A new study shows that tree swallows between Montreal and Sherbrooke became fewer (-19% population decline) and smaller (-8% weight loss) from 2005-2011, especially the females. Insect-eating birds are in decline all across northeastern North America, and pesticide use is a suspected culprit, but the authors did not find a link between weight loss and […]
Tag: ecology
New DNA barcoding method speeds up species identification
A new DNA barcoding method will save money and time for researchers who wants to assess biodiversity in an ecosystem. The new method allowed researchers to correctly identify 92% of the 1,066 insects and spiders in a single analysis. They also were able to detect microbes associated with the insects and spiders. Previous […]
Will a deadly fungus wipe out frogs in your area?
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a fungus that causes a deadly skin disease in frogs and other amphibians, and is one of the factors contributing to the global decline of amphibians. A new mathematical model shows that the reproduction quotient – that is, the average number of new spores produced by an initial spore over its lifetime […]
Public education and firewood subsities could help stop invasive pests
The spread of the emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle has been helped thanks to fire. Each species is able to hide among pieces of firewood to travel to new habitats. A new study uses mathematical modelling to show that public education coupled with a subsidy to decrease the cost of local firewood […]
Dogs can sniff out stink bugs in winter before they damage crops
A new study shows that dogs can help us understand ecology of the brown marmorated stink bug. The stink bug is an invasive agricultural pest that was first spotted in Canada in 2012 and has since spread throughout Ontario. Two Labrador retrievers were trained to recognize the smell of the bugs and locate the dead […]
State of Canada’s Birds | Webinar recording
State of Canada’s Birds – June 26, 2012 There’s nothing more symbolic of Canadian summer than the call of the loon. But is the status of birds in Canada a loon call or a swan song? How are Canada’s over 450 bird species doing? Since the 1970s, birds have undergone an overall decline in numbers, […]
The state of biodiversity research in Canada | Webinar recording
The state of biodiversity research in Canada – November 17, 2010 The Council of Canadian Academies released an expert panel report on Thursday, November 18th 2010 at 7am EST. The report is an assessment of biodiversity science and taxonomy in Canada. To help media cover this event, the SMCC organized an embargoed web conference with […]
