July 17, 2007, 10:16 PM CT

Foxes get frisky in the far north

Bees do it, chimps do it Now it seems Arctic foxes do it, too. New research looking at the DNA fingerprints of canids in the Far North has revealed that foxes once believed to be monogamous are in fact quite frisky.

From polyandry to multiple paternity and plural breeding, Canadian scientists have gathered DNA evidence from adult foxes and their offspring that proves that some arctic foxes are mixing it up when it comes to mating.

Until recently, wildlife biologists considered a number of species of caninesincluding foxes, wolves and coyotesto be monogamous. But molecular genetic techniques are starting to reveal complexities in mammalian mating systems that were not apparent from findings based on observation of animal social behavior. Using a technique called microsatellite DNA fingerprinting, a team of scientists from the University of Alberta in Edmonton and the University of Quebec at Rimouski collected DNA samples from 49 arctic foxes trapped in dens on Bylot Island, Nunavut.

In three-quarters of the dens, DNA fingerprints showed that the fox cubs were the offspring of a single male and female. But in a quarter of the cases, the arctic foxes proved to be less exclusive, with one litter providing the first genetic evidence of polyandry (females having multiple male mates at one time) with multiple paternity......... Posted by: Kelly      Read more         Source

July 16, 2007, 10:08 PM CT

Vaccine trials for koala

The first Australian trials of a vaccine developed by Queensland University of Technology that could save Australia's iconic koala from contracting chlamydia are planned to begin later this year.

Professor Peter Timms, from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said chlamydia was a major threat to the continued survival of koalas with almost all populations affected by the disease.

"The trial is planned to begin before the end of the year and will test the vaccine's ability to induce a good immune response in the koala against chlamydia," he said.

"Assuming that this first trial is successful, then future trials can determine if this immune response is able to protect the koalas against chlamydial disease.

"We've been able to develop the vaccine for koalas as a result of our studies on the development of human chlamydial vaccines done in the mouse model. We have identified several novel vaccine proteins that we hope will protect koalas as well."

Professor Timms said chlamydia in koalas was a significant cause of infertility, urinary tract infections, and inflammation in the lining of the eye that often led to blindness.

"The numbers of koalas with chlamydia seems to be increasing," he said.

"As much as 40-50 per cent of koalas coming into care in both Queensland and NSW are showing clinical signs of the disease and it seems to be getting worse"......... Posted by: Kelly      Read more         Source

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 03:00:48 GMT

Step It Up!

Yesterday I participated in a rally in Great Barrington, MA for action on global climate change organized by Step It Up. As Stockbridge Indian representative Steve Comer led a prayer at the Stockbridge Indian Burial Site, my mind wandered to the difficulty of communicating the gravity of the global warming crisis to non-scientists. One problem may be that people have trouble connecting warming temperatures to negative consequences for themselves. Indeed one of the most frequent comments I hear about global warming is "Why are our winters still so long and cold?!"

This is why I had mixed emotions about the recent articles in the popular press about global warming and polar bears. On the one hand, it does provide a great hook, a concrete way to appeal to people with a strong affinity for large, furry mammals. Unfortunately the true significance of global climate change might be lost. While the extinction of polar bears would be an unmitigated tragedy, the fact of the matter is their loss would have little effect on human economics. As Wilmers et al. points out in this month's American Naturalist, it is the highly fecund species most at risk. These are the bugs, worms and creepy-crawlies that do the heavy lifting in providing the ecosystem services our civilization is utterly dependent on. I think this argument bypasses the controversy over whether climate change is "natural" or human-induced, whereas the "Save the Polar Bears" argument might be rebutted by the "Well It's Just Part of the Natural Process" argument. One would not argue that one should not shelter from a hurricane because it is a "natural" phenomenon. I'm afraid, unless we make obvious in no uncertain terms that global warming is going to hit us squarely in the pocketbook, progress in mitigation efforts will be long in coming. Let us not forget that those that can most affect carbon dioxide emissions respond most strenuously to threats to their bottom lines. Posted by: Dennehy      Read more     Source

July 14, 2007, 8:14 AM CT

Please Touch the Animals

There is nothing like making a physical contact with the animals you love. A touch and physical contact brings a special relationship between human and the animal.

A lighter touch by the zookeepers keepers keep their animals strong and healthy. Zoo keepers in Oakland Zoo use this touch technique to the next dimension. They use various techniques like body work and acupuncture for giraffes, to pachyderm pedicures. See how the Oakland Zoo is using alternative therapys to guarantee the well-being of its residents......... Posted by: Kelly      Read more

July 12, 2007, 5:37 AM CT

Reef fish need longer break

In the longest running study on how fish populations in coral reef systems recover from heavy exploitation, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and others have observed that the fish can recover, but they need lots of time decades in some cases. The study appears in a recent edition of the journal Ecological Applications.

With nearly continuous data spanning some 37 years from four national marine parks off the coast of Kenya which were closed to fishing at different times, the study observed that commercially important species such as parrotfish, wrasses, and surgeonfish can take a quarter of a century to recover fully. More importantly, the ecological equilibrium needed for a healthy reef system, which relies on the interplay of a number of fish, invertebrate, and plant species, take even longer to achieve, and certainly longer than the length of the study. Most fish recovery studies are conducted with small data sets in short durations of time.

Theres a pressing need for long-term studies on how fish communities in reef ecosystems rebuild when fishing is banned, said WCS researcher Dr. Tim McClanahan, the lead author of the study. This study gives us some important insights in how the different fish species recover and how these communities affect the health of the reef as a whole......... Posted by: Kelly      Read more         Source

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 05:33:58 GMT

Wordless Wednesday

Missouri calendar:

• During hot days, woodchucks (groundhogs) go in dens to avoid heat.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

July 11, 2007, 5:24 AM CT

Brightly colored birds most affected by Chernobyl radiation

Brightly coloured birds are among the species most adversely affected by the high levels of radiation around the Chernobyl nuclear plant, ecologists have discovered. The findings published online in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology help explain why some species are harder hit by ionising radiation than others.

Dr Anders Mller of the Universit Pierre et Marie Curie and Professor Timothy Mousseau of the University of South Carolina examined 1,570 birds from 57 different species in the forests around Chernobyl at varying distances from the reactor. They observed that populations of four groups of birds those whose red, yellow and orange plumage is based on carotenoids, those that laid the biggest eggs, and those that migrated or dispersed the furthest declined more than other species.

The intriguing results centre on the role of antioxidants chemicals that help protect living organisms from the damaging effects of free radicals. Certain activities use up large amounts of antioxidants. These include producing carotenoid-based pigments for feathers, migrating long distances and laying large eggs (birds lay down antioxidants in their eggs, and will deposit larger amounts of antioxidants in larger eggs). Mller and Mousseau hypothesized that because they had fewer antioxidants left to mop up dangerous free radicals, these birds would most adversely affected by exposure to radiation around Chernobyl......... Posted by: Kelly      Read more         Source

July 10, 2007, 5:20 AM CT

'Virtual' mouse brains now available online

A multi-institutional consortium including Duke University has created startlingly crisp 3-D microscopic views of tiny mouse brains -- unveiled layer by layer -- by extending the capabilities of conventional magnetic resonance imaging.

"These images can be more than 100,000 times higher resolution than a clinical MRI scan," said G. Allan Johnson, Duke's Charles E. Putman Distinguished Professor of radiology and professor of biomedical engineering and physics. He is first author of a report describing the innovations set for publication in the research journal NeuroImage. View it online at http://tinyurl.com/2upj7n.

Images on the website for Duke's Center for In Vivo Microscopy http://www.civm.duhs.duke.edu/, which Johnson directs, reveal examples of these innovations in action. In one video two different mouse brains -- one from a normal animal and the other from a rodent missing a gene associated with mental abnormalities -- seem to assemble themselves before the viewer's eyes, structure by structure.

Watch the video with Johnson at http://realmedia.oit.duke.edu/ramgen/news/brain_imaging.rm (RealMedia) or http://quicktime.oit.duke.edu/news/brain_imaging.mov (Quicktime).

After building up like time-lapse photos of opening flowers, the side-by-side brain images begin revolving as overlying tissues dissolve into computer-rendered transparency. What remains visible, seemingly floating over the bases of the animals' skulls, are two color-coded brain structures -- the ventricles and hippocampus -- showing different volumes resulting from specific genetic differences......... Posted by: Kelly      Read more         Source

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 04:26:06 GMT

Two Iowa Birds on the Verge of Extinction

There are many wildlife species that have not fared well in the changing Iowa landscape and have been listed as endangered or threatened.

Endangered species are animals and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct and threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the near future.

No, doubt that bald eagle which was once listed in the endangered species list is flying off the list. But still there are many species that remain on the list.

The Interior Least Tern and the Piping Plover are among the two species that are there in the list of endangered species and are facing the challenges. This means if steps are not being taken, they can become extinct.

Interior Least Tern:

Interior least tern is the interior population of the least tern which tops the list of endangered species. Dams, reservoirs, and other changes to river systems have eliminated least tern habitat. Least terns prefer the wide channels dotted with sandbars and these have been replaced by narrow forested river corridors.

Image Credit

Piping Plovers:

A resident of sand-flats and shorelines east of the Rocky Mountains, the population of Piping Plovers has declined dramatically due to human actions. There have been continuous loss of habitat and predation of their young.

Image Credit

Development and recreational activities along shorelines are the primary causes of these declines. Commercial, residential, and recreational development have decreased the amount of coastal habitat available for piping plovers to nest and feed.

Human disturbance often restricts breeding success. Foot and vehicular traffic crush the nests or young ones. Interruption of feeding stresses young birds during critical periods in their development. The human activities are causing much harm to the environment and the wildlife species.

Various steps are being taken to save the wildlife. MidAmerican Energy Company has worked with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to protect the Iowa nesting areas and help these species to survive.
Source: KTIV Posted by: Rajni      Read more     Source

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 04:24:19 GMT

Two Iowa Birds on the Verge of Extinction

There are many wildlife species that have not fared well in the changing Iowa landscape and have been listed as endangered or threatened.

Endangered species are animals and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct and threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the near future.

No, doubt that bald eagle which was once listed in the endangered species list is flying off the list. But still there are many species that remain on the list.

The Interior Least Tern and the Piping Plover are among the two species that are there in the list of endangered species and are facing the challenges. This means if steps are not being taken, they can become extinct.

Interior Least Tern:

Interior least tern is the interior population of the least tern which tops the list of endangered species. Dams, reservoirs, and other changes to river systems have eliminated least tern habitat. Least terns prefer the wide channels dotted with sandbars and these have been replaced by narrow forested river corridors.

Image Credit

Piping Plovers:

A resident of sand-flats and shorelines east of the Rocky Mountains, the population of Piping Plovers has declined dramatically due to human actions. There have been continuous loss of habitat and predation of their young.

Image Credit

Development and recreational activities along shorelines are the primary causes of these declines. Commercial, residential, and recreational development have decreased the amount of coastal habitat available for piping plovers to nest and feed.

Human disturbance often restricts breeding success. Foot and vehicular traffic crush the nests or young ones. Interruption of feeding stresses young birds during critical periods in their development. The human activities are causing much harm to the environment and the wildlife species.

Various steps are being taken to save the wildlife. MidAmerican Energy Company has worked with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to protect the Iowa nesting areas and help these species to survive.
Source: KTIV Posted by: Rajni      Read more     Source