New Research Shows Loggerhead Sea Turtles Sustain Delicate Dunes
...across the dune. She said some eggs escape predators but are damaged when the roots ofplants grow toward the egg and break through the shell to reach thenutrients inside. If the eggs survive and a hatchling emerges, the fluid inside the eggremains in the ground and still provides nourishment fo......production of theseneurotoxins for defense against predators more recently in evolutionary time,she added. For example, cycads, which are the most primitive living seed plantson Earth, produce a potent glutamate receptor neurotoxin that has been linked todementia in animals. A yeast geneticist by training, Cor...Discovery Of New Large, Predatory Dinosaur Reported In Science
...orld War II. Additional bones of Spinosaurus -like predators have since been found in Niger, Brazil, andEurope. Before the discovery of Suchomimus , it seemed that theevolutionary relationships between the three known spinosaurid genera were asimple matter of geography, because the two genera in the Southern ...First Complete Fossil Of Fierce Prehistoric Predator Found In South Africa
...ock-movingequipment. Gorgonopsids were the largest predators of the late Paleozoic, the era justbefore dinosaur...e as 10 feet long and were among the mostferocious predators ever, Ward said. Their heads appeared somewhat dog-like,with large saber-tooth upper canine teeth up...Native Gray Ants Play Positive Role In Valley Peach Orchards
...mers money. However, native gray ant and other PTB predators may work in concert with othercontrol methods -- such as Bacillus thuringiensis sprays at bloom or syntheticpesticides. The quarter-inch-long native gray ant is found in California and parts of Nevadaand Oregon. Its nests are commonly hidden under t...Swimming Proficiency Of Marine Mammals Ranks Them Among The World's Elite Animal Athletes
...rine environment and reducedcompetition from other predators as factors that may have made it worthwhile forthe ancestors of marine mammals to venture into the aquatic realm. In addition,it is likely that these animals limited the high energetic costs of swimming byjumping in and out of the water, the way mode...Controlling Problem Snakes: Saipan Benefits From USGS Research
... area some 50 years ago. In theabsence of natural predators and competition by other species, the brown treesnake has become a common pest, causing major ecological and economic problemson the island. The snakes have virtually eliminated all of Guam's native forest and sea birds:12 bird species, some found...Suppression Of Natural Fires Harms Squirrels
...and a little bad luck with hawks,badgers and other predators are all it takes to wipe out an isolated, localpopulation. They cannot be rescued by dispersers from nearby populations thatare doing well." Cornell's long-term study of Idaho ground squirrels had, at first,focused on the animals' social b...Male Moth's Sperm Protects Females
... Not a pest : As a chemically laden insect most predators can't eat,it's a good thing Utetheisa ornatrix is not an agricultural nuisance. The rattlebox moth, also known as the ornate moth for its elaboratepink-white-black color scheme, dines exclusively on leaves of the rattleboxplant, Crotalaria mucrona...USGS Finds Palila Population Remaining Stable
...ila; and developing methods for controlling alien predators that eatpalila or which significantly alter necessary habitat for food and shelter. USGS biologists also have been collaborating with The Peregrine Fund, which isdeveloping methods for captive propagation of palila....Invasive fishes pose increasing threat to U.S. waters and native fishes, says USGS
...into thestate's waters by aquarists, are voracious predators that could threaten anumber of native species. While many state agencies still stock nonindigenous species for sport fishing,Fuller says there is a price to pay for introducing any fish into waters wherethey did not evolve. Non-native fish often pr...Economic model to aid alligator farmers
...n, while farm-raised hatchlings are protected from predators andcannibalism is not a problem because alligators are kept with others of theirown size. In Louisiana, farmers must decide if it is better to return 30 percentof the hatchlings to the wild at three feet, or only 10 percent when they reachfiv...Birds beware! Pinecones armed and dangerous
...ter perching and seedretrieval skills. Many other predators would have less success obtaining seeds,making the pine cones' defenses even more effective. "The most significant element of this study," says the researcher, "is theintegration of experimental results and analysis of evolutionary development. Combi...A first: Endangered puaiohi birds fledge four chicks in the wild
...uaiohi population and are removing non-native predators that prey upon the birds and their eggs. Unfortunately, said researchers, two nestling were taken by rats. The puaiohi project is a cooperative effort involving the USGS, The Peregrine Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an......g been a biogeographic theory that the pressure of predators andprey defenses is greater in the tropics than in higher latitudes," said Dr.Steven Pennings, an assistant research scientist at the Marine Institute. "Butthere hasn't been much work examining similar patterns in plant communities." Pennings collabo...Mosquito fish may be wiping out amphibians
...hibian populations round the world. "Exotic predators are one of the top three causes of amphibian decline,and mosquito fish are one of these major predators," says Lee Kats of PepperdineUniversity in Malibu, California. He calls use of the fish "archaic" and says itneeds to be re-examined. Mosq...Communications towers killing birds
... reflect thefull extent of avian mortality because predators often consume the birds beforebiologists arrive. (At one tower, biologists found a flea collar, apparentlyshed by a pet cat taking advantage of the avian carnage.) "But I know this is happening because I've heard it," said Evans, who haseavesdropped...Yale scientists find evidence healthy animals detect and avoid sick animals
...sitive totheir environment. "Our understanding of predators and their prey has changed drastically since itwas discovered that many kinds of prey animals can change their behavior andeven their body shape when they smell nearby predators," Skelly said."Responding to disease risk may be quite similar from an a...USGS finds elevated levels of organochlorine pesticides in Aleutian bald eagles
... said Anthony. Estes added, "The top predators of these Alaskan ecosystems -- sea lions, seals and sea otters -- have declined substantially in the North Pacific Ocean over the last several decades. While overfishing and temperature regime shifts have been blamed, the role contamin......Park in Lake Superior. Scientists have known that predators at the top of the food chain exert considerable in...e investigated the ecological consequences of apex predators responses to climate change by using data collected over 40 years on wolf behavior and how it affect...