The study which focused on laboratory rats was published today in the online peer reviewed journal Nature Communications.
#State of the Birds report assesses the health of Americas birdsone hundred years after the extinction of the passenger pigeon the nation's top bird science
and conservation groups have come together to publish State of the Birds 2014--the most comprehensive review of long-term trend data for U s. birds ever conducted.
The report finds bird populations declining across several key habitats and it includes a watch list of bird species in need of immediate conservation help.
The report also reveals however that in areas where a strong conservation investment has been made bird populations are recovering.
The full report can be found at stateofthebirds. org. The State of the Birds 2014 is authored by the U S. Committee of the North american Bird Conservation Initiative--a 23-member partnership of government agencies
and organizations dedicated to advancing bird conservation. The report is based on extensive reviews of population data from long-term monitoring.
It looks to birds as indicators of ecosystem health by examining population trends of species dependent on one of seven habitats:
grasslands forests wetlands ocean aridlands islands and coasts. This year's report is also a five-year check in on the indicators presented in the inaugural 2009 State of the Birds report.
After examining the population trends of birds in desert sagebrush and chaparral habitats of the West the report's authors identify aridlands as the habitat with the steepest population declines in the nation.
There has been a 46 percent loss of these birds since 1968 in states such as Utah Arizona and New mexico.
Habitat loss and fragmentation due to development are the largest threats. These are also significant threats in the nation's grasslands where the report notes a decline in breeding birds like the eastern meadowlark and the bobolink of nearly 40 percent since 1968.
That decline however has leveled off since 1990--a result of the significant investments in grassland bird conservation.
This report highlights the threats that birds face but it also offers hope for their future
if we act together said Wayne Clough Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. I am gratified that the Smithsonian contributed to this important effort
While habitat loss and fragmentation are the most consistent and widespread threats across habitats they are followed closely on the list by invasive species. Introduced species have a particularly strong impact on islands where native birds have a greater restriction on where they can Live in Hawaii introduced animals
such as mongoose rats and domestic cats serve as unnatural predators and take a huge toll on native species
while grazing livestock degrade habitat. One-third of all U s. federally endangered birds are Hawaiian species
. However as with many grassland birds species in several other key habitats have benefited from targeted conservation.
In general shorebirds along the coasts are squeezed into shrinking strips of habitat due to development. But among the 49 coastal species examined there has been a steady rise in population of 28 percent
since 1968--a direct result of the establishment of 160 national coastal wildlife refuges and nearly 600000 acres of national seashore in 10 states. â#ecause the'state of the birds'mirrors
the state of their habitats our national wildlife refuges national parks national seashores and other public lands are critical safe havens for many of these species--especially in the face of climate change--one of the biggest
The creation and preservation of large swaths of forests through public-private partnerships in the Appalachian mountains and the Northwest has helped declining forest-dependent species such as the golden-winged warbler and the oak titmouse.
Efforts like this are essential as forest-dependent birds have declined nearly 20 percent in the western U s. since 1968 and 32 percent in the east.
and restore wetlands through public-private partnerships across the United states thereby reversing declines in waterfowl populations such as the mallard
In addition to assessing population trends in the seven key habitats the North american Bird Conservation Initiative members created a State of the Birds Watch List.
Forty-two of them are pelagic (open ocean) species. Birds like the Laysan albatross and black-footed albatross are facing increasing levels of oil contamination plastic pollution and greatly reduced amounts of prey fish due to commercial fishing operations.
Rising sea levels due to climate change also put their low-elevation breeding habitats in the Hawaiian and Marshall islands at risk of flooding.
More than half of all U s. shorebird species are on the Watch List including the piping plover long-billed curlew and red knot.
The State of the Birds report shows that public-private partnerships are working to successfully strengthen conservation efforts said Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack.
and the Forest Service have improved habitat for bird species and other wildlife as well as promoting more outdoor recreation opportunities
The report's authors have deemed Hawaii the bird extinction capital of the world--no place has had more extinctions since human settlement.
They point to proactive partner-driven conservation as the best way to recover endangered birds and keep other species off the Endangered Species List not only in Hawaii but in all key habitats.
Species like the Bicknell's thrush a bird that breeds in the mountains in the Northeast faces rapid deforestation of its already limited wintering grounds on the island of Hispaniola.
A positive precedent however lies with the cerulean warbler a species that breeds in forests of the eastern U s. and winters in the tropics.
The passenger pigeon once numbering in the billions is a strong reminder that even species considered common can become extinct without careful attention as it did Sept. 1 1914.
Another focus for State of the Birds 2014 is the importance of keeping common birds common.
The report identifies 33 species like the northern bobwhite quail grasshopper sparrow and bank swallow that do not meet the Watch List criteria
but are declining rapidly in many areas. These birds have lost more than half their global population
and the 33 species combined have lost hundreds of millions of breeding individuals in just the past 40 years.
Addressing the conservation needs of these birds will result in healthier more productive land and water for other wildlife as well as for people.
The strongest finding in State of the Birds 2014 is simple: conservation works. Ducks fly once again in great numbers up the Mississippi river and across the Chesapeake bay.
California condors are rebounding from just 22 birds to more than 200 today. Bald eagles brown pelicans peregrine falcons--all species once headed the way of the passenger pigeon--are now abundant.
To prevent future extinctions like the passenger pigeon the report's authors point to science technology and knowledge as the foundation of proactive partner-driven conservation.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Smithsonian Institution. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length l
#Experts create multiuser, multiantenna scheme to make most of UHF bandrice University wireless researchers have found a way to make the most of the unused UHF TV spectrum by serving up fat streams of data over wireless hotspots that could stretch
and termites) and about 60%comes from human activities like cattle breeding rice agriculture fossil fuel exploitation landfills and biomass burning.
A major concern is the response of calcifying organisms such as corals algae mollusks and some plankton because their ability to build shell
or skeletal material (via calcification) depends on the abundance of carbonate ion. For many organisms calcification declines with increased acidification.
The copper-containing enzyme is present in animals and humans and is essential for the protective pathway against UV radiation it also simultaneously provides the elucidation and potential means with
The enzyme responsible for the mechanism of food spoilage is formed within eukaryotes (organisms that have a nucleus) as an inactive precursor during the developmental phase of an organism.
and believe it stems from random spatial processes including seed dispersal by animals. The stochastic spatial processes interfere with the classic ecological theory of predictable dependence resulting in de facto independence.
Until now lab-built kidneys have been sized rodent and have functioned for only one or two hours after transplantation because blood clots developed said Anthony Atala M d. director and professor at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a senior author on the study.
#Hog workers carry drug-resistant bacteria even after they leave the farma new study suggests that nearly half of workers who care for animals in large industrial hog farming operations may be carrying home livestock-associated bacteria in their noses
The MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer is an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites.
For example researchers will be able to relate forest architecture with habitat quality and the biodiversity of certain birds.
Their adaptive traits can be transferred to crops to improve tolerance to extreme environmental conditions and exposure to different pests and diseases
The wild relatives of crops however contain many useful traits such as drought tolerance yield improvement and resilience to pests and diseases.
For example the crop wild relative of the wheat crop Aegilops tauschii is resistant to Hessian fly
which is pest of cereal crops; Saccharum arundinaceum is a relative of sugar cane and can survive very low temperatures
but it is critical to conserve them in their natural habitat as they will continue to adapt to changes in the climate as well as threats from pests and diseases.''
#Speckled beetle key to saving crops in Ethiopia, researchers sayan invasive weed poses a serious and frightening threat to farming families in Ethiopia
a tiny speckled beetle. The weed called parthenium is so destructive that farmers in the east African nation have given despairingly it the nickname faramsissa in Amharic
After a decade-long effort scientists from the Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab released a parthenium-eating beetle called Zygogramma bicolorata.
Extensive research has shown us that the beetle eats and breeds only on parthenium leaves said Muni Muniappan director of the Integrated Pest Management Innovation Lab a program funded by the U s. Agency for International Development.
It's been tested in Australia India South africa and Mexico with similar results. Parthenium is native to The americas where a suite of natural enemies that includes the Zygogramma beetle keeps the weed in check.
Animals that eat it can experience intestinal damage and their milk and meat becomes bitter and useless.
The Innovation Lab built a quarantine facility in 2007 to ensure that the pea-sized beetle had eyes for parthenium alone.
and extension agents to construct a breeding facility and increase the number of beetles. Finally on July 16 the Innovation Lab team joined a group of about 30 scientists
and farmers in Wollenchitti Ethiopia to release the insects. The group moved from parthenium patch to parthenium patch dumping beetles from containers.
Ethiopian researchers will monitor the sites and assess the impact. As a second step scientists are poised to release a stem-boring weevil that will join Zygogramma.
But even these measures will not eliminate parthenium from Ethiopian farmland. Biocontrol is control not eradication said Witt.
While the effect on human bacteria has only been tested in a lab environment thus far the lactic acid bacteria has been applied directly to horses with persistent wounds.
and applied to ten horses; where the owners had tried several other methods to no avail.
All of the horses'wounds were healed by the mixture. The researchers believe the secret to the strong results lie in the broad spectrum of active substances involved.
The next step is further studies to investigate wider clinical use against topical human infections as well as on animals.
Most of the pitfalls we've had the opportunity and challenge to overcome. If someone asks us'what do Ido now?'
and importance to the health of the landscape he noted citing wetlands teaming with birds amphibians and beneficial insects.
and ash trees are being threatened by the emerald ash borer. Restoring tall prairie grasses Seven years ago Johnson became one of the founders of the Ecosun Prairie Farms to demonstrate the viability of a working grass farm as a means of restoring tall grass prairie and pothole wetlands.
In general animal-based foods are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions per pound than plant-based foods.
and he believes that animals need to be part of a sustainable agricultural system. However reduced consumption would have both health and environmental benefits.
Scientists theorize that the chemical may help plants repel insects or stunt competitors'growth. One recent paper showed that pollinators--like humans--may develop caffeine habits.
Insects that visited caffeine-producing plants often returned to get another taste. The new Science study doesn't offer new ideas about the evolutionary role of caffeine
but it does reinforce the idea that the compound is a valuable asset. It also provides the opportunity to better understand the evolution of coffee's genome structure.
tree salamanders have same dietssalamanders spend the vast majority of their lives below ground and surface only for short periods of time and usually only on wet nights.
When they do emerge salamanders can be spotted not only on forest floors but also up in trees and on other vegetation oftentimes climbing as high as 8 feet up.
Given their infrequent appearances aboveground it has never been clear to biologists why salamanders take time to climb vegetation.
Researchers at the University of Missouri recently conducted a study testing a longstanding hypothesis that salamanders might climb vegetation for food.
Previous research suggested that plant climbing might be a way for salamanders to access additional prey items like aphids
Connette and his colleagues tested the hypothesis by collecting red-legged salamanders (Plethodon sharmani) and examining their stomach contents.
The researchers captured an equal number of salamanders on the ground and up on trees or shrubs and then brought them back to the lab where they anesthetized them
The salamanders--minus their last meals--were returned then safely to their exact capture location. The stomach contents were preserved in alcohol
At the end they had a laundry list of things found in the guts of these salamanders.
The dominant groups were mites millipedes beetles and an assortment of ants said Carrel. What was surprising was that the salamanders collected on trees did not have anything one would associate with a plant-feeding insect like aphids.
The diet of the salamanders captured on the ground was the same as the diet of salamanders captured sitting high up on vegetation.
We found no evidence that climbing allows these salamanders to more fully exploit available food resources
which instead suggests that other mechanisms such as competition or predator avoidance might be important influences on salamander populations said Connette.
The study was prompted by the research of Curators'Professor Ray Semlitsch who has been studying salamander populations in the Appalachian mountains since 2005.
The mountain range's moist forests make it a global hot spot for a variety of salamander species. Connette said that by testing a possible explanation for climbing behavior the research also provides important background information about how salamanders can exist in high densities
in North american forests. The study Relationship between diet and microhabitat use of red-legged salamanders (Plethodon shermani) in southwestern North carolina appeared in the journal Copeia.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Missouri-Columbia. The original article was written by Melody Kroll.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference e
#Ozone pollution in India kills enough crops to feed 94 million in povertyin one year India's ozone pollution damaged millions of tons of the country's major
Scientists found similarities between the organisms and members of Ctenophora and Cnidaria and suggest that they may be related to one of these phyla.
New mushroom-shaped animals from the deep sea discovered which could not be placed in any recognized group of animals.
and current evidence suggest that they represent an early branch on the tree of life with similarities to the 600 mill old extinct Ediacara fauna.
The herbicide was deemed ultimately safe to amphibians despite the existence of a number of studies that could have led to a different conclusion.
management optionsthe brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an invasive herbivorous insect species that was introduced accidentally to the United states from Asia.
In North america it has become a major agricultural pest across a wide range of commodities. The insect is capable of eating more than 100 different plant species
and in 2010 it caused $37 million worth of damage to apples alone. Now a new open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management describes available management options for this invasive pest species as well as information about its origin
and spread its pest status in other invaded regions descriptions of its life stages and biology its chemical ecology and the types of damage it does to various host plants.
The authors of the article--some of the best known experts on the BMSB in North america--are from the the U s. Department of agriculture Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and a number of universities.
along with a list of natural insect enemies that can potentially be used for biological control programs.
They also discuss different chemical control options that can be used successfully in integrated pest management programs.
To return to an integrated approach to managing all pests in the crops affected by H. halys growers require a more sustainable strategy for chemical control that combines efficient use of insecticides with a better understanding of its biology and behavior according to the authors.
and waterfowl enthusiasts as prime wildlife habitat researchers believe that the underwater grass beds at the shallow Susquehanna Flats began to decline in the 1960s
#Asian camel crickets now common in U s. homeswith their long spiky legs and their propensity for eating anything including each other camel crickets are the stuff of nightmares.
And now research from North carolina State university finds that nonnative camel cricket species have spread into homes across the eastern United states. The good news is that camel crickets don't bite
when a cricket taxonomist found an invasive cricket in the home of one of the NC State researchers.
whether they had camel crickets (also known as cave crickets) in their homes and if so to send in photos or mail in physical specimens.
The most common species reported by more than 90 percent of respondents was the greenhouse camel cricket (Diestrammena asynamora.
Instead the researchers found that it is now far more common than native camel crickets in and near homes east of the Mississippi.
though it's possible that the greenhouse camel cricket could be driving out native camel cricket species in homes Epps says.
They found large numbers of greenhouse camel crickets with higher numbers being found in the areas of the yards closest to homes.
if they find camel crickets in their homes. Because they are scavengers camel crickets may actually provide an important service in our basements
or garages eating the dead stuff that accumulates there says Dr. Holly Menninger director of public science in the Your Wild Life lab at NC State
We know remarkably little about these camel crickets such as their biology or how they interact with other species Menninger says.
#Greenhouse whitefly: Will the unwanted greenhouse guest make it in the wild? Greenhouses have improved the possibilities of invasion of greenhouse whitefly into the wild in the boreal region new study finds.
Genetic analysis sheds new light on the survival of whiteflies in Finland and helps to plan efficient pest management.
Irina Ovcarenko research scientist at the MTT Agrifood Research Finland has studied genetic diversity and ecology of greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) in her thesis. Greenhouse whitefly is a widespread invasive pest
which has occurred in Finland since the year 1920. It does not belong to the original fauna of the country
but survives in Finland as it finds suitable overwintering habitats in greenhouses. Carefully planned pest management reduces crop damages.
Genetic analyses revealed that the same whitefly populations persist in the majority of the sampled greenhouses for two years.
Year-round greenhouse crop producers should avoid planting new crop without complete extermination of whiteflies not only from the old crop but also from the greenhouse premises Ovcarenko says.
Insecticide-treated populations able to recoverovcarenko's findings show that genetic diversity of greenhouse whitefly is lower in the Finnish greenhouses compared with Greece where whiteflies are able to persist outdoors all year round.
Furthermore global genetic diversity of greenhouse whitefly is low. Generally low genetic diversity results in species'decreased ability to adapt.
However whiteflies are able to recover from insecticide treatments and maintain even high levels of genetic diversity in their local populations.
It was surprising to find medium to high levels of local genetic diversity and no signs of harmful genetic bottlenecks in whiteflies from greenhouses where new crops are planted every year
and insecticides cause frequent mortality Ovcarenko says. Moreover low global genetic diversity has reduced not adaptation or invasion potential of the Finnish population.
Whitefly is a generalist herbivore which feeds on many plant species but it may also specialize in feeding on greenhouse crops.
Formation of these races may increase pest abundance and lead to a higher extent of crop damage Ovcarenko says.
Despite initial signs of host race formation whiteflies prefer natural species to cultivated crops as host plants which could facilitate pest dispersal into natural vegetation in spring.
Whiteflies are able to use numerous outdoor plants around greenhouses as seasonal habitats in summer.
The same population of whiteflies may therefore return from these wild plants to newly planted greenhouse crops in August
Biological pest control pays offthe study showed that resistance to common insecticide pymetrozine varies considerably among the Finnish whitefly populations.
Therefore Ovcarenko recommends pest management should start at individual company level by maintaining pest free surroundings and monitoring for early detection of the pest.
If biological pest control was used whitefly populations were more susceptible to insecticides whereas whiteflies from greenhouses treated with insecticides over the years showed initial signs of resistance development.
The most important step to reduce crop damage and tackle invasion is to standardize practices in dense greenhouse areas.
The study has motivated farmers to exchange information and monitor whiteflies outside greenhouses in potato and strawberry fields.
Co-operation is the key for sustainable pest management. To reduce pest dispersal potential to other greenhouse agroecosystems synchrony in pest monitoring exterminations
and crop rotations among crop producers is advised Ovcarenko concludes. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by MTT Agrifood Research Finland.
%and as we eat more meat more arable cultivation is turned over to producing feedstock for animals that provide meat for humans.
#Flapping baby birds give clues to origin of flighthow did the earliest birds take wing? Did they fall from trees
and learn to flap their forelimbs to avoid crashing? Or did they run along the ground
but a new University of California Berkeley study provides a new piece of evidence--birds have an innate ability to maneuver in midair a talent that could have helped their ancestors learn to fly rather than fall from a perch.
The study looked at how baby birds in this case chukar partridges pheasant-like game birds from Eurasia react
The researchers Dennis Evangelista now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North carolina Chapel hill and Robert Dudley UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology found that even ungainly day-old baby birds successfully use their flapping wings
when they fall from a nest a skill that improves with age until they become coordinated and graceful flyers.
From day one post-hatching 25 percent of these birds can basically roll in midair
By nine days after hatching 100 percent of the birds in the study had developed coordinated
and control in development and evolution of flight in birds. The researchers'study appeared Aug 27 in the online journal Biology Letters published by the Royal Society.
and allowed the ancestors of today's birds to effectively use their forelimbs as rudimentary wings.
But once animals without wings have this innate aerial righting behavior when wings came along it became easier quicker and more efficient.
Dudley noted that some scientists hypothesize that true powered flight originated in the theropod dinosaurs the ancestors to birds
however and Dudley favors the scenario that flight developed in tree-dwelling animals falling and eventually evolving the ability to glide and fly.
He has documented many ways that animals in the wild from lizards and lemurs to ants use various parts of their bodies to avoid hard landings on the ground.
Practically every animal that has been tested is able to turn upright and a great many even ones that do not look like fliers have some ability to steer
or maneuver in the air. Contrary to WAIR maneuvering is very important at all stages of flight evolution and must have been present early Evangelista said.
Seeing it develop first in very young chicks indirectly supports this idea. Symmetric flapping while running is certainly one possible context in
This experiment illustrates that there is a much broader range of aerodynamic capacity available for animals with these tiny tiny wings than has been realized previously.
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