Wild Biology News Archives Page 2

Big-brained animals evolve faster (8/19/2008)

Possessing a large brain might have facilitated the evolutionary diversification of some avian lineages ...> Full Article

Extinction most likely for rare trees in the Amazon rainforest (8/17/2008)

Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction rates of up to 50 percent ...> Full Article

Smithsonian scientists discover new bird species (8/16/2008)

Scientists have discovered a new species of bird in Gabon, Africa, that was, until now, unknown to the scientific community. ...> Full Article

Study shows continued spread of 'dead zones' (8/16/2008)

Lack of oxygen now a key stressor on marine ecosystems ...> Full Article

Plastics suspect in lobster illness (8/15/2008)

Scientist investigates role of environmental toxin in shell disease ...> Full Article

Smells like bees' spirit (8/14/2008)

Bumblebees choose whether to search for food according to how stocked their nests are ...> Full Article

Dying frogs sign of a biodiversity crisis (8/13/2008)

Devastating declines of amphibian species around the world are a sign of a biodiversity disaster larger than just frogs, salamanders and their ilk ...> Full Article

Scientists find elephant memories may hold key to survival (8/12/2008)

Recent study suggests experience of old matriarchs may help herds survive in age of climate change ...> Full Article

Tiny invasive snail impacts Great Lakes, alters ecology (8/10/2008)

Long a problem in the western U.S., the New Zealand mud snail currently inhabits four of the five Great Lakes and is spreading into rivers and tributaries ...> Full Article

Brown tree snake could mean Guam will lose more than its birds (8/9/2008)

In the last 60 years, brown tree snakes have become the embodiment of the bad things that can happen when invasive species are introduced in places where they have few predators. Unchecked for many years, the snakes caused the extinction of nearly every native bird species on the Pacific island of Guam. ...> Full Article

Climate change and species distributions (8/8/2008)

How changing temperatures push living things to the edge ...> Full Article

Entomologists play matchmakers for cerambycid beetles (8/7/2008)

Discovery of inexpensive blends of love potions helps researchers detect several species of pest cerambycid beetles ...> Full Article

Spiders Who Eat Together, Stay Together (8/6/2008)

The ability to work together and capture larger prey has allowed social spiders to stretch the laws of nature and reach enormous colony sizes ...> Full Article

World's smallest snake found in Barbados (8/5/2008)

The world's smallest species of snake, with adults averaging just under four inches in length, has been identified on the Caribbean island of Barbados ...> Full Article

Researchers Tag First-Ever Free-Swimming Leatherback Turtles in New England (8/4/2008)

Researchers have tagged one male and two female leatherback turtles off Cape Cod. They are the first free-swimming leatherbacks ever tagged in New England. ...> Full Article

Life in a bubble (8/4/2008)

Research shows how insects use trapped oxygen to breathe underwater ...> Full Article

Acidification of the sea hampers reproduction of marine species (8/3/2008)

Decreasing pH the biggest threat to marine animal life for thousands of years ...> Full Article

Ivory poaching at critical levels: Elephants on path to extinction by 2020? (8/3/2008)

African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989 ...> Full Article

European birds flock to warming Britain (8/2/2008)

Rare southern species of birds are on the increase in the British Isles as a result of climatic change. ...> Full Article

Birdsong not just for the birds (8/2/2008)

Bio-acoustic method also hears nature's cry for help ...> Full Article

Automatic imitation is not only a human trait, research finds (8/1/2008)

Scientists have shed new light on a process known as 'automatic imitation' - and discovered that we have more in common with the humble budgerigar than previously thought. ...> Full Article

Newly discovered monkey is threatened with extinction (8/1/2008)

Africa's 'kipunji' hovers at 1,100 individuals ...> Full Article

Let the cat keep chasing the mouse (7/31/2008)

Ecological modellers create a scientific basis for a nationwide network of corridors to conserve the European Wild Cat ...> Full Article

Fungus Foot Baths Could Save Bees (7/30/2008)

One of the biggest world wide threats to honey bees, the varroa mite, could soon be about to meet its nemesis. ...> Full Article

A bee's future as queen or worker may rest with parasitic tropical fly (7/29/2008)

A tiny parasitic fly is affecting the social behavior of a nocturnal bee, helping to determine which individuals become queens and which become workers. ...> Full Article

Lessons from the lowly locust (7/28/2008)

Vitamin A important to the embryonic development of locust ...> Full Article

Parasites Outweigh Predators in Pacific Coast Estuaries (7/28/2008)

Findings have significant ecological and biomedical implications ...> Full Article

No sex please, we're insect pests (7/27/2008)

A new study has found that agricultural environments drive insects to reproduce without sex - a trait that is uncommon in most of the animal kingdom - but may provide methods for controlling their damaging effects. ...> Full Article

Outdoor enthusiasts scaring off native carnivores in parks (7/27/2008)

Even a quiet stroll in the park can dramatically change natural ecosystems ...> Full Article

Milkweed's evolutionary approach to caterpillars: Counter appetite with fast repair (7/26/2008)

As the predators evolve new strategies for attack, plants counter with their own unique defenses. ...> Full Article