News tagged with forest species

Factors behind past lemur species extinctions put surviving species in 'ecological retreat'

New research out today on the long-term impact of species extinctions suggests that the disappearance of one species does not necessarily allow remaining competitor species to thrive by filling now-empty niches.

Biology / Ecology

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

An introduced bird competitor tips the balance against Hawaiian species

Biologists Leonard Freed and Rebecca Cann from the University of Hawaii at Manoa have been studying birds at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge for 20 years. Located on an old cattle ranch on the windward ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Forest diversity from Canada to the sub-tropics influenced by family proximity

How species diversity is maintained is a fundamental question in biology. In a new study, a team of Indiana University biologists has shown for the first time that diversity is influenced on a spatial scale ...

Biology / Ecology

created May 17, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

The absence of elephants and rhinoceroses reduces biodiversity in tropical forests

The progressive disappearance of seed-dispersing animals like elephants and rhinoceroses puts the structural integrity and biodiversity of the tropical forest of South-East Asia at risk. With the help of Spanish ...

Biology / Ecology

created May 11, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Bark beetle management and ecology in southern pine forests

Periodic outbreaks of bark beetles can cause annual losses of millions of dollars and pose serious challenges for forest managers, and the suppression of outbreaks is particularly difficult and expensive.

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New purple crab species found in Philippines

Four new species of freshwater crab, bright purple in colour, have been discovered in the biologically diverse but ecologically-threatened Philippines, the man who found them said Saturday.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 22, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (20) | comments 9

Planned dams in Amazon may have largely negative ecosystem impact

The Andean Amazon is becoming a major frontier for new hydroelectric dams, but an analysis of the potential impacts of these planned projects suggests that there may be serious ecological concerns to take into account. The ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Apr 18, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Two new frog species found in Philippines

Two new species of frog have been discovered in fast-disappearing forests in the Philippines, boosting hopes for the survival of the country's rich but threatened wildlife, scientists said Tuesday.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 17, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Athletic frogs have faster-changing genomes

Physically fit frogs have faster-changing genomes, says a new study of poison frogs from Central and South America.

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Pollen can protect mahogany from extinction

New research from the University of Adelaide could help protect one of the world's most globally threatened tree species - the big leaf mahogany - from extinction.

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 03, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Reforestation efforts reshape Hawaii's soil hydrology

Starting with the arrival of Polynesian settlers in the fourth century, and peaking in the mid-1800s, the destructive forces of wildfires and pests and the grazing of feral pigs, goats, and cattle reduced the native forests ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Mar 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Scientists clone 'survivor' elm trees

Scientists at the University of Guelph have found a way to successfully clone American elm trees that have survived repeated epidemics of their biggest killer — Dutch elm disease.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Antibiotic resistant bacteria proliferate in agricultural soils

Infectious diseases kill roughly 13 million people worldwide, annually, a toll that continues to rise, aided and abetted by resistance genes. Now a study, published in the March Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy finds ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 20, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Competition is at the root of diversity in rainforests: study

Another attractive theory falls foul of the facts. A census of trees in rainforests on three continents has confirmed that competition plays a central role in structuring communities. This contradicts the so-called neutral ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Managing fire and biodiversity

A 23-year study of dry sclerophyll forests in south-eastern NSW has thrown new light on the role of fire in the landscape.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jan 25, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0