Ecology & Zoology

Atlantic Salmon Adapt To Warmer Waters

When global warming happens, Atlantic salmon will likely be just fine. They have shown a surprisingly good capacity to adjust to warmer temperatures that are being seen with climate change. The finding about Atlantic species adds to similar research about ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 17 2014 - 6:27pm

Gopher It: Four New Species Of Tuco-tucos Identified

It's uncommon to identify a new species of mammal these days, but four new species of Ctenomys, a genus of gopher-like mammal commonly called tuco-tucos and found throughout much of South America, have been identified. Tuco-tucos are burrowing rodent ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 18 2014 - 10:01am

In Plants, Size And Age Impact Productivity More Than Climate And Rain- Study

The size and age of plants has more of an impact on their productivity than temperature and precipitation, according to a landmark study by University of Arizona researchers. Professor Brian Enquist and postdoctoral researcher Sean Michaletz, along with c ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 20 2014 - 6:28pm

Mammoth And Mastodon Weren't So Nomadic

Mammoths and mastodons, the famously fuzzy relatives of elephants that lived in the American midwest, weren't as nomadic as previously believed – or Cincinnati was just a great place to be at the end of the last ice age. A study led by Brooke Crowley ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 22 2014 - 3:00am

Bird Intelligence May Be More Fact Than Fiction

In Aesop's fable about the crow and the pitcher, a thirsty bird happens upon a vessel of water, but when he tries to drink from it, he finds the water level out of his reach. Not strong enough to knock over the pitcher, the bird drops pebbles into it ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 24 2014 - 9:40am

Noise Pollution Impacts Different Fish Differently

Acoustic disturbance has different effects on different species of fish, according to a new study which tested fish anti-predator behaviour.  Three-spined sticklebacks responded sooner to a flying seagull predator model when exposed to additional noise, w ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 25 2014 - 5:00am

Older California Cultures Used Fire For Ecological Manipulation

Before the European colonial era, the people who lived on the land now called California used fire to control growth and make sure they had food, fuel, tools, and objects for ritual.  ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 26 2014 - 4:15pm

Bees Know Their Business: They Learn Which Flowers Have The Best Pollen

Bumblebees can glean differences in pollen quality based on floral features like petal color and that informs their decision on where to land. Bees do not sample pollen so it has been unclear how they determined quality. The new study in the Journal of Ex ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 30 2014 - 6:51pm

Another Reason To Visit Maui- Brother Of Hibiscus Discovered

Hibiscus flowers are an iconic symbol of tropical resorts worldwide but some are rather rare. Hawaii's State Flower, Hibiscus brackenridgei, is an endangered species. Everyone knows of the Hawaiian hibiscus but few are aware of an equally beautiful a ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 31 2014 - 1:28pm

Reptiles Surpass Birds To Become Most Diverse Vertebrates

More than 10,000 reptile species have been recorded into the Reptile Database, a web-based catalog of all living reptile species and classification, making the reptile species among the most diverse vertebrate groups in the world, alongside bird and fish ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 2 2014 - 6:00am