Ecology & Zoology

Central Michigan University Research Corporation and Dendritic Nanotechnologies, Inc. have developed technology capable of absorbing toxic chemicals from ground water that could lead to a revolutionary ground water purification system. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program has awarded CMU-RC and DNT a $1.3 million contract to refine the process using DNT's Priostar dendrimer-based nanotechnology. The project focuses on a worldwide breakthrough that will result in a cost effective ground water purification system. Its anticipated commercial…

Nectar-feeding bats burn sugar faster than any other mammal on Earth – and three times faster than even top-class athletes – ecologists have discovered. The findings, published in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology, illustrate that because they live life on an energetic knife edge, these bats are very vulnerable to any changes in their environment that interrupt their fuel supply for even a short period. Working with a captive breeding colony in Germany, Dr Christian Voigt of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin and Professor John Speakman of…

An expedition led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to a remote corner of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has uncovered unique forests which, so far, have been found to contain six animal species new to science: a bat, a rodent, two shrews, and two frogs. The forested region—including the Misotshi-Kabogo Forest (formerly Mt. Kabobo)—and nearby Marunga Massif is located just west of Lake Tanganyika and has been off limits to scientists since 1960 as a result of continued instability in the area. “If we can find six new species in such a short period it makes you wonder what…

While 10 years of bathing North Carolina pine tree stands with extra carbon dioxide did allow the trees to grow more tissue, only those pines receiving the most water and nutrients were able to store significant amounts of carbon that could offset the effects of global warming, scientists told a national meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA). These results from the decade-long Free Air Carbon Enrichment (FACE) experiment in a Duke University forest suggest that proposals to bank extra CO2 from human activities in such trees may depend on the vagaries of the weather and large…

Excess nitrogen caused by fertilizers, animal waste, leaf litter, sewer lines, and highways is responsible for contaminating groundwater. It can also cause human health risks when found in drinking water and oxygen depleted water bodies endangering animals that drink from them. Establishing Riparian buffers is considered a best management practice (BMP) by State and Federal resource agencies for maintaining water quality, and they may be especially critical in controlling amounts of human produced nitrogen. Scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collected data on the buffers…

Penguin guano in the Antarctic is adding to organic pollutant problems there, according to a report to be featured in a Royal Society of Chemistry publication. Adrian Covaci at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and colleagues found unexpectedly high levels of organic pollutants in the soil around a colony of non-migratory Adelie penguins in the Antarctic. Concerns about organic pollutant levels in the Antarctic have led to intensive studies into how they reach this remote region, said Covaci. The pollutants originate from man-made sources such as organochlorine pesticides and brominated…

Even in the Animal Kingdom, there are some common sense rules. The more likely to get a big return, for example, the more work will be invested. That goes for male-female relationships as well. A French team of behavioral ecologists demonstrated that in the Peafowl. They found that females with attractive mates invested more resources in their eggs than females paired with unattractive mates. They laid larger eggs and deposited more testosterone in egg yolk, potentially offering a better prospective to their offspring. Adeline Loyau, Michel Saint Jalme, Robert Mauget, and Gabriele Sorci of…

Scientists have discovered two species of groundwater amphipods that are found solely in Iceland. These finding can only be explained by these animals surviving glaciations in some kind of refugium under the glaciers. Many scientists believe that the ice ages exterminated all life on land and in freshwater in large parts of the Northern Hemisphere, especially on ocean islands such as Iceland. Scientists at Holar University College and the University of Iceland have challenged that belief, at least when looking at groundwater animals. They have discovered two species of groundwater amphipods…

To many people, the scent of jasmine flowers suggests a romantic interlude in an exotic locale. But jasmonate, the main component of the lush scent, carries far different meanings for plants. It is a hormone they use to regulate reproductive development, immunity to pathogens, defense against insect herbivores and other critical aspects of their biology. Despite jasmonate’s importance in plant development and function, the chemical steps that convert the hormonal signal into genetic and cellular action have remained elusive. Now researchers at Washington State University and Michigan State…

A new study of bottomland hardwood forests in the southeastern United States suggests that the increased growth of vines may change the landscape of these forests. Researchers charting the growth of vines in two forests in South Carolina found up to a 10-fold increase in the number of vines in just two decades. Vines commonly found in both forests include grapevines, trumpet vine, poison ivy and Virginia creeper. Most of the vines use adhesive roots or tendrils to climb trees. The patterns observed in the south add to a growing number of studies that found similar patterns in temperate and…