A coyote boarded a train in Portland, Oregon.
Cities are seen as the hardest place for the hardiest of animals to exist. They are seen as environmental wastelands. But more and more wild animals are adjusting to life in the city as scientists in the the urban ecology field are finding.
Continue reading… “Wild animals are adapting to city life and thriving”
New research shows that Amazonian diversity has evolved
An international team of scientists, including a leading evolutionary biologist from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, have reset the agenda for future research in the highly diverse Amazon region by showing that the extraordinary diversity found there is much older than generally thought.
Continue reading… “New Explanation for the Origin of High Species Diversity in Amazon”
major predators help control the populations of their prey… (but not people)
There may be many similarities between the importance of large predators in marine and terrestrial environments, researchers concluded in a recent study, which examined the interactions between wolves and elk in the United States, as well as sharks and dugongs in Australia.
Continue reading… “Sharks and Wolves: Prey Interactions Similar on Land and in Oceans”
Air Pollution is a global issue. Hi res image here
Scientists have long known about the life-threatening impact of air pollution — but up until now, tracking it globally with any accuracy had been out of reach. With new satellite-based imaging, however, researchers are getting their first peek at how particulate matter is distributed around the world, and in places where air pollution had been difficult to measure with any accuracy before — an important step towards better understanding of a problem that epidemiologists say contribute to millions of premature deaths every year…
Continue reading… “New Map Shows Air Pollution Throughout the World”
A University of Georgia study has found that monarch butterflies that migrate long distances have evolved significantly larger and more elongated wings than their stationary cousins, differences that are consistent with traits known to enhance flight ability in other migratory species.
Continue reading… “Long-Distance Migration Shapes Butterfly Wings”
Speed is not a word typically associated with trees; they can take centuries to grow. However, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found evidence that forests in the Eastern United States are growing faster than they have in the past 225 years. The study offers a rare look at how an ecosystem is responding to climate change.
Amphibians, for years considered a leading indicator of environmental degradation, are not uniquely susceptible to pollution, according to a meta-analysis to be published in Ecology Letters.
Continue reading… “Amphibians as Environmental Omen Disputed”
An ancient South American civilisation which disappeared around 1,500 years ago helped to cause its own demise by damaging the fragile ecosystem that held it in place, a study has found.
Continue reading… “Nasca People Of Ancient Peru: Forest Clearances Sealed Civilization’s Downfall”
After 15 years of research in the waters of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and an international coalition of organizations have unveiled the largest genetic study of humpback whale populations ever conducted in the Southern Hemisphere. Continue reading… “Whale-sized Genetic Study Largest Ever For Southern Hemisphere Humpbacks”
The catastrophic decline around the world of “apex” predators such as wolves, cougars, lions or sharks has led to a huge increase in smaller “mesopredators” that are causing major economic and ecological disruptions, a new study concludes.
Continue reading… “Loss Of Top Predators Causing Surge In Smaller Predators, Ecosystem Collapse”
Spotted hyenas may not be smarter than chimpanzees, but a new study shows that they outperform the primates on cooperative problem-solving tests. Continue reading… “Hyenas Cooperate, Problem-solve Better Than Primates”
The world’s last remaining “pristine” forest — the boreal forest across large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries — is under increasing threat, a team of international researchers has found.
Continue reading… “World’s Last Great Forest Under Threat: New Study”
