DNA helps conservation of elusive tequila bat

JULY 6, 2020

by University of Bristol

Scientists studying the near-threatened tequila bat, best known for its vital role in pollinating the Blue Agave plant from which the drink of the same name is made from, have analyzed its DNA to help inform conservationists on managing their populations. The findings are published in Global Ecology and Conservation.

Native to the Americas, the tequila bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) lives in caves in some of the hottest desert areas in Mexico. Given that bats are highly mobile, and that migratory species tend to mix constantly with other bat populations, it is hard for conservationists to know whether they are protecting the best sites for the tequila bats to roost.

While known that some tequila bat populations migrate in Mexico's spring months to the Sonoran Desert to give birth to their pups and pollinate a variety of plants iconic to the region, including the economically important Blue Agave plant. Other tequila bat populations inhabit Southern Mexico year-round, forming large breeding colonies in the winter months.

This study aimed to help better inform conservationists of the species' breeding and migratory patterns by determining whether the bats inhabiting Southern Mexico year-round have a similar ancestral origin to those that migrate to the Sonoran Desert.

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World’s largest rattlesnakes are dying off, but Columbia’s zoo is trying to save them – via Herp Digest

By Noah Feit, 12/30/19, The State, South Carolina

Go to https://bit.ly/2SIWKMG, home page for various videos and photos.

Such as a video of a rattlesnake swimming in the Florida Keys.

Ted Wilson, a captain with the Islamorada Fishing Guide, came across a five-foot Eastern diamondback rattlesnake swimming in the waters near the Florida Keys. The Eastern diamondback is the heaviest though not the longest venomous snake in the Ame by McClatchy

Ted Wilson, a captain with the Islamorada Fishing Guide, came across a five-foot Eastern diamondback rattlesnake swimming in the waters near the Florida Keys. The Eastern diamondback is the heaviest though not the longest venomous snake in the Ame by McClatchy

The world’s largest rattlesnakes can be found in South Carolina, but the eastern diamondback’s population is declining

While this might seem like good news to people afraid of snakes, officials at Riverbanks Zoo disagree.

In fact the Columbia zoo is teaming up with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to help stave off the trend and better support remaining eastern diamondback rattlesnakes.

The zoo said it is collaborating with DNR to conduct research on diamondback rattlesnake populations in South Carolina.

Once fairly common, populations of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes have declined dramatically. 

Riverbanks is helping the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources conduct research on diamondback populations in this state. The goal is to attempt to learn enough about the biology and natural history of these snakes to allow us to manage the remaining populations, and prevent us from losing a part of our natural heritage, and a potentially important component of the long-leaf pine ecosystem.

The goal of the study is to learn about the biology and natural history of the snakes, according to the zoo. That would allow researchers to better manage the remaining populations, and prevent eastern diamondbacks from dwindling to the point of extinction, zoo officials said.

While the population is dwindling, the rattlesnakes are in the category of “Least Concern,” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List for threatened species.

Still, the zoo contends the declining population is a threat to “our natural heritage, and a potentially important component of the long-leaf pine ecosystem.”

The snakes are valuable to humans because they are natural exterminators that preys on household pests, the Florida Museum reported. Their prey includes rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels and birds, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.

The snakes are threatened by indiscriminate killing in rattlesnake roundups, widespread loss of habitat from development, and hunting,” according to National Geographic. Agriculture and changes in forestry practices have also been a factor in the population decline, according to the zoo.

The eastern diamondback is found in the Southeast, from North Carolina to south Florida, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In South Carolina, the rattlesnakes are most commonly located from the eastern Midlands to the coast, including the Lowcountry and Grand Strand regions, the organization said.

The snake’s average length is between 3 to 6 feet, but some grow as large as 8 feet, according to the Smithsonian.

The rattlesnake can strike as far as two-thirds of its body length, and it “tends to release a lot of venom with each bite, making it a very deadly snake,” the Smithsonian said.

The bites are “extremely painful and can be fatal to humans,” according to National Geographic.

According to the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, the odds of dying from a snake bite in the U.S. are 1-in-50 million, which is about five or six deaths a year. More people die on an average annual basis from spider bites; dog attacks; hornet, wasp or bee stings; and lightning strikes than snake bites, the university said.

In spite of those statistics, at least two Southerners died after snake bites in May this year.

Oliver “Chum” Baker was an Alabama man who died days after he was bitten by a snake over Memorial Day weekend, The State reported. The 52-year-old was unconscious minutes after he was bitten by a copperhead, according to The State.

Georgia resident Priscilla Meridith died in June, weeks after a Timber rattlesnake bit the 62-year-old as she attempted to sit down in a garden, The State reported.

In 2016, Columbia-area conservationist Wayne M. Grooms died after suffering a rattlesnake bite at a Clarendon County wildlife preserve, according to The State. Grooms died within 15 minutes of the snake bite at Santee National Wildlife Refuge.

While there is mixed reaction to the snakes, feedback on Riverbanks’ posts have been supportive of the effort.

“Keep up the great work, Riverbanks! Despite not being a fan of snakes, I completely understand their importance to the environment and appreciate what you are doing to help them,” one comment said.

Another person said “Thanks, Riverbanks, for all you do to keep these handsome guys in our lives!”

Eastern diamondbacks are on display at the zoo’s Aquarium Reptile Complex. Other snakes housed there include king cobras and green mambas.

Video- Venomous or harmless? How to tell the difference between Carolina snakes

The snakes are coming out for the spring season in the Carolinas. Watch how to tell the difference between a deadly cottonmouth snake and a nonvenomous rat snake in this video.

Bats in attics might be necessary for conservation

Buildings are vital summer roosting places for little brown bat maternity colonies in Yellowstone National Park

Date: November 19, 2019

Source: Ecological Society of America

For the little brown bat -- a small mouse-eared bat with glossy brown fur -- a warm, dry place to roost is essential to the species' survival. Reproductive females huddle their small furry bodies together to save thermal energy during maternity season (summer), forming "maternity colonies." In the face of severe population losses across North America, summer access to an attic or other permanent sheltered structure, as opposed to just trees or rock crevices, is a huge benefit to these bats.

In a new study published in the Ecological Society of America's journal Ecosphere, researchers with Ohio University, University of Kentucky, and the US National Park Service investigate and describe the conservation importance of buildings relative to natural, alternative roosts for little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone's iconic high-elevation landscape provides abundant natural roosting places but not many buildings. The study involved four visitor areas with several buildings that are known to host bold little brown bats, which are among the few bat species that will make their homes in structures that are actively used by people, allowing humans to get up close and personal. Sometimes, the investigation even involved researchers capturing them by hand.

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Wild red deer contribute to the preservation of open landscapes

Date:  May 9, 2019

Source:  University of Göttingen

Similar to farm animals such as cattle or sheep, wild red deer grazing in open landscapes can also contribute to the conservation of protected habitats. This was demonstrated by a research team from the University of Göttingen and the Institute for Wildlife Biology of Göttingen and Dresden. The results were published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The interdisciplinary research team, which involved the Divisions of Grassland Science and Wildlife Sciences of the University of Göttingen, conducted research over a period of three years at the Grafenwöhr Training Area, an army training base, in Bavaria. "This area is home not only to numerous protected habitats and rare species, but also to a large population of free-ranging red deer," says Friederike Riesch, PhD student in the Division of Grassland Science at the University of Göttingen and first author of the study. Since the animals are only hunted on a few days a year in the non-forested areas of the training area, they can use the grassland and heathland areas all day for foraging. The scientists recorded above-ground plant growth, forage quality and forage removal by red deer in protected grassland and heath habitats. The result: the proportion of plant growth eaten by wild red deer is comparable to that of extensive grazing by farm livestock.

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Bringing endangered species back from the brink

March 26, 2019, University of Oxford

A technique to produce eggs from ovarian tissue in the lab may offer hope for critically endangered species like the Northern White Rhino that have passed what is currently considered the point of no return.

A research team at the University of Oxford has begun work to find a new way of saving the Northern White Rhino by using tissue taken from animal ovaries to produce potentially large numbers of eggs in a laboratory setting.

Led by Dr. Suzannah Williams, researchers working on the Rhino Fertility Project will refine the method that she has successfully demonstrated in mice. Rhino tissue is scarce and precious—however, ovarian tissue has been obtained by Dr. Williams from a euthanased Southern White Rhino which provides the foundation for the work.

The research is being funded by Mr André Hoffmann, via Fondation Hoffmann.

The desperate plight of the Northern White Rhino has highlighted the precarious situation of many endangered species around the world. Previous breeding programmes had been successful in raising their numbers but the animals were destroyed by poachers. The world's last remaining male died in 2018 leaving just two female rhinos, Najin and her daughter Fatu, neither of which are capable of producing offspring naturally.

Although sperm has been saved by conservationists from male Northern White Rhinos, any successfully fertilised eggs would have to be raised in a surrogate mother – most likely a Southern White Rhino, one of their closest living relatives.

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Immediate population management needed to save remaining caribou herds, study shows

 March 12, 2019 by Michael Brown, University of Alberta

The fate of woodland caribou rest on a varied, immediate and intense response to reduce predation rates, according to a University of Alberta-led comprehensive review of population recovery measures.

"This is a conservation emergency," said Rob Serrouya, director of the Caribou Monitoring Unit of the U of A-affiliated Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and lead author on the study. "Four herds in B.C. and Alberta have gone extinct over the last 25 years and there are less than 3,000 woodland caribou in the study area in the two provinces."

With the clock ticking, Serrouya's team analyzed results from 25 years of attempts to manage caribou populations in an area covering more than 90,000 square kilometres in the southern portion of the Canadian Rocky mountains. The population management treatments studied were translocation, wolf reduction, moose reduction and maternity penning, which involves protecting caribou and their newborns during labour and for a month after birth.

What the group found was—save for the translocation, which Serrouya said was doomed to fail as it happened in an area where there was no predator reduction—removing wolves, moose and using maternity pens each worked. However, the researchers also found that if at least two of the treatments were tried in combination, population growth of the caribou was increased even more so.

The most dramatic population surge occurred In the Klines-Za population, north of Prince George, BC, where maternal penning and wolf removal strategies were used. In three years, the herd nearly doubled, from 36 to more than 67.

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It's time to ratchet up bonefish conservation, scientists say

February 7, 2019 by Evelyn S. Gonzalez, Florida International University

Anglers are catching fewer bonefish in South Florida. Florida International University scientists say there are many factors that could be behind the drop in catches, with warmer temperatures, more predators, fishing and contaminants among them.

FIU coastal ecologist Jennifer Rehage and a team of scientists found the decline is affecting all of South Florida, with some areas more affected than others. They examined bonefish, bonefish catches and water quality throughout Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay and the Florida Keys. They also surveyed and interviewed nearly 300 anglers and fishing guides on their fishing experiences in 2015.

The scientists found bonefish decline began in 1985, with the lowest catches seen after 1999. A 2010 cold spell made things worse for the sportfish, killing many of them, along with other tropical plant and animal species. Changes in both adult and juvenile fish appear to account for the decline. The highest declines are seen in Florida Bay and the lowest in Biscayne Bay.

Adult bonefish take up residence in salty marine environments, but little is known about where they spawn or where juveniles live in South Florida. The scientists also found juveniles are spending time in low salinity environments early in their lives, particularly in Florida Bay. Nestled in between the southern end of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys, the bay is sensitive to changes in the quality, movement and distribution of water in the Everglades.

The scientists call for addressing local and regional factors, conserving and managing adult and juvenile bonefish, and restoring freshwater in the Florida Everglades.

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Conservation push yields results for UK sea life but challenges remain

Wildlife Trusts report comeback of rare seahorse breed and nudibranch slugs but plastic pollution still poses grave risk

Helen Pidd North of England editor

Mon 31 Dec 2018 00.01 GMT Last modified on Thu 3 Jan 2019 08.45 GMT

A rare kind of seahorse and a rainbow-coloured sea slug with a titillating name are among the creatures making a comeback in UK waters, according to an annual conservation review.

The coast around Britain is now home to more than 100 species of nudibranchs – brightly hued, soft-bodied marine molluscs that appear nude because of their lack of external shells. The Wildlife Trusts credited a big conservation push around the coast for their proliferation.

It was a good autumn for sightings of curled octopus, the trusts said, and basking sharks were seen in Cardigan Bay for the first time in three years. The Wildlife Trusts are a grassroots movement of 800,000 people who help survey shores to gather information and monitor marine protected areas.

In Dorset, fishermen have been reporting sightings of the extremely rare short-snouted seahorse off the Purbeck coast. This toothless breed has a short, upturned snout, which it uses to suck up its favourite prey of small shrimp and plankton. Not very good swimmers, they use their tails to cling on to seagrass or seaweed, and they face various threats, from trawlers scouring the seabed to yacht anchors, according to the Wildlife Trusts.

In Cornwall, the spiny lobster or crawfish is making a comeback from overfishing in the 1960s and 1970s, while undulate rays seem to be thriving along the south coast, though they are still considered endangered following over-exploitation.

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Lawsuit urges feds to protect snakes in Arizona, New Mexico – via Herp Digest

The Associated Press Dec 21, 2018 Updated Dec 21, 2018

A conservation group is suing the Trump administration over the protection of critical habitat for garter snakes in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Tucson, accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of endangering the Northern Mexican garter snake and the narrow-headed garter snake.

In the filing, the organization says the populations of both snakes are at lower densities in both states.

Both became listed as threatened in 2014 under the Endangered Species Act.

The Trump administration needs to safeguard the rivers the snakes rely on, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity says.

A spokesman for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not immediately a message and email seeking comment.

More affordable and effective conservation of species

Date:  November 5, 2018

Source:  Stanford University

No one had reported seeing the strange creature -- a cross between a bear and a monkey -- since before the Great Depression. Then, this past summer, an amateur biologist stumbled upon the presumed-extinct Wondiwoi tree kangaroo while trekking through Papua New Guinea. The revelation underscored how little we still know about the natural world -- a major obstacle to conservation.

A new Stanford-led study supports one approach to protecting all species in an area -- the ones we know about and the ones, like the tree kangaroo, scientists don't even know need protection. That conservation scheme focuses broadly on what are known as ecoregions. These are geographically unique regions, such as deserts and rainforests, that contain distinct communities of plants and animals.

Scientists have long debated how well ecoregion borders separate species communities. If the borders are strong, protecting an ecoregion, like a rainforest, would effectively protect all of the species within. If not, each species would need to be managed separately -- a much more uncertain undertaking, especially when we don't even know some species are there.

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Tracking marine migrations across geopolitical boundaries aids conservation

Date:  September 3, 2018

Source:  University of California - Santa Cruz

Summary:

A new study uses tracking data for 14 species of migratory marine predators, from leatherback turtles to blue whales and white sharks, to show how their movements relate to the geopolitical boundaries of the Pacific Ocean. The results provide critical information for designing international cooperative agreements needed to manage these species.

The leatherback sea turtle is the largest living turtle and a critically endangered species. Saving leatherback turtles from extinction in the Pacific Ocean will require a lot of international cooperation, however, because the massive turtles may visit more than 30 different countries during their migrations.

A new study uses tracking data for 14 species of migratory marine predators, from leatherback turtles to blue whales and white sharks, to show how their movements relate to the geopolitical boundaries of the Pacific Ocean. The results provide critical information for designing international cooperative agreements needed to manage these species.

"If a species spends most of its time in the jurisdiction of one or two countries, conservation and management is a much easier issue than it is for species that migrate through many different countries," said Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz and a coauthor of the study, published September 3 in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

"For these highly migratory species, we wanted to know how many jurisdictional regions they go through and how much time they spend in the open ocean beyond the jurisdiction of any one country," Costa said.

Under international law, every coastal nation can establish an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extending up to 200 nautical miles from shore, giving it exclusive rights to exploit resources and regulate fisheries within that zone. The high seas beyond the EEZs are a global commons and are among the least protected areas on Earth. Discussions have been under way at the United Nations since 2016 to negotiate a global treaty for conservation and management of the high seas.

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More protection needed for Chinese pangolins

By Helen BriggsBBC News

Pangolins should be considered a top priority for conservation in China, with nature reserves set up in key mountain habitats.

That's the message of scientists studying the decline of the scaly mammals in eastern China.

Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, are considered to be the world's most trafficked wild mammal.

Research found numbers had dropped by more than 50% over three decades since the 1970s.

The animals are poached in Asia and Africa for their meat and also for their scales, which are sought after for use in traditional medicine.

Pangolins are now mainly confined to the Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian province, where many rare and unusual animals are found.

Yang Li, Xiaofeng Luan and Minhao Chen of Beijing Forestry University in China say pangolins deserve more attention from scientists and local people.

"Pangolins have been listed in the list of China's state key protected wild animals as level II," they say. "According to our research and previous research, we suggest that [the] protection level should change into level I."

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Build an ark? Biologists discuss conservation prioritization

July 23, 2018 by Mary-Ann Muffoletto, Utah State University

Conservation biologists recognize a sobering reality.

"We're losing species left, right and center," says Utah State University scientist Will Pearse. 'We call it the 'Noah's Ark Problem,' and we have to pick species to save. We can't save them all."

The biblical mariner seemed capable of building a vessel to accommodate mating pairs of all the world's creatures. The metaphor, today, however, would portray the harried Noah bailing water and valiantly trying to prioritize saving animals most beneficial for the future, as his boat rapidly sank.

Pearse, with colleagues Florent Mazel, Arne Mooers and Caroline Tucker of Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, Marc Cadotte of the University of Toronto, Sandra Diaz of Argentina's National University of Cordoba, Giulio Valentino Dalla Riva of the University of British Columbia, Richard Grenyer of the University of Oxford, Fabien Leprieur of the University of Montpellier and David Mouillot of James Cook University, explore phylogenetic diversity as a metric of conservation prioritization in the July 23, 2018, issue of Nature Communications.

"Our paper tests a fundamental component of conservation biology we refer to as the 'phylogenetic gambit,'" says Pearse, assistant professor in USU's Department of Biology and the USU Ecology Center. "That is, conservation biologists often use species' evolutionary history – their phylogeny – to identify groups of species to save."

This idea is based on the assumption that preserving phylogenetic diversity among species preserves more functional diversity than selecting species to preserve by chance. Functional diversity is important, Pearse says, because it drives ecosystem health and productivity.

"Yet measuring the effectiveness of functional diversity is difficult," he says. "So using phylogenetic diversity as a surrogate for functional diversity has made conservation biology much easier and more effective."

In global datasets of mammals, birds and tropical fishes, the team demonstrates that, for the most part, the phylogenetic gambit holds. Preserving phylogenetic diversity preserves 18 percent more functional diversitythan would be expected if species to save were selected at random.

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Map of Javan leopard distribution provides guidance for conservation efforts

Date: June 27, 2018

Source: PLOS

Summary:

The first robust estimate of the distribution of the Javan leopard offers reliable information on where conservation efforts must be prioritized to safeguard the Indonesian island's last remaining large carnivore.

The first robust estimate of the distribution of the Javan leopard offers reliable information on where conservation efforts must be prioritized to safeguard the Indonesian island's last remaining large carnivore. The findings were reported in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 27, 2018 by Hariyo Tabah Wibisono of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, USA, and colleagues.

The critically endangered Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) is one of the most threatened subspecies of leopard. Yet to date, it has received little conservation attention and its population status and distribution remain poorly known. To address this gap in knowledge, the researchers used species distribution modeling to predict the locations of suitable leopard habitats throughout Java, based on the most extensive Javan leopard occurrence dataset available.

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More woodland management needed to help save dormice

June 26, 2018, University of Exeter

Managing woodlands to a greater extent could help stop the decline of Britain's dormice, new research suggests.

Dormouse numbers are falling in Britain—down by 72% in just over 20 years—and the scientists say this could reflect changes in climate and the composition and structure of woodland habitats.

The findings, from two new studies led by the University of Exeter, show dormice favour woodland with varied heights and areas of regrowth, including species such as hazel and yew that provide the flowers, fruits and nuts they enjoy.

The researchers call for a return to active woodland management, which can include coppicing, glade creation and small-scale tree felling, to create a "mosaic" of trees of different ages and sizes, especially areas of new growth and medium-height trees.

Dormouse numbers are higher in woodlands with more varied tree heights and scrubby areas, and they prefer to use areas of woodland edge, and dense trees and shrubs, when they move around at night.

"Habitats that we found to be good for dormice have been in decline," said lead author Dr. Cecily Goodwin, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"Dormouse conservation would benefit from more broadleaf woodland in the landscape and more diverse woodland structure—ranging from new growth and scrub to mid-height woodland to old trees.

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Saving the underwater wonder world of Belize's reef

June 26, 2018

Just a stone's throw off the coast of Belize, brightly colored tropical fish mingle with sharks, manta rays and sea turtles around a sprawling reef beneath the bright turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

The Mesoamerican Reef, an underwater wonder world whose survival was considered to be at risk for years, may now be removed from UNESCO's list of threatened World Heritage Sites thanks to bold steps to save it by environmental activists and the Belizean government.

Second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Caribbean reef was named to the prestigious World Heritage List in 1996, but placed on endangered status in 2009 because of Belize's plans to allow oil exploration nearby and the general lack of laws to protect the site.

The warning also encompassed the mangroves that help protect the reef and serve as a breeding ground for many of the hundreds of fish species that inhabit the area.

That spurred activists into action. They organized an informal referendum in 2012 in which 96 percent of Belizeans voted against offshore oil exploration, choosing the reef over the potential economic gains for the poor Central American country.

As the threat to one of its top tourist attractions began to sink in, the Belizean government adopted a series of laws to protect the reef—notably one in December that places an indefinite moratorium on oil exploration.

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Protect forest elephants to conserve ecosystems, not DNA

Date:  April 25, 2018

Source:  Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Summary:

New research has found that forest elephant populations across Central Africa are genetically quite similar to one another. Conserving this critically endangered species across its range is crucial to preserving local plant diversity in Central and West African Afrotropical forests -- meaning conservationists could save many species by protecting one.

Although it is erroneously treated as a subspecies, the dwindling African forest elephant is a genetically distinct species. New University of Illinois research has found that forest elephant populations across Central Africa are genetically quite similar to one another. Conserving this critically endangered species across its range is crucial to preserving local plant diversity in Central and West African Afrotropical forests -- meaning conservationists could save many species by protecting one.

"Forest elephants are the heart of these ecosystems -- without them, the system falls apart, and many other species are jeopardized," said the principal investigator of this research, Alfred Roca, a professor of animal sciences at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) are morphologically and genetically distinct from their iconic larger cousins, the African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) that populate the grasslands of Eastern and Southern Africa. Forest elephants are smaller with straighter tusks and live in the rainforests of Central and West Africa where they maintain tropical ecosystems through seed dispersal and germination, as well as nutrient recycling and herbivory.

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Specieswatch: conservation effort is under way to save our mountain hares

Spring is risky for mountain hares; to avoid predators, they have to time their change from white to brown carefully

Paul Brown

Tue 24 Apr 2018 21.30 BST Last modified on Tue 24 Apr 2018 22.00 BST

Britain’s mountain hare Lepus timidus should presently be turning from white to grey-brown with a blue tinge as the breeding season starts. Spring is a dangerous time; the snow disappears and adults need to blend in to avoid hungry eagles or a fox.

Unlike brown hares and rabbits the mountain hare is a true native species, but is increasingly threatened by climate change as it has to climb higher to find a suitable habitat. There are mountain hares as far south as Derbyshire and on the Pennine Hills, where they have been introduced, but their true home is in alpine Scotland.

Not all mountain hares turn white – the temperature seems to be the trigger. In Ireland, where it snows less and is warmer, there is a sub-species that stays mostly brown – a better survival strategy.

Numbers in Scotland vary enormously, with peak populations on a 10-year cycle, the cause of which remains unexplained. When they are not shot by gamekeepers they gain from grouse-moor management burning because it provides suitable heather habitat for them, too. There are fears for the future because in some areas hares have almost disappeared. A count is under way as the first stage of a conservation effort.

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Better species mapping can improve conservation efforts

Date:  April 18, 2018

Source:  Portland State University

The scientific models that ecologists and conservation biologists rely on to determine which species and habitats to protect lack critical information to help them make effective decisions, according to a new study.

Angela Strecker, an environmental science professor at Portland State University and the study's co-lead author, said that species distribution models can help predict all the places where a given species could live based on their environmental preferences, and using these models can help target conservation efforts to areas where they would have the most impact. They can also be useful in predicting where non-native or invasive species may spread.

"There's limited dollars and opportunities for conserving land and water, so we want to make sure we're getting the most bang for our buck," said Strecker, who co-led the study with a researcher from Bryn Mawr College. "To do that, we often need to rely on the results of these distribution models, but they're biased in terms of not fully representing all of the diversity that's out there and not including other factors that are important."

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Alarmed conservationists call for urgent action to fix 'America's wildlife crisis'

One-third of species are vulnerable to extinction, a crisis ravaging swaths of creatures, conservationists say in call to fund recovery plans

Oliver Milman in New York

Thu 29 Mar 2018 16.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 29 Mar 2018 23.45 BST

An extinction crisis is rippling though America’s wildlife, with scores of species at risk of being wiped out unless recovery plans start to receive sufficient funding, conservationists have warned.

One-third of species in the US are vulnerable to extinction, a crisis that has ravaged swaths of creatures such as butterflies, amphibians, fish and bats, according to a report compiled by a coalition of conservation groups. A further one in five species face an even greater threat, with a severe risk of being eliminated amid a “serious decline” in US biodiversity, the report warns.

“America’s wildlife are in crisis,” said Collin O’Mara, chief executive of the National Wildlife Federation. “Fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates are all losing ground. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to prevent these species from vanishing from the earth.”

More than 1,270 species found in the US are listed as at risk under the federal Endangered Species Act, an imperiled menagerie that includes the grizzly bear, California condor, leatherback sea turtle and rusty patched bumble bee. However, the actual number of threatened species is “far higher than what is formally listed”, states the report by the National Wildlife Federation, American Fisheries Society and the Wildlife Society.

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