Biodiversity News :: ScienceDaily
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 14:13:56 EST ~ To better understand the effects of climate change on the bird community in the Sierra Nevada region, researchers examined the impacts to birds from a recent extreme drought (2013-2016). The drought resulted in the widespread death of pine trees due to attacks by bark beetles, potentially impacting wildlife habitat. While the results were varied, researchers found that many bird species responded positively to the climate conditions associated with the drought, potentially offsetting the negative habitat impacts of the dead trees.
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Wed, 20 Feb 2019 11:22:06 EST ~ Simply protecting small forests will not maintain the diversity of the birds they support over the long run, a new study says. Forests need to be carefully monitored and managed to maintain their ecological integrity.
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Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:34:12 EST ~ Researchers have succeeded in constructing, from scattered data, a world map of the diversity of tree species. Climate plays a central role for its global distribution; however, the number of species in a specific region also depends on the spatial scale of the observation, the researchers report. The new approach could help improve conservation.
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Mon, 18 Feb 2019 12:31:29 EST ~ The rich levels of biodiversity on land seen across the globe today are not a recent phenomenon: diversity on land has been similar for at least the last 60 million years, since soon after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
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Sun, 17 Feb 2019 11:58:27 EST ~ Researches have identified long-disappeared forests available for restoration across the world. They describe how such an effort, could absorb as much as 135 gigatons of atmospheric carbon.
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Tue, 12 Feb 2019 14:14:06 EST ~ A new species of puddle frog (order: Anura, family: Phynobatrachidae, genus: Phrynobatrachus), has just been discovered at the unexplored and isolated Bibita Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia. The research team named the new species Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. nov., or Bibita Mountain dwarf puddle frog, inspired by its home.
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Mon, 11 Feb 2019 11:03:48 EST ~ A team of marine scientists had uncovered toxic bacteria living on the surfaces of microplastics (which are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters in size) collected from the coastal areas of Singapore. These bacteria are capable of causing coral bleaching, and triggering wound infections in humans. The team also discovered a diversity of bacteria, including useful organisms - such as those that can degrade marine pollutants like hydrocarbons - in the plastic waste.
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Mon, 11 Feb 2019 08:32:21 EST ~ Light pollution affects the skies over most of the world's key wildlife areas, new research shows.
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Fri, 08 Feb 2019 16:14:47 EST ~ While riverside habitats are known to be important for species migrating under climate change, this is the first study to rank riparian areas as targets for restoration and conservation efforts.
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Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:43:17 EST ~ According to a group of international researchers, the potential for large countries to contribute to environmental protection is being overlooked. The researchers recently examined the leverage an individual country has when it comes to protecting ecosystem values. And they say it isn't--nor should it be -- a level playing field.
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