https://phys.org/biology-news/plants-animals en-us Phys.org provides the latest news on plants and animals If you have any children in your life, imagine for a moment that they don't look anything like their parents, they don't eat anything humans normally eat, and they're active only while adults sleep. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-big-tadpoles-frogs-complicated.html Plants & Animals Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:21:15 EDT news518437268 A team of international vets using tranquilliser darts, flatbreads and the soothing lyrics of Frank Sinatra conducted a medical examination Friday on Pakistan's only Asian elephant, ahead of his planned move to Cambodia. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-pakistan-asian-elephant-home.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:20:25 EDT news518437220 A research collaboration based at Kumamoto University (Japan) has found that activation of PPARα, a fatty acid receptor that detects fatty acids in cells and regulates physiological functions, causes masculinization of Japanese rice fish (medaka). The discovery of this molecular mechanism is expected to advance the development of new sex control technologies. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-fatty-acid-receptor-involved-temperature-induced.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:17:18 EDT news518437035 Researchers have discovered how a protein in plant roots controls the uptake of minerals and water, a finding which could improve the tolerance of agricultural crops to climate change and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-protein-discovery-fertilizer.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:09:05 EDT news518436542 A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, and the University of Virginia, USA, has studied the impact of high ozone air pollution on the chemical communication between flowers and pollinators. They showed that tobacco hawkmoths lost attraction to the scent of their preferred flowers when that scent had been altered by ozone. This oxidizing pollutant thus disturbs the interaction between a plant and its pollinator, a relationship that has evolved over millions of years. However, when given the chance, hawkmoths quickly learn that an unpleasantly polluted scent may lead to nutritious nectar. The study is published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-air-pollution-odors-unattractive-moths.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:08:10 EDT news518436485 The notion of plants talking to us about dead people sounds like a bad horror movie. But that's the theme of a recent scientific paper I co-authored. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-dead-bodies-families-people.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 04 Sep 2020 09:40:02 EDT news518429364 Some male butterflies go to extreme lengths to ensure their paternity—sealing their mate's genitalia with a waxy "chastity belt" to prevent future liaisons. But female butterflies can fight back by evolving larger or more complex organs that are tougher to plug. Males, in turn, counterattack by fastening on even more fantastic structures with winglike projections, slippery scales or pointy hooks. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-butterfly-sexes-males-deploy-chastity.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 15:37:39 EDT news518366254 If naked mole-rats were human, they would be prescribed hearing aids. With six mutations in genes associated with hearing, naked mole-rats can barely hear the constant squeaking they use to communicate with one another. This hearing loss, which is strange for such social, vocal animals, is an adaptive, beneficial trait, according to new findings published in the journal Current Biology. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-loss-naked-mole-rats-advantage-hardship.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 15:06:40 EDT news518364387 In 2013 the Rim Fire—the largest fire on record in the Sierra Nevada—burned one third of the potential California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) habitat in Yosemite National Park. The park provides prime habitat for this Spotted Owl subspecies, which is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and concern grew regarding the fire's effect on Yosemite's owl populations. But recent research provides some good news regarding the park's owls, and it may be due to Yosemite's unique history and fire management strategy. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-megafire-deter-yosemite-owls.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 15:06:03 EDT news518364361 A study led by researchers from Tasmania, Chile and Germany has furthered our understanding of plant evolution by tracking the origins of electrical signaling components that plants developed to communicate and adapt to life on land. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-cells-tracking-evolution-electrical.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:25:03 EDT news518354699 This fall, apple lovers can look forward to three new varieties from the oldest apple breeding program in the U.S.—located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). https://phys.org/news/2020-09-crunchy-complex-apples.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:21:01 EDT news518354459 A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-species-freshwater-crustacea-hottest-earth.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:13:38 EDT news518354015 Search teams looking for human remains are often slowed by painstaking on-foot pursuits or aerial searches that are obscured by forest cover. In a Science & Society article appearing September 3 in the journal Trends in Plant Science, the authors discuss utilizing tree cover in body recovery missions to our advantage, by detecting changes in the plant's chemistry as signals of nearby human remains. Though the impact of human decomposition on plants has not yet been thoroughly explored, the researchers outline the steps needed to make body recovery using vegetation more of a reality. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-dead-bodies-forensic-botanists.html Plants & Animals Other Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:00:04 EDT news518343238 It is commonly said that childhood experiences shape adult behavior; that events that we may not even remember can have long-lasting or even permanent effects. In a new article by scientists at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Portugal, published in Current Biology, experiments using zebrafish show that social experiences during the very first week of development impact behavior at an early larval stage, before the fish are considered social. This suggests that these experiences mark the fish much earlier than previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-social-impact-zebrafish-early-age.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:00:04 EDT news518345403 Old male elephants play a key role in leading all-male groups, new research suggests. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-males-vital-elephant-societies.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:00:01 EDT news518335265 To date only the length of the legendary giant shark Megalodon had been estimated but now, a new study led by the University of Bristol and Swansea University has revealed the size of the rest of its body, including fins that are as large as an adult human. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-true-size-prehistoric-mega-shark-revealed.html Plants & Animals Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:28:52 EDT news518347727 Action came too late for the Christmas Island forest skink, despite early warnings of significant declines. It was lost from the wild before it was officially listed as "threatened," and the few individuals brought into captivity died soon after. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-reveals-australian-reptiles.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:20:02 EDT news518342385 Unlike many mammals and birds, most reptiles show little sign of being caring parents. But our new research shows one lizard species may be more doting parents than we thought—the adults risking their own safety to protect their babies. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-scientists-capture-rare-footage-mother.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:10:05 EDT news518342360 Researchers have resolved a longstanding biological debate by revealing the existence and function of complex RNA structures in plants. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-reveals-rna-g-quadruplex-nature.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 07:56:16 EDT news518338574 Bacterial speck disease, which reduces both fruit yield and quality, has been a growing problem in tomatoes over the last five years. Because the culpable bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae, prefers a cool and wet climate, crops in places such as New York State have been particularly susceptible. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-newly-gene-grants-tomatoes-resistance.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Thu, 03 Sep 2020 03:40:03 EDT news518323197 Cat owners fall into five categories in terms of their attitudes to their pets' roaming and hunting, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-cat-owner.html Plants & Animals Veterinary medicine Thu, 03 Sep 2020 03:36:05 EDT news518322961 House sparrows can be found on nearly every continent including North America, South America, Africa and Australia, where they are not native but an invasive species. New research into these highly social songbirds reveals that they can learn from each other and adapt their behavior. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-birds.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:27:34 EDT news518268451 Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is one of the most destructive diseases of soybean, with losses of nearly 1.7 million metric tons in 2014. The disease is especially severe in the Midwest and North-Central regions, where conditions of high soil humidity and cold weather help the disease grow. SDS is difficult to control as current management practices, which include using fungicide seed treatments and tolerant soybean varieties, can add production costs, reduce profits, and can ultimately be ineffective. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-biological-agents-soybeans-sudden-death.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:26:53 EDT news518268410 As introduced species spread around the world, the complex networks of interactions between plants and animals within ecosystems are becoming increasingly similar, a process likely to reinforce globalization's imprint on nature and increase risks of sweeping ecological disruption. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-globalization-reweaving-web-life.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:26:38 EDT news518268394 Our gut microbiota can crucially influence our behavior and neurodevelopment. New research from the Ethology Department at the Faculty of Science at Eötvös Loránd University indicates that dogs' aging mechanism and memory performance are also linked to their gut microbiome composition. According to the study, dogs and humans may have similar mechanisms in cognitive aging. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-gut-microbiome-composition-age-memory.html Plants & Animals Veterinary medicine Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:22:52 EDT news518268169 Radiocarbon dating of five large and potentially old sessile oaks from Aspromonte National Parks has revealed a long lifespan ranging from 934 ± 65 to 570 ± 45 years. For a long time, majestic oaks have been considered a symbol of longevity, and this study proves that a millennium age horizon is attainable longevity in angiosperms growing at high-elevation belt in Mediterranean mountains of South Italy. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-oldest-radiocarbon-dated-temperate-hardwood.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:20:01 EDT news518078122 Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan have discovered a link between defensive responses in plants and the beautiful but devastating crop parasite witchweed. Published in Nature, the new study shows that both parasitic and non-parasitic plants can detect and react to a class of organic compounds called quinones. While parasitic plants sense quinones in their prey and use it to invade, quinones trigger defensive responses in non-parasitic plants that can protect them from bacteria and other microbes. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-parasitic-crops-defending-microbes.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 11:00:01 EDT news518260790 When you think of lyrebirds, what comes to mind may be the sound of camera clicks, chainsaws and the songs of other birds. While the mimicry of lyrebirds is remarkable, it is not the only striking feature of this species. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-lyrebirds-litter-soil-animal.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:56:16 EDT news518259373 Mite extinctions are occurring at least 1,000 times the natural rate—a finding a University of Queensland researcher says is another warning that global biodiversity is in deep trouble. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-mite-extinctions-natural.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:51:15 EDT news518259071 Federal agencies required a minimum criteria of 96 percent of spring-migrating and 93 percent of summer-migrating juvenile salmon had to survive passage over Lower Granite Dam, located in southeastern Washington. Because it's impossible to count each fish, scientists rely on mathematical models. These models rely on tracking a sub-sample of salmon that is designed to represent the larger population. However, traditional models have been expensive and time consuming. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-stock-salmon-survival-science.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:50:01 EDT news518257895