Exotic Species News

September 29, 2016

Heatwaves in the Ocean: Risk to Ecosystems?

First Marine National Monument in Atlantic

Earlier Springs Change How Forests Function

Trees Recognize Roe Deer by Saliva

Latest Headlines

updated 4:29pm EDT

Are Suburban Garden Ponds Spreading Lethal Frog Disease?

Sep. 29, 2016 — Keen gardeners stocking their domestic ponds with exotic or wild aquatic species could be inadvertently fueling the rapid spread of the lethally infectious frog disease ranavirus in England, ... read more

Environmental DNA Provides Early Detection of Invasive Crayfish

Sep. 20, 2016 — Every plant and animal has a unique genetic composition, which makes a lake like a bowl of DNA soup—every spoonful contains the combined DNA of the lake’s inhabitants. Scientists have only ... read more

Underwater 'Cystoseira Zosteroides' Forests, the Mediterranean Algae, Threatened by Human Activity Impact

Sep. 23, 2016 — The effects of an intense storm every twenty-five years could make the marine alga populations of <em>Cystoseira ... read more

Living With Environmental Change: Investigating Our Native Woodlands

Sep. 13, 2016 — Many woodland areas across the world are currently experiencing major dieback and collapse, owing to factors including climate change, grazing livestock, fire, and the spread of pests and diseases. ... read more

Improving Predictions of the Effects of Climate Change on Ecosystems

Sep. 9, 2016 — Climate change will alter our ecosystems. Using ecological models, researchers are attempting to predict what kind of changes we can expect to see. Up to now, however, these ... read more

Voracious Asian Jumping Worms Strip Forest Floor and Flood Soil With Nutrients

Sep. 8, 2016 — Asian jumping worms, an invasive species first found in Wisconsin in 2013, may do their work too well, speeding up the exit ... read more

Genetic Analysis Uncovers Four Species of Giraffe, Not Just One

Sep. 8, 2016 — Up until now, scientists had only recognized a single species of giraffe made up of several subspecies. But, according to the most inclusive genetic analysis of giraffe ... read more

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: World's Largest Reforestation Program Overlooks Wildlife

Sep. 7, 2016 — New research found that China's reforestation program, the world's largest, overwhelmingly leads to the planting of ... read more

Crab from the Chinese Pet Market Turns out to Be a New Species of a New Genus

Sep. 7, 2016 — Shimmering carapaces make crabs attractive to pet owners. To answer the growing demand, fishermen collect and trade ... read more

Historical Coexistence With Dingoes May Explain Bandicoot Avoidance of Domestic Dogs

Sep. 7, 2016 — Domestic dogs and cats were introduced to Tasmania two centuries ago, but bandicoots still fail to recognize these ... read more

Costa Rica Volcano Continues to Emit Ash

Costa Rica Turrialba Volcano Erupts Twice

Bark Beetle Poses Serious Threat to Bulgaria's Pine Forests

Obama Declares New Marine Reserve at Ocean Summit

In Eastern Tibetan Forest, Signs of Tree Growth Amid Climate Change

Sep. 7, 2016 — Word of mouth from nomadic herders led Lucas Silva into Tibetan forests and grasslands. What his team found was startling: rapid forest growth in tune with what scientists had been expecting from ... read more

Tourism Is Threatening Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World

Sep. 6, 2016 — The Guiana mountain tops – an wide area of tabular highlands and high cliffs with tepuis - are threatened by the impact of human activity, specially tourism, according to the warnings of ... read more

European Earthworms Decrease Species Diversity in North America

Sep. 6, 2016 — European earthworms invading the forests of North America are responsible for a decline in species diversity in the forest understory. Scientists have now been able to demonstrate this general ... read more

Browsing Antelope Turned Ancient African Forests Into Grassy Savanna Ecosystems

Sep. 6, 2016 — By comparing the timing of the evolution of thorns on about 2,000 woody tree species in southern Africa and the time that antelopes arrived in Africa, a group of scientists found that trees like ... read more

Detecting Forest Fragility With Satellites

Sep. 5, 2016 — Over the past decades forests in different parts of the world have suffered sudden massive tree mortality. Now an international team of scientists has found a way to spot from satellite images which ... read more

A New Tool for Wetland Management

Sep. 2, 2016 — A team of environmental engineers and a wetland ecologist have created a computer model that can help wetland managers increase the size of migratory bird habitat and combat invasive vegetation using ... read more

Relationship Between Soil Color and Climate

Sep. 1, 2016 — What is the first color that comes to mind when you envision soil? Is it brown, black, yellow, or red? How about white, gray, green, or blue? Experts now explain that all of these answers are correct ... read more

A Lost Century for Forest Elephants

Aug. 30, 2016 — Because forest elephants are one the slowest reproducing mammals in the world, it will take almost a century for them to recover from the intense poaching they have suffered since ... read more

When It Comes to Climate Change and Stream Flow, Plants Play an Important Role

Aug. 30, 2016 — In California's Sierra Nevada mountains, as more precipitation falls in the form of rain rather than snow, and the snowpack melts earlier in spring, it's important for water managers to ... read more

Environmental DNA Uncovers Biodiversity in Rivers

Aug. 30, 2016 — Researchers have used 'environmental DNA' to determine the biodiversity of a river. Previously, this involved collecting and identifying all the organisms living in it. Using environmental ... read more

Amazon Forests: Biodiversity Can Help Mitigate Climate Risks

Aug. 29, 2016 — A forest with greater diversity of plants can better adjust to climatic stress. Now for the first time, a team of scientists can show this in computer simulations of the Amazon region by accounting ... read more

An Imbalance in Nutrients Threatens Plant Biodiversity

Aug. 29, 2016 — An unnatural balance of nutrients threatens biodiversity in a survival of the fittest scenario, according to new research. A global network of researchers who have tested the impact increased ... read more

Hay Fever from Ragweed Pollen Could Double Due to Climate Change

Aug. 24, 2016 — Climate change could cause new hay fever misery for millions of people across Europe -- according to a new report. Hay fever is a common allergic condition that is caused by an allergy to pollen -- ... read more

Forest and Watercourse Interplay Important for Restorations

Aug. 24, 2016 — Humans utilize forests and watercourses in a way that depletes ecosystem habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Many areas are restored to break the trend, but to succeed you need to consider ... read more

New Study Reveals Adaptations for Snub-Nosed Monkeys

Aug. 23, 2016 — In a heroic effort, researchers have now sequenced, assembled and analyzed the mutations in the genomes of 38 wild snub-nosed monkeys (from genome mapping of 42 individuals: 27 golden, four gray, two ... read more

Nanofur for Oil Spill Cleanup

Aug. 23, 2016 — Some water ferns can absorb large volumes of oil within a short time, because their leaves are strongly water-repellent and, at the same time, highly oil-absorbing. Researchers have found that the ... read more

Biological Invasions Threaten Developing Countries

Aug. 23, 2016 — Invasions from alien species such as Japanese knotweed and grey squirrels threaten the economies and livelihoods of residents of some of the world's poorest nations, new research ... read more

Logged Rainforests Can Be an 'Ark' for Mammals, Extensive Study Shows

Aug. 22, 2016 — Research reveals that large areas of 'degraded' forest in Southeast Asia can play an important role in conserving mammal ... read more

Seawalls, Forests Show Mixed Effectiveness at Reducing Deaths, Damage from Tsunami

Aug. 19, 2016 — The Pacific coast of the Tohoku region has been struck by four large tsunamis in just over a century - in 1896, 1933, 1960 and 2011. Many critics claim that seawalls are detrimental because they ... read more

Mussel Flexing: Bivalve Save Drought-Stricken Marshes, Research Finds

Aug. 18, 2016 — As coastal ecosystems feel the heat of climate change worldwide, new research shows the humble mussel and marsh grass form an intimate interaction known as mutualism that benefits both partner ... read more

Wednesday, September 7, 2016