza A virus (H5N1) and provide important information on the distinctions between the ecology and epidemiology of various global strains of the virus. view more (2007-05-11)
Beautiful plumage: Feather color and sex start the species revolution
Faculty of 1000, the leading scientific evaluation service, has highlighted research providing evidence for the evolution of a new species. view more (2009-08-06)
Research at Durham University finds elephant seal travelling over 8,000 km to mate
Researchers at the University of Durham have identified a male southern elephant seal who was born in the South Pacific and travelled over 8,000 km to mate and reproduce on the Falkland Islands. This is the first demonstration of long-range movement of genes in this species. The research paper is published in the prestigious journal of the... view more... (2003-01-31)
Drought sensitivity shapes species distribution patterns in tropical forests
Looking at a rainforest it's easy to see that there are hundreds of different tropical plant species that inhabit the forest. Although the patterns of plant distributions in tropical forests have been widely studied, the reasonings behind these patterns are not as well known. view more (2007-05-15)
Species detectives track unseen evolution
New species are evading detection using a foolproof disguise - their own unchanged appearance. Research published in the online open access journal, BMC Evolutionary Biology, suggests that the phenomenon of different animal species not being visually distinct despite other significant genetic differences is widespread in the animal kingdom. view more (2007-07-19)
Declining sharks
The transformation of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems by humans is well known, but only recently have the impacts of anthropogenic forces in the open ocean been recognized. In particular, intense exploitation by industrial fisheries is rapidly changing oceanic ecosystems by drastically reducing populations of many marine species. For most... view more... (2004-02-05)
Predicting the species diversity of large herbivores in nature reserves
The number of species of large herbivores that can live in a nature reserve can be easily calculated using just rainfall and soil fertility data. The Wageningen ecologist Dr Han Olff can use this to indicate on a worldwide basis where nature reserves that protect large mammals are needed. On a map of the world, the researcher from Wageningen... view more... (2002-02-19)
Genes from the father facilitate the formation of new species
The two closely related bird species, the collared flycatcher and the pied flycatcher, can reproduce with each other, but the females are more strongly attracted to a male of their own species. view more (2007-10-05)
Census of Marine Life: Making Ocean Life Count
Burgeoning marine life database tops 5 million records, 38,000 species Scientists add over 4 million new records, 13,000 species in 2004; Exponential growth of "information seaway" tops Census highlights view more (2004-11-23)
Our penchant for rarity could threaten conservation efforts
Rare plant and animal species are like rare stamps or coins: they are perceived to be inherently more valuable to people, whatever they look like. view more (2009-04-22)
Another New Spitting Cobra Discovered
When staff at the Reptile House in London Zoo thought they had an unidentified species of cobra on their hands, they turned to an expert in snake species identification- Dr Wolfgang Wüster of the University of Wales, Bangor's School of Biological Sciences for assistance. Dr Wüster, who has been involved in the identification of three... view more... (2003-06-30)
New Keys to Keeping a Diverse Planet
Variation in plants and animals gives us a rich and robust assemblage of foods, medicines, industrial materials and recreation activities. But human activities are eliminating biological diversity at an unprecedented rate. view more (2007-09-27)
Catastrophic shift in species diversity and productivity of an ecosystem
Ecology and environmental management is largely predicated on the view that ecosystems respond to environmental changes in a smooth and straightforward way. However, in Ecology Letters, May, Schmitz reports on a long-term field experiment that may prompt a hard, critical look at this reigning view. In the experimental system, top predators... view more... (2004-05-04)
Why are there so many more species of insects? Because insects have been here longer
J. B. S. Haldane once famously quipped that "God is inordinately fond of beetles." Results of a study by Mark A. McPeek of Dartmouth College and Jonathan M. Brown of Grinnell College suggest that this fondness was expressed not by making so many, but rather by allowing them to persist for so long. view more (2007-04-04)
Regional warming-induced species shift in NW Mediterranean marine caves
The north-western Mediterranean Sea has a high biodiversity reflecting a mixture of temperate and subtropical species. But this basin already shows signs of large-scale warming. Marine cave communities with endemic and specialised species are particularly at risk since they are naturally fragmented and more sensitive to perturbations. In the... view more... (2003-04-08)
New bacterial species found in human mouth
Scientists have discovered a new species of bacteria in the mouth. The finding could help scientists to understand tooth decay and gum disease and may lead to better treatments, according to research published in the August issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. view more (2008-08-11)
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