Fruit-eating increases biodiversity

Date:  October 23, 2017

Source:  Universiteit van Amsterdam (UVA)

Summary:

By dispersing the seeds of plants, fruit-eating animals contribute to the possibility of increased plant speciation and thus biodiversity, investigators have discovered.

By dispersing the seeds of plants, fruit-eating animals contribute to the possibility of increased plant speciation and thus biodiversity. These are the findings of a new study led by Renske E. Onstein and W. Daniel Kissling, researchers at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED). The results were published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

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Climate shifts shorten marine food chain off California

Research counters earlier thinking that food chains remain constant through time

Date:  October 19, 2017

Source:  NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region

Summary:

Environmental disturbances such as El Niño shake up the marine food web off Southern California, new research shows, countering conventional thinking that the hierarchy of who-eats-who in the ocean remains largely constant over time.

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Pumas found to exhibit behaviors like social animals

Findings could raise questions about all solitary carnivores

Date: October 12, 2017

Source: Panthera

Summary:

Pumas, long known as solitary carnivores, are more social than previously thought, according to a new study. The findings provide the first evidence of complex social strategies in any solitary carnivore -- and may have implications for multiple species, including other wild cats around the world.

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Atrazine alters the sex ratio in Blanchard's cricket frogs

Date: October 13, 2017

Source: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Summary:

A study found that Blanchard's cricket frogs are highly sensitive to atrazine. When exposed, there were up to 55 percent fewer males than females compared with the control group, indicating that atrazine can affect the sex ratio. However, cricket frog populations do persist in areas with widespread atrazine application, despite reports of range contractions for enigmatic reasons.

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When lemons give you life: Herpetofauna adaptation to citrus orchards in Belize

Date: October 16, 2017

Source: Pensoft Publishers

Summary:

Reptile and amphibian communities exhibit a promising level of resilience to agricultural lands. In a new study, herpetologists compared forested areas to manicured citrus orchards and reclaimed orchard forests in Belize. Further intriguing discoveries were made when the Category 1 Hurricane Earl hit the study site.

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