ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Full-annual-cycle models track migratory bird populations throughout the year Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PST Many birds spend only a few months of the year in their breeding range before leaving to spend the winter in another region or even on another continent, and models that only make use of data from one season may not paint a complete picture. For this reason, researchers have written the first comprehensive review of the different types of full-annual-cycle modeling approaches available to ecologists.

Mediterranean diet cuts heart disease risk by nearly half Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PST Adults who closely followed the Mediterranean diet were 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease over a 10-year period compared to similar adults who did not closely follow the diet, according to a new study.

Metabolic path to improved biofuel production Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST Researchers have found a way to increase the production of fuels and other chemicals from biomass fermented by yeast without the need of environmentally harsh pre-treatments or expensive enzyme cocktails.

Deadly frog fungus dates back to 1880s, studies find Posted: 04 Mar 2015 12:26 PM PST A pair of studies show that the deadly fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, responsible for the extinction of more than 200 amphibian species worldwide, has coexisted harmlessly with animals in Illinois and Korea for more than a century. The research will help biologists better understand the disease caused by Bd, chytridiomycosis, and the conditions under which it can be survived.

Direct evidence that drought-weakened Amazonian forests 'inhale less carbon' Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:14 AM PST Direct evidence of the rate at which individual trees in the Amazonian basin 'inhale' carbon from the atmosphere during severe drought has been provided by an international research team. Researchers found that while the rate of photosynthesis was constant among trees on plots unaffected by drought, rates on the six drought-affected plots dropped significantly (as compared with before the 2010 drought). They also discovered that while the growth rates of drought-affected plots were unchanged, levels of tissue maintenance and the general health of trees were reduced.

Infant gut bacteria and food sensitization: Associations in the first year of life Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PST New light has been shed on changes in intestinal bacteria of infants that can predict future development of food allergies or asthma. The research reveals that infants with a fewer number of different bacteria in their gut at three months of age are more likely to become sensitized to foods such as milk, egg or peanut by the time they are one year old.

X-ray imaging of a single virus in 3-D Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PST By imaging single viruses injected into the intense beam of an X-ray free-electron laser, researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of the mimivirus. The technique could be applied to image other pathogenic viruses like HIV or influenza and, with further improvements, it may allow researchers to tackle smaller biomolecules like proteins. This could enable the study of many important biomolecules that cannot form crystals and thus cannot be investigated by X-ray crystallography.

Advancing multiple approaches for characterizing permafrost microbes in a changing climate Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PST To better characterize the microbial activities in the thawing permafrost, scientists have reported on the application of multiple molecular technologies: "omics."

Dog DNA tests alone not enough for healthy pedigree, experts say Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PST Breeding dogs on the basis of a single genetic test carries risks and may not improve the health of pedigree lines, experts warn. Only a combined approach that makes use of DNA analysis, health screening schemes and pedigree information will significantly reduce the frequency of inherited diseases, according to a review of the practice.

Genome replication may hold clues to cancer evolution Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:40 AM PST The more copies of a genome a cell holds, the more adaptable those cells are, scientists have discovered. This may have implications for cancer's evolution and adaptation.

Experiments support conductivity claims for microbial nanowires Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST Scientific debate has been hot lately about whether microbial nanowires, the specialized electrical pili of the mud-dwelling anaerobic bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, truly possess metallic-like conductivity as its discoverers claim. But now scientists say they have settled the dispute between theoretical and experimental scientists by devising a combination of new experiments and better theoretical modeling.

Traditional beliefs promote sustainability in West Africa Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST Sacred forests and traditional beliefs are shaping sustainable farming practices in communities in West Africa, according to new research. Scientists carried out a unique 18-month study in Liberia, examining the traditional agriculture of the Loma people where farmers do not use industrial farming practices or artificial fertilizers. They found sacred forests and ancestral lands were valued more than short-term economic gain through increasing food production.

Study sheds light on how malaria parasites grow exponentially Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST The mysterious process by which malaria-related parasites spread at explosive and deadly rates inside humans and other animals has been uncovered by researchers for the first time. As drug-resistant malaria threatens to become a major public health crisis, the findings may lead to a powerful new treatment for malaria-caused illnesses that kill more than 600,000 people a year.

Determining recipes for some of the world's oldest preserved beers Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST Some breweries have taken to resurrecting the flavors of ages past. Adventurous beer makers are extrapolating recipes from clues that archeologists have uncovered from old and even ancient brews found at historical sites. Now scientists have analyzed some of the oldest preserved beer samples from an 1840s' shipwreck to try to provide insight into how they were made.

Basis for cadmium toxicity uncovered Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:43 AM PST Research has uncovered how the metal cadmium, which is accumulating in the food chain, causes toxicity in living cells. "Cadmium is a very important industrial metal, but exposure to it results in accumulation in the food chain, leading to toxicity in animals and humans," says the project. "Exposure to cadmium can occur due to poor disposal of industrial or electronics waste, and also through cigarette smoke and ingestion of contaminated food. While the toxicity of cadmium has been known for a long time, how it causes toxicity and damages cells hasn't been understood."

Cause of tree-killing fungus uncovered: Extra genes Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:43 AM PST Forest scientists believe they've discovered the root cause of a deadly tree fungus: extra genes. The fungus, Mycosphaerella populorum, uses extra genes to produce a toxin that can cause fatal lesions on the leaves, stems and branches of poplar trees. The extra genes were found through genome sequencing, the mapping of an organism's DNA.

Oxytocin may enhance social function in psychiatric disorders Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:43 AM PST Inducing the release of brain oxytocin may be a viable therapeutic option for enhancing social function in psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia, researchers suggest. The oxytocin system is well-known for creating a bond between a mother and her newborn baby, and oxytocin is a lead drug candidate for treating social deficits in autism.

Amazon deforestation 'threshold' causes species loss to accelerate Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:42 AM PST One of the first studies to map the impact of deforestation on biodiversity across entire regions of the Amazon has found a clear 'threshold' for forest cover below which species loss becomes more rapid and widespread. By measuring the loss of a core tranche of dominant species of large and medium-sized mammals and birds, and using the results as a bellwether, the researchers found that for every 10% of forest loss, one to two major species are wiped out. This is until the threshold of 43% of forest cover is reached, beyond which the rate of biodiversity loss jumps from between two to up to eight major species gone per 10% of disappeared forest.

Genetic data can help predict how pine forests will cope with climate change Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:41 AM PST Data from only a small number of gene variants can predict which maritime pine trees are most vulnerable to climate change, scientists report. The results will improve computer models designed to forecast where forests will grow as the climate changes, and promises to help forestry managers decide where to focus reforestation efforts. The results will also guide the choice of tree stocks.

Hurricanes helped accelerate spread of lionfish Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST Just when you thought hurricanes couldn't get any scarier, think again. Their names roll of the tongue like a rogues' gallery: Floyd, Frances, Irene, Wilma and Andrew. But these aren't the names of notorious criminals; rather, they are just a few of the hurricanes since 1992 that have helped spread invasive marine species throughout the Florida Straits. Researchers have discovered that storms don't only have a dramatic impact on land; they have an equally dramatic effect on ocean currents, which helps the spread of marine invasive species throughout a region.

Wild yaks: Shaggy barometers of climate change Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST A new study finds that climate change and past hunting in the remote Tibetan Plateau is forcing female wild yaks onto steeper and steeper terrain.

Usual prey gone, a fish survives by changing predictably Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST Without the Bahamas mosquitofish to eat, bigmouth sleepers slide down the food chain and survive on insects, snails and crustaceans. And, in so doing, sleepers' behaviors, ratio of males to females and physical appearance change, too.

NASA Ames reproduces the building blocks of life in laboratory Posted: 04 Mar 2015 06:35 AM PST NASA scientists studying the origin of life have reproduced uracil, cytosine, and thymine, three key components of our hereditary material, in the laboratory. They discovered that an ice sample containing pyrimidine exposed to ultraviolet radiation under space-like conditions produces these essential ingredients of life.

'No take zones' in English Channel would benefit marine wildlife, fishing industry Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST Marine conservationists are increasingly pinning their hopes on marine protected areas (MPAs) to save threatened species and reduce over-fishing. However, while most people agree that stopping some types of fishing in MPAs would benefit wildlife and fisheries, working out which fishing activities should be banned is often complicated and controversial.

Grand tree of life study shows a clock-like trend in new species emergence and diversity Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST Researchers have assembled the largest and most accurate tree of life calibrated to time, and surprisingly, it reveals that life has been expanding at a constant rate. The study also challenges the conventional view of adaptation being the principal force driving species diversification, but rather, underscores the importance of random genetic events and geographic isolation in speciation, taking about 2 million years on average for a new species to emerge onto the scene.

Analysis of spider venom reveals seven promising compounds with potential to relieve chronic pain Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST New research shows that seven compounds of the countless found in spider venom block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain.

Animal functional diversity started out poor, became richer over time Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST The finding refutes a hypothesis by the famed evolutionary biologist Stephen J. Gould that marine creatures underwent an 'early burst' of functional diversity during the dawn of animal life.

Widespread risk of infectious diseases to wild bees, new study reveals Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST A network of viruses, which were previously associated with managed honeybees, may now pose a widespread risk to bumblebees in the wild, according to a new study. The study revealed multiple interconnected diseases that are threatening several species of bumblebee and the managed honeybee, which are essential pollinators of many agricultural crops and wild flowers.

Why many similar species coexist within complex ecosystems, such as Amazon rainforest or coral reefs Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:53 AM PST Scientists suggest one possible answer for the enigma of stability in complex ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest or coral reefs. Many similar species coexist in these complex ecosystems without one of them prevailing above all the rest and displacing them.

Vampire bats: Who bit whom? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:53 AM PST Scientists discovered a new retrovirus “fossil” found in the common vampire bat which is homologous to retroviruses in rodents and primates. The results suggest the recent circulation of an active infectious retrovirus and cross-species transmission. Vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) samples from Mexico and from the Berlin Zoological Garden revealed a new endogenous retrovirus (named DrERV after Desmodus rotundus endogenous retrovirus) that is also present in rodents and primates but is absent in other closely related bat species. The results suggest that this virus historically jumped more than once among different species.

Democratizing synthetic biology Posted: 02 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PST By replacing highly specialized, expensive equipment with standard lab tools, scientists have made synthetic biology research cheaper, faster, and more accessible. "There's an increasing demand for cost-effective, scalable, highly yielding systems to make proteins," said a synthetic biologist. "We want to address this need, which could help lead to new targeted therapies that attack disease or enzymes that make sustainable chemicals."