Water from canals may have carried also harmful protozoa bacteria and viruses. But groups to the northeast would have been able to expand maize production into new areas as their populations grew he said.
It was said a trap Kohler. A Malthusian trap but also a violence trap. The northern Southwest had as many as 40000 people in the mid-1200s
but within 30 years it was empty leaving a mystery that has consumed several archaeological careers including Kohler's. Perhaps the population got too large to feed itself as climates deteriorated
Our study was motivated by the need for effective strategies that will enable small-scale growers who do not have access to drills to grow uniform
In vegetable and strawberry systems in the central coast region of California grain drills are used commonly by medium-to large-scale farms
Bother Youno one wants to get stung by an insect but for some people it can be very serious
because they are at risk of suffering life-threatening reactions to insect venom. If you experience facial swelling difficulty breathing
or another unusual reaction after insect stings call 911 and receive immediate emergency care. Follow up with an allergist who will prescribe epinephrine
Hives can be treated with an antihistamine. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI.
#Some dogs and cats prone to sunburn: How to protect your animal from skin damageexcessive sunbathing damages the skin.
Humans are not the only ones who need to monitor their exposure to UV rays:
animals are at risk too. Dogs and cats with white or thin coats are at particular risk as are animals with very closely shorn fur
or with certain preexisting conditions. Dermatologist Christa Horvath-Ungerbã ck from the University of Veterinary medicine Vienna explains
which animals are particularly sensitive how to prevent sun damage to the skin and how to treat a sunburned animal.
Human or animals skin with little or no pigmentation is very sensitive to the sun in general.
Hairless pets or pets with very short or thin fur can also be vulnerable. For dogs and cats this applies in particular to those parts of the skin that are exposed regularly to the sun. These include the ears the bridge of the nose the skin around the eyes
and the back. â#oesome animals particularly enjoy lying on their backs to bask in the sun. This exposes the skin on their bellies
which is often hairless to the rays of the sun increasing the risk of sunburnâ#reports veterinary dermatologist Christa Horvath-Ungerbã ck.
Particularly vulnerable petshouse pets with white or short fur are at particular risk of sunburn.
The Dogo Argentino breed white bulldogs Dalmatians boxers whippets beagles and white or multicoloured cats with white patches have skin that is very sensitive to light especially on their heads.
In summer animals with shorn fur can also have a problem. The short hair allows UV rays penetrate down to the sensitive skin and cause sunburn.
Hairless dogs and cats are naturally more sensitive to the sun since they lack the natural sun protection fur affords.
Here too though skin pigmentation plays a role and darker animals are less vulnerable to UV rays.
Owners of vulnerable breeds should take particular care to protect their animals from the sun. Sun protection for animalsâ#oeas a rule animals should have a shady place to lie in.
Especially at midday when the sun is at its strongest and presents the greatest risk not just for the skin
Particularly sensitive animals require sun protection in the form of a waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30
  For longer hikes through the mountains where the sunâ##s rays are particularly aggressive sensitive animals should wear a t-shirt coat or hat for protection.
â#oenot every white dog or white cat needs sunscreen or clothing to protect it from the sun
or if an animal is highly sensitive it is up to us to protect it from further damage. â#Treating sunburn in animalsif sunburn is reddened visible as warm
or flaking skin the animal should be moved to the shade as quickly as possible. Cool compresses and ointments to soothe the skin can help relieve the initial symptoms.
The affected animal will need to be protected well from the sun in future to prevent permanent damage.
Animals with autoimmune skin diseases must be protected carefully from the sun for example. And areas of the skin that were covered by fur
and shielded as needed Damage caused by sun exposurein animals sunburn results in an acute inflammation of the skin that can cause itching
or even actual skin tumours. â#oewe sometimes see squamous cell carcinoma on the heads of white outdoor cats as the result of chronic sun exposure.
#Get insects to bug off this summersummer means an increase in bug and insect activity.
How do you know which insects are harmful what diseases they carry and how to safely avoid them?
Mosquitoes and ticks are the two pests you primarily want to avoid because they potentially carry infectious diseases says Jennifer Layden MD infectious disease specialist at Loyola University Health System.
and Rocky mountain spotted fever and mosquitoes can spread West Nile Virus. Insect repellents are used to avoid exposure to pests that can bite attach
DEET is the most effective ingredient to protect against biting insects. Common insect repellent products contain up to 30%DEET for maximum protection says Christina Hantsch MD toxicologist at Loyola.
Tips from Dr. Layden on how to avoid bugs this summer are: â#¢Dusk and dawn are the prime hours for insectsâ#¢Wear long sleeves and long pants to cover skinâ#¢Wear light colors
Organic farming benefited the four taxonomic groups of plants earthworms spiders and bees --which were sampled as surrogates for the multitude of creatures living on farmland--in different ways.
In general more species of plants and bees were found on organic than on nonorganic fields but not more species of spiders and earthworms.
Modifying the consumption of animal-based foods can therefore be a feasible and effective tool for climate change mitigation and public health improvements the study concluded.
and predators and is biased often. Fitness-dependent dispersal is a type of biased dispersal; the fitness of a species is given by its per capita growth rate.
and cattle and is spread by biting midges. In sheep the bluetongue virus can cause abortion congenital abnormalities
If the disease reproduction number for the cattle-midge-bluetongue system with or without sheep is greater than one bluetongue persists in cattle
and midges even though it may eradicate the sheep relying on cattle as a reservoir. In the second situation where the reproduction number of all host and vector species coexisting is greater than one
while the reproduction number for the cattle-midge-bluetongue system (without sheep) is less than one bluetongue
because it cannot persist on midges and cattle alone. The authors use different approaches of dynamical systems persistence theory to analyze the two situations.
and wheat along with such livestock products as ruminant (animals like cattle goats and sheep that subsist on plant matter) pork and poultry.
if competition from other animals for the same habitats is restricted according to new research by Durham University.
As the global climate warms many animals are moving to higher latitudes and altitudes where it is cooler.
Many mammals in mountain environments also respond to daily changes in temperature by moving to different altitudes following their preferred temperature range
We often think of climate as the major determinant of where animals live. However this study shows that the effects of species interactions could be more important than the predicted impacts of climate change.
#Moth invasions cause widespread damage in the subarctic birch forestin just seven years as much as one-third of the mountain-birch forest in the North Calotte region was defoliated severely by two moth species
and North Finland was damaged severely by moth outbreaks. Attacked over centuriesthe autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) has been in Northern Fennoscandia for centuries.
In roughly ten-year cycles the larvae of this moth occur in high densities occasionally so high that it results in widespread defoliation growth reduction and sometimes death of the birch forest.
A century ago an additional species the winter moth (Operophtera brumata) began to appear in the north.
Since then both these species have increased their outbreak ranges to include even the coldest and most continental regions.
During the last 15 years a third moth species the rare umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria) has invaded the coastal regions of North Norway and established itself as a serious pest in the coastal birch forest.
During the major outbreak of the 2000s researchers know that all three moth species attacked the mountain-birch forest.
Longer-term invasion intensifies forest destructionclimate has an impact on the geometrid moth system in the north--we see clear indications that the system is changing says Senior Research Scientist Jane U. Jepsen of the Norwegian Institute for Nature
and provided a deeper understanding of the extent and duration of the moth outbreaks and
During the most recent major outbreak the autumnal moth struck first continues Dr Jepsen. In the most severely defoliated areas an outbreak of the winter moth occurred a year or two later.
So the forest was defoliated twice in effect an unusually long-lasting attack which resulted in more pressure on the forest compared to previous outbreaks.
Changing vegetationthe researchers have studied also the impact of these moth invasions on the northern birch forest ecosystem.
Moth attacks in sparse woods cause extensive changes in ground vegetation--the dwarf shrub heath disappears
Moth outbreaks cause large amounts of larvae excrement and dead larvae to fall to the ground which fertilises the soil and promotes the growth of grass.
Fauna changes as wellwhen the ground vegetation changes from heath to grass there are impacts on the animal life.
The small rodents such as voles and lemmings benefit from this says Dr Jepsen while it appears that reindeer use the heavily defoliated areas less.
This is based on counting of the various animal droppings. In severely defoliated areas we found increased amounts of small-rodent excrement
and less from reindeer Insect outbreaks mean browner sub-arcticseveral studies in recent years have pointed to the greening of the Arctic due to a warming climate.
But this change is occurring to a greater extent in low and high-Arctic tundra areas and less so in subarctic forests.
More intense insect infestation more forest fires and increased drought pressure are probably the three largest factors causing this subarctic browning.
Specifically the study results using mice genetically engineered to mimic Alzheimer's disease suggest that Lavado cocoa extract prevents the protein Î-amyloid-(AÎ) from gradually forming sticky clumps in the brain
and reversing damage to synapses in the study mice. There have been some inconsistencies in medical literature regarding the potential benefit of cocoa polyphenols on cognitive function says Dr. Pasinetti.
#Habitat loss, not poison, better explains grassland bird declinecontrary to recent well-publicized research habitat loss not insecticide use continues to be the best explanation for the declines in grassland bird populations
Last year a pair of researchers linked the drop in the populations of grassland bird species such as the upland sandpiper and the Henslow's sparrow to insecticide use rather than to a rapid decline of grasslands a more commonly accepted theory.
Because grassland bird species tend to do better in states with larger areas set aside in the conservation land program excluding the conservation land program data may have skewed their results said Hill.
and found 1. 3 to 21 times more support that habitat loss was connected more strongly to grassland bird declines than insecticide use said Hill.
Grassland bird trends were associated positively with the acreages of CRP lands and some types of pastures.
Erroneously emphasizing insecticides as the principle cause of grassland bird declines may inadvertently divert attention and funding away from land conservation programs such as CRP according to the researchers.
Grasslands especially in agricultural landscapes also provide tremendous benefits to humans through erosion reduction and water filtration as well as offering habitat to numerous grassland-obligate species from black-footed ferrets to Dakota skippers.
Grassland bird species use the living and dead vegetation in grasslands to build nests and for use as cover.
The researchers examined population data of grassland species in the 48 contiguous United states from the U s. Geological Survey North american Breeding Bird Survey.
In addition to information provided by the researchers on the study of insecticides and grassland birds they also used data from the U s. Department of agriculture and the National Resources Conservation Services.
The report identifies important secure habitats and landscape connections for five species--bull trout westslope cutthroat trout grizzly bears wolverines and mountain goats.
Wildlife and Wild Lands on the Flathead National Forest Montana WCS Senior Scientist Dr. John Weaver notes that these protections may not be enough in the face of looming challenges such as climate change.
Weaver found that the Flathead is a stronghold for these fish and wildlife species that have been vanquished in much of their range further south.
or high conservation value for at least one of the five focal species. In his recommendations Weaver employs a smart strategy for resiliency that protects
In total Weaver recommends 404208 acres of roadless area on the Flathead Forest for Congressional designation as National Wilderness
Vital places with particular concentration of present and future habitat include the Whitefish Range adjacent to Glacier national park and the Swan Range east of Flathead Lake.
and decisions about future management on the Flathead National Forest said Weaver. These spectacular landscapes provide some of the best remaining strongholds for vulnerable fish and wildlife and headwater sources of clean water.
#Africas poison apple provides common ground for saving elephants, raising livestockwhile African wildlife often run afoul of ranchers
and water resources for their animals the interests of fauna and farmer might finally be unified by the Sodom apple a toxic invasive plant that has overrun vast swaths of East African savanna and pastureland.
however that certain wild African animals particularly elephants could be a boon to human-raised livestock because of their voracious appetite for the Sodom apple.
A five-year study led by Princeton university researchers found that elephants and impalas among other wild animals can not only safely gorge themselves on the plant
but can efficiently regulate its otherwise explosive growth according to a report in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Without elephants ripping the plant from the ground
or impalas devouring dozens of its fruits at a time the shrub easily conquers the landscape. Just as the governments of nations such as Kenya prepare to pour millions into eradicating the plant the findings present a method for controlling the Sodom apple that is cost-effective for humans
and beneficial for the survival of African elephants explained first author Robert Pringle a Princeton assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Similarly Princeton researchers published two studies in 2011 that showed that allowing livestock to graze with wild animals such as zebras greatly improved the quality of the domesticated animals'diet.
whose main interest is cattle to say'Maybe I do want elephants on my land.'
'Elephants have a reputation as destructive but they may be playing a role in keeping pastures grassy.
Elephants and impalas can withstand S. campylacanthum's poison because they belong to a class of herbivores known as browsers that subsist on woody plants and shrubs many species
of which pack a toxic punch Pringle said. On the other hand grazers such as cows sheep and zebras primarily eat grass
which is rarely poisonous. These animals easily succumb to the Sodom apple. A 2011 study on sheep published in the journal Kenya Veterinarian showed that the plant caused emphysema pneumonia bleeding ulcers brain swelling and death among other effects.
As more African savanna is converted into pasture the proliferation of the Sodom apple may only get worse Pringle said which means that the presence of elephants to eat it may become more vital to the ecosystem and livestock.
The Sodom apple thrives on ecological mayhem such as the stress of overgrazing put on the land Pringle said:
Then they remove the animals that eat the plant. Ricardo Holdo a savanna ecologist and assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri said that the researchers present enough data to potentially determine the amount of pastureland that wild Sodom-apple eaters would be able to keep free of
but had no role in it said that beyond removing the Sodom apple animals such as elephants
and wild animals compete for the same scarce resources he said. There is enough quantitative information in this paper that they can probably model this effect in a meaningful way Holdo said.
When you add the wild herbivores they have a negative effect on the Solanum so they're actually promoting a higher biomass of high-quality habitat for livestock.
and wild animals and probably actually increase your yield for livestock. The researchers report that they have presented one of the first studies to examine functional redundancy in land animals.
Functional redundancy refers to the situation in which one species declines or goes extinct and another species steps in to fulfill the same ecological role This consideration helps ecologists predict the overall effect of extinction on an entire ecosystem.
In this case the effect of large mammals such as elephants and impalas on the Sodom apple population--and perhaps the populations of other plants--is unlikely to be duplicated by another animal species the researchers found.
and we need to understand to what extent these threatened animals have unique ecological functions. The majority of studies on functional redundancy have been conducted in aquatic systems
because large land animals can be hard to control in an experiment Holdo said. The Princeton-led study is made more robust by being unusually long by ecology standards he said--the researchers observed similar patterns year after year.
Doing these experiments in the kind of environment like you have in Kenya is really challenging--keeping elephants out of anything is really a huge challenge.
Elephants impalas and a taste for Solanumpringle was roughly three years into a study about the effects of elephants on plant diversity
--which are designed to keep animals out rather than in--totaling nearly 89 acres (36 hectares) at the Mpala Research center in Kenya a multi-institutional research preserve with
one type open to all animals; another where only elephants were excluded; one in which elephants and impalas were excluded;
and another off limits to all animals. It was in the sites that excluded elephants
and impala that the Sodom apple particularly flourished Pringle said which defied everything he knew about the plant.
This study was really fortuitous. I had thought always that these fruits were horrible and toxic but when
I saw them in the experiment I knew some animal was otherwise eating them. I just didn't know which one Pringle said.
The question became'Who's eating the apple?''It's a very interesting and simple question
The researchers specifically observed the foraging activity of elephants impalas small-dog-sized antelopes known as dik-diks and rodents.
The Sodom apple proliferated with each group of animal that was excluded. At one point the plant's density was three times greater in areas restricted to all animals than those that permitted all of them the researchers report.
In February 2011 the researchers counted an average of less than one fruit per plant in the exclosure open to all animals meaning that nearly every fruit produced by the plants was being consumed.
In the plots closed to elephants that average increased to three fruits per plant. When both impala and elephants were kept away the average jumped to around 50 fruits per plant
and fruits were more likely to be eaten by insects rather than dik-diks or rodents.
There is a catch to the elephants'and impalas'appetite for the Sodom apple: When fruit goes in one end seeds come out the other.
Though some seeds are destroyed during digestion most reemerge and are potentially able to germinate. Pringle and Tarnita developed a mathematical model to conduct a sort of cost-benefit analysis of how the Sodom apple's ability to proliferate is affected by being eaten.
The model weighed the cost to the plant of being consumed partially against the potential benefit of having healthy seeds scattered across the countryside in an animal's droppings.
They then used the model to determine whether different animal species had an overall positive or negative influence on the population of Sodom-apple plants.
While elephants ate an enormous amount of Solanum seeds they also often destroyed the entire plant ripping it out of the ground and stuffing the whole bush into their mouths.
The model showed that to offset the damage an elephant wreaks on a plant 80 percent of the seeds the animal eats would have to emerge from it unscathed.
although it is theoretically possible for elephants to benefit the plant that outcome is extremely unlikely.
The authors of a new research study say it is crucial to be vigilant about potential pests and pathogens on imported cuttings of Dracaena.
Pests and pathogens currently not in the United states could be imported with Dracaena plant materials said Ariena H. C. van Bruggen corresponding author of the study published in Hortscience.
Dr Salentinig said the structure is similar to a sponge potentially enhancing the absorption of milk's healthy fats.
#Pig whipworm genome may aid to treat autoimmune diseasesan international team composed of 11 institutions from six countries including BGI presented the whole-genome sequence of Trichuris suis a parasitic worm in pig.
and tsu-mir-236 and tsu-mir-252 in female worms were predicted to regulate and suppress key feminizing
Meanwhile the pig whipworm-host interactions will shed new light on the control of helminth and other immunopathological diseases in human.
Schistosomiasis is caused a disease by several species of flatworm parasites that live in the blood vessels of the bladder and intestines.
It's easy to see the trap they fell into: building levees causes sediments to accumulate in the river bed raising the river higher
#Testing biological treatment for pathogens that are killing honeybees and batsa researcher at Georgia State university is studying a new biological treatment for bacterial and fungal pathogens that are killing honeybees and bats in record numbers.
Dr. Christopher Cornelison a postdoctoral researcher is testing how effective Rhodococcus rhodochrous a species of bacteria is in fighting pathogens affecting honeybees and bats.
In honeybees Chalkbrood disease has contributed to the number of managed honeybee colonies in the U s. being cut in half a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder.
Since 2006 White-Nose Syndrome has killed an estimated 7 million bats in North america the steepest wildlife decline in the past century.
Honeybees and bats are key to the ecosystem. One of every three bites of food in America is related to honeybee pollination according to the United states Department of agriculture.
Many crops such as almonds and other tree nuts berries fruits and vegetables depend on pollination by honeybees.
Bats play a crucial role in pest control. A single brown bat will eat its body mass equivalent in insects in one summer night Cornelison said.
If these species go extinct we're losing something that we don't even comprehend the value of right now he said.
Cornelison has achieved positive results in cell studies. In honeybees no negative effects were found in toxicity trials exposing bees to the bacteria in the air or in their honey.
In bats Cornelison found the bacteria slow fungal growth and permanently eliminated spore germination. In collaboration with University of California-Davis he found the bacteria prevented the spread of fungi on bat skin without touching the skin.
Cornelison's research is funded by the U s. Forest Service and Bat Conservation International. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by Georgia State university. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#Genetic control mechanism for major livestock pest developedresearchers from North carolina State university have developed a technique to control populations of the Australian sheep blowfly--a major livestock pest in Australia
and New zealand--by making female flies dependent upon a common antibiotic to survive. Dr. Max Scott professor of entomology at NC State and his research team genetically modified lines of female Australian sheep blowflies (Lucilia cuprina) so that they required doses of tetracycline in order to live.
Female blowflies that did not receive the antibiotic died in the late larval or pupal stages before reaching adulthood.
Several genetically modified lines lacking tetracycline showed 100 percent female deaths. Scott says that the gene construct responsible for lethality in antibiotic-free diets is female-specific Interestingly
This is essential for a male-only genetic control program to reduce blowfly populations Scott says as fertile males would pass the lethality construct on to female offspring
In the study the researchers showed that the tetracycline gene construct also works in Drosophila the fruit fly lab rat of the insect world that is a distant cousin of the sheep blowfly.
and Old world screwworm two major livestock pests that are close relatives of the sheep blowfly.
The New world screwworm is a devastating pest of livestock that was eradicated from North and Central america by releasing sterilized male and female flies Scott says.
However a male-only strain offers several advantages including potentially more efficient population suppression for the ongoing program.
Efficient genetic control systems have the potential to help eradicate some of the biggest problem pests across the globe he said.
Overtext Web Module V3.0 Alpha
Copyright Semantic-Knowledge, 1994-2011