Scientific names of birds are not quite as accurate as one might think, but a new paper describes an online database that can help birders and biologists stay on the same page. A good example of changing names came in 2011, when the species known as the Common Moorhen was reclassified as a different species […]
Tag: conservation
Comment: Experts call for moratorium on new pipelines
In a Comment piece in Nature, Eight experts in environmental science, policy and risk call for a moratorium on building new oil pipelines in North America. Both Keystone XL pipeline (which would run from Alberta through the US Midwest) and Northern Gateway pipeline which would connect Alberta with a port on British Columbia’s coast “highlight […]
Do seed-eating squirrels impact the whole forest?
A new study shows that trees that store lots of fire-resistant seeds to prepare for forest fires end up attracting more seed-eating red squirrels, which provokes a cascading effect on the ability of forest to grow back after a fire. The study relies on three years of field study in Yellowstone park and applies to […]
DNA barcoding could help catch invasive snakeheads
A new set of DNA barcodes could help combat the notoriously invasive fish known as snakeheads. Snakeheads are native to Asia and are believed to have been introduced to North American rivers by private collectors dumping their unwanted pets. Identification is difficult because the juveniles and adults can look very different, while fish from different […]
Pacific salmon species benefit each other
The number of juvenile coho salmon in a stream can be up to three times higher if pink or chum salmon were there the season before, according to a new paper. Juvenile coho have been known to scavenge the carcasses or eggs of their cousins, but most of the coho in the latest study emerged […]
Does counting tracks to estimate animal populations actually work?
A new computer analysis shows that animal tracks can provide an accurate estimate of animal populations in a given area. Biologists often use animal tracks for relative estimates – e.g. more over here than over there – but because tracks can twist and turn, they shy away from using them to get an absolute number of […]
Honey bee eavesdropping could assess conservation efforts
The famous ‘waggle dance’ that bees use to tell each other about the best foraging grounds could be used to measure the success of conservation programs, according to new research. Scientists ‘eavesdropped’ on 5,484 bee dances in a mixed urban-rural area and found that the best forage was located in a particular nearby nature reserve, […]
Warblers limited by winds during migration
A new study shows that survival and productivity of the yellow warbler depends most strongly the weather conditions during migration, rather that those in its breeding or wintering grounds. Researchers banded and monitored 380 of the tiny songbirds, which which breed in western Canada and overwinter in Mexico and Central America, over seven breeding seasons. […]
