May 2020 – Page 2 – envirobites

Friday, April 19, 2024

A sucker for ecosystem engineers

May 14, 2020June 12, 2020 Garrett Frandson 0 Comments Ecosystem engineer, fish, sediment, streams, water

Sonoran suckers, like other ecosystem engineers like beavers or salmon, substantially influence the spatial and temporal distribution of their environment’s resources. These fish create divots in soft sediments during their nightly feeding rounds in shallow waters far from where they seek refuge during the day. This feeding and these divots contribute heavily to shaping patterns of aquatic insects and suspended sediment in the Gila River, establishing the suckers as important ecosystem engineers in the river.

Animal behavior Ecosystems

Communication adaptation in a changing environment: Changing language in bottlenose dolphins

May 13, 2020May 12, 2020 Elisabeth Lang 0 Comments adaptation, dolphins, noise pollution

Reference: La Manna, G., Rako‐Gospić, N., Sarà, G., Gatti, F., Bonizzoni, S., & Ceccherelli, G. (2020). Whistle variation in Mediterranean

Animal behavior Cities Environmental Science

Collision course: bird strikes caused by building lights at night

May 12, 2020May 15, 2020 Connor Rosenblatt 0 Comments birds, buildings, cities, collisions, migration

Each year, billions of birds die from colliding with building windows. What characteristics of buildings make some more prone to collisions than others? A team of researchers set out to shed some light on the answer

Climate Environmental Science

Artificial intelligence suggests crop growth will be different in a warming planet

May 11, 2020May 28, 2020 Christina M. Marvin 0 Comments artificial intelligence, Climate Change, Crops

New technology like AI can help farmers predict what will happen to their land in the future. With more accurate predictions spanning larger geographic locations, more people can plan for climate change-induced effects on the growth of their crops.

Animal behavior Ecosystems Environmental Science

In need of a spa day? Why whales migrate to tropical waters

May 11, 2020July 13, 2020 Andrew Abraham 0 Comments

Whales have long been known to undertake mega-migrations. The seasonal occurrence of these marine giants provides great excitement, opportunities for tourism and a myriad of local ecological benefits. Yet, whilst scientists have documented and mapped these journeys for many whale populations across the world, the underlying reason for such odysseys has remained elusive. New research now suggests that whales may make these epic undertakings for the benefit of their skin.

Animal behavior Ecosystems Environmental Science

New Discoveries of Luminescent Life

May 8, 2020September 12, 2022 Brianne Palmer 0 Comments amphibians, biofluorescence, bioluminescence, glow, salamanders

Have you ever wanted to glow in the dark? If you are an amphibian, this power may be more common than we thought! A study from St. Cloud State University recently characterized the patterns resulting from red, blue, and green light from the bodies of salamanders from around the world!

Animal behavior Climate Environmental Science

“Mite”-y Mothers Protect Their Eggs from Drought

May 7, 2020May 7, 2020 Brandi Pessman 0 Comments drought, eggs, humidity, mites, mothers

Mother’s Day is near, and what better way to celebrate than by learning about some “mite”-y moms! When predatory mite mothers are exposed to drought conditions, they prepare their eggs to survive stressful environments. In doing so, mite mothers exert more energy and resources which reduces the number of eggs that are produced and the time the mothers survive.

Case Studies

There Are More Tigers in the USA Than in the Wild. Should We Really Be the Tiger King of the World?

May 6, 2020May 8, 2020 Ashley Riane Booth 0 Comments captive breeding, Cats, endangered species, endangered species act, policy, regulations, tiger, tiger king, wildlife, wildlife conservation, wildlife trade

Tiger King may not be on Netflix’s Top 10 anymore, but that doesn’t mean issues with the tiger trade in the United States have gone away.

Environmental Science

Bugmeal: The Future of Aquaculture?

May 6, 2020May 21, 2020 Sarah Shainker 0 Comments aquaculture, BSC4052, Feed Substitution, fisheries, food security, Insect Utilization, Sustainability

With global declines in wild fish stocks, there is an increasing demand for fish grown through aquaculture. Yet current diets for aquaculture fish are mostly made of fish sourced from wild fisheries and from the aquaculture industry itself (Péron et al., 2010), contributing to unsustainable practices in the industry. In an effort to find a more sustainable replacement, researchers at the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences conducted a study looking at the effects of substituting fish protein used in fish diets with protein made from the younger stages of the black soldier fly. The results look promising.

Animal behavior

Hammerhead’s Night Out: The Day-to-Day Life of Hammerhead Sharks

May 5, 2020May 8, 2020 Ashley Riane Booth 0 Comments BSC4052, guest post, marine biology, marine species, mexico, shark conservation, Sharks

Hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) are, understandably, one of the most charismatic species in the world of marine biology. However, these sharks have suffered major declines in recent years due to direct hunting and overfishing of their prey.