Woods Hole Research Center plans controlled burn in Amazon rainforest
...affect the vigor, health, biodiversity, and animal habitat in these forests, and in the end, to learn whether recurring fire may threaten the very existence of the forest." Repeated burning of transition forests in the Amazon could cause their eventual replacement by fire-prone scrub vegetation through a pr...Size matters: Preventing large mammal extinction
...than 3kg, would benefit from conservation of their habitat area, whereas, larger bodied animals require a different approach, focusing upon the specific species, their biology and their habitat. "This understanding enables us to predict what species are most at risk in the future," said Dr Purvis. "That prov...New study explores patterns in species diversity and genetic diversity
...sity is higher in scenarios with larger parcels of habitat available and where patches of intact habitat are closer together. These results concur with field observations and indicate that human activities...New taxon of Galpagos tortoise identified
...Evolutionary Biology at Yale. Conservation of its habitat is an immediate concern because the human population on the island of Santa Cruz is growing rapidly. The team emphasized the importance of accurate taxa identification for effective conservation policy and preservation of genetic diversity in a recen...Study shows big game hunters, not climate change, killed off sloths
... inter-glacial period, which resulted in shifts in habitat and the ranges of plants, may have made animal species more vulnerable than they otherwise would have been, he said. "This is the first time it's been demonstrated for West Indian ground sloths, and West Indian ground sloths are sort of the poste...Global warming's effects extend to world's smallest butterfly
... extinction does not depend on the future level of habitat destruction due to this grazing; the growing numbe...l warming is the deadly culprit. "If the areas of habitat patches individually fall below certain prescribed levels, the butterfly is likely to go extinct,"th...Two new lemur species discovered
...pulation numbers of the two new lemur species. The habitat of Mirza zaza is already highly fragmented. Microcebus lehilahytsara is found within a protected reserve, but the surrounding rainforest is also heavily threatened by slash-and-burn activities. "It is simply remarkable that M. lehilahytsara was obta...Coyotes in the suburbs, bears in the backyard
...azards, their populations are failing to thrive in habitat that otherwise serves their needs quite nicely. A...archers postulate that the resulting multi-faceted habitat supports a wider range of species, many of which may depend upon disturbance. Warren will present t...USGS Science at Ecological Society of America
...one that may be decreasing the quality of wildlife habitat and altering the function of wetlands. Volunteers ...o the globe. Instead, because species richness and habitat heterogeneity typically increase with area, especially in resource-rich habitats, the dominant gener...Team of international scientists departs today to discover the unknown in China's Himalayan region
...ened mammals, birds, and amphibians survive within habitat covering just 2.3 percent of the Earth's surface (...bined areas of the five largest U.S. states). This habitat originally covered 15.7 percent of the Earth's surface, an area equivalent in size to Russia and Aus...Seeing the trees for the forest: WHRC scientists creating National Biomass and Carbon Dataset
...interactions, forest fire mitigation, and wildlife habitat characterization, to national energy policy with respect to bio-fuel and renewable resources." In the NBCD2000 initiative, data will be analyzed in 60 ecologically diverse regions, termed "mapping zones", which cover the entire conterminous United St...Poaching, logging, and outbreaks of Ebola threaten central African gorillas and chimpanzees
... (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) that share the same habitat in six countries. The plan represents an urgent ap...y on addressing the typical issues of poaching and habitat destruction, but also the problems of the rapid spread of disease," said Christophe Boesch of the Wi...In Iran, camera traps reveal rare Asiatic cheetahs
... of the 1978 revolution, along with degradation of habitat due to livestock grazing, have pushed this important predator to the brink of extinction. Once known as "hunting leopards," cheetahs have played a significant historical role in Iranian culture being trained by its emperors to hunt gazelles in ancie...Findings on plummeting salmon populations at 8th World Wilderness Congress
...er diversions for hydro and agriculture needs, and habitat loss. On Wednesday, October 8, Dr. Augerot will moderate a session at the World Wilderness Congress with five of the world's leaders on Pacific salmon conservation. Reporters are welcome to attend....Birds and bats sow tropical seeds
...ding to a destructive cycle of land fragmentation, habitat loss and -- even with replanting using wind-dispersed trees -- species loss. Howe and his colleagues will lease 16 land parcels in Veracruz located near or adjacent to forest remnants or UNAM's protected rainforest to observe what trees grow, and why...Experts develop global action plan to save amphibians facing extinction
...nction from familiar threats such as pollution and habitat destruction, as well as a little-known fungus wipi...d and all relate to the impact of humans on Earth habitat loss, pollution, over-harvesting of species, and climate change. They often act in combination to ex...Vineyard weeds found to host Pierce's disease of grapes
...nsect vector, either through insecticide sprays or habitat modification to remove insect breeding host plants. Our study reinforces the need for weed control in irrigation ditches and roadsides adjacent to vineyards, in regions with chronic Pierce's disease and established populations of sharpshooters, espec...Ants, not evil spirits, create devil's gardens in the Amazon rainforest, study finds
...ant, D. hirsuta, which happens to be the preferred habitat of the devil's garden ant, M. schumanni. In addition to the evil-spirit legend, two scientific proposals have been offered to explain why devil's gardens occur. One hypothesis is that D. hirsuta trees release toxic secretions that kill competing plan......ng plants that grow in the ever-shrinking strip of habitat between land and the ocean. Rusty Feagin, Douglas...ts such as hurricanes. They also provide critical habitat for endangered animals such as the Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). According to the ......tified as tall and dense could serve as a suitable habitat for the DFS," said Nelson. "But, ground visits wou...me flight paths used in this study to determine if habitat has been lost or gained," said Nelson. Airborne LiDAR and similar techniques are also being used to ...