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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 So far, the majority of studies investigating brain functions and intelligence have been carried out either on humans or animals that are known to be most similar to humans, such as monkeys, apes, and other mammals. Nonetheless, some avian species, including corvids and parrots, also have sophisticated and surprising cognitive skills, which are sometimes comparable to those of large-brained mammals. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-evolution-complex-cognition-birds.html Plants & Animals Evolution Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:30:02 EDT news518251202 A new study has for the first time illuminated the evolutionary history of the bizarre anti-predator defense—the praying mantis startle display—and suggests that the element of surprise may be key to its success. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-scientists-mantises-element-survive.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 07:42:47 EDT news518251361 Your genetic code determines that you will grow two arms and two legs. The same fate is true for all mammals. Similarly, the number of fins a fish has and the number of legs and wings an insect has are embedded in their genetic code. Sea anemones, however, defy this rule and have a variable number of tentacle arms. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-arms-youre-sea-anemone.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 07:38:27 EDT news518251095 Marine animals are notoriously difficult to track, creating big gaps in how scientists understand their behavior and migration patterns—key insights for helping conserve important habitats. Researchers in Australia, using satellite tags and a decades-old satellite photographic database, published a paper in Frontiers in Marine Science that suggests a migratory species like the reef manta ray is somewhat of a homebody. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-reef-manta-rays-long-term-marine-protected.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:10:01 EDT news518175040 By examining how fruit flies use eye movements to enhance flight control with a staggeringly fast reaction speed—about 30 times faster than the blink of an eye—Penn State researchers have detailed a framework to mimic this ability in robotics. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-eye-reveal-secrets-vision-rapid.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 01 Sep 2020 16:26:06 EDT news518196362 Human societies developed food preferences based on a blend of what was available and what the group decided it liked most. Those predilections were then passed along as part of the set of socially learned behaviors, values, knowledge, and customs that make up culture. Besides humans, many other social animals are believed to exhibit forms of culture in various ways, too. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-differing-diets-bonobo-groups-insights.html Plants & Animals Evolution Tue, 01 Sep 2020 16:14:04 EDT news518195639 New insight on how an enzyme ensures the correct growth of pollen tubes in flowering plants has been published today in the open-access journal eLife. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-scientists-pollen-tube-growth.html Plants & Animals Tue, 01 Sep 2020 16:10:49 EDT news518195444 Animal species that are at home in the high mountains are finding their habitats reduced and fragmented by roads. In addition, they face competition from scavengers from lower boreal areas that find their way to the mountains. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-red-fox-displaces-arctic-littering.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:58:55 EDT news518173131 MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) scientists have characterized a sucrose transporter protein found in common beans. The recently discovered protein could help us understand how beans tolerate hot temperatures. The transporter, called PvSUT1.1, is reported in the journal Plant Direct. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-newly-sugar-beans-tolerate-hot.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:31:10 EDT news518106666 In a study published in PNAS, researchers used conservation biology and genomics to discover that the New Guinea singing dog, thought to be extinct for 50 years, still thrives. Scientists found that the ancestral dog population still stealthily wanders in the Highlands of New Guinea. This finding opens new doors for protecting a remarkable creature that can teach biologists about human vocal learning. The New Guinea singing dog can also be utilized as a valuable and unique animal model for studying how human vocal disorders arise and finding potential treatment opportunities. The study was performed by researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, Cenderawasih University in Indonesia, and other academic centers. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-discovery-ancient-dog-species-human.html Plants & Animals Evolution Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:00:02 EDT news518074157 Enzymes that control a plant's response to lower oxygen levels could be manipulated to make vital crops resistant to the impacts of flooding triggered by climate change, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-scientists-crops-power-resist.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:00:02 EDT news518074338 About 4,000 to 5,000 parasitic plant species exist. Among these, dodders (Cuscuta, Convolvulaceae) are distributed worldwide. Compared with normal autotrophic plants, they have a unique morphology—they are rootless and leafless and carry out no or very little photosynthesis. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-host-parasitic-dodder.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:00:01 EDT news518084858 A team led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, has discovered a missing link in the evolution of photosynthesis and carbon fixation. Dating back more than 2.4 billion years, a newly discovered form of the plant enzyme rubisco could give new insight into plant evolution and breeding. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-link-evolutionary-history-carbon-fixing-protein.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 14:30:38 EDT news518103034 Elephant trails may lead the way to better conservation approaches. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-african-elephant-trails-approach-differently.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 12:59:37 EDT news518097570 Natural wetlands continue to disappear due to city and human development and are being replaced with manmade swales, ponds and canals. This degradation and replacement of natural wetlands suggest that urban areas may be imperative to wetland species, especially when natural conditions are unpredictable. Wetland birds are often seen in and around cities; however, they have been largely ignored in urban wildlife studies. In their historic ranges, wetland birds inhabit dynamic marshes, traveling long distances to locate food. Yet, does their ability to forage for food in natural environments translate to their ability to do so in an urban environment? https://phys.org/news/2020-08-hots-dogs-chicken-wings-city.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 31 Aug 2020 12:42:51 EDT news518096567