Carpilius maculatus

Caring for insects as pets may sound strange, but thousands of people all over the world already have praying mantises and other stick <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-found-a-terrifying-decline-in-flying-insects/">insects</a> as pets, according to a new report from <a href="https://pensoft.net/">Pensoft Publishers</a>.



Praying mantises are gaining popularity and fueling a largely unknown market. They are sold at fairs and pet markets, or collected in the wild and then reared by amateurs or professionals.&nbsp;



Some are elegant, with flower-like coloration (the Orchid Mantis, Hymenopus coronatus), and some resemble Pokémons (the Jeweled Flower Mantis, Creobroter wahlbergii). Surprisingly, some of these creatures can even be cuddled (the Giant Shield Mantis Rhombodera basalis).



When selecting an insect as a pet, features such as shape, size, colors, and behaviors are considered. Customers also shop for species that are rare or easy to care for.&nbsp;



It is important to understand how this market, which is largely unregulated, is changing. This could be crucial to conserve rare species and promote awareness of their habitat and place in the ecosystem.



Now, researchers have published a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.31.71458">first overview</a> of the praying mantis pet market. The research team includes Roberto Battiston of Museo di Archeologia e Scienze Naturali G. Zannato (Italy), William di Pietro of the World Biodiversity Association (Italy) and entomologist Kris Anderson (USA).&nbsp;



The study authors surveyed 200 hobbyists, professional sellers in the mantis community from 28 different countries. The results showed that the targets of this market are indeed predictable. The typical mantis breeder or enthusiast is 19 to 30 years old, prefers beautiful species over rare ones, and is willing to spend over $30 per insect.&nbsp;



The researchers identified buyers as “mostly curious enthusiasts with poor knowledge of the market dynamics and the laws behind it, even if they seem to generally care about their pet.”



But the data suggests the trade is not always legal. One out of four instances lack permits or transparency from the seller. To ensure these species are conserved in nature, the researchers emphasize that collaboration between scientists and the insect pet community should be considered.&nbsp;



The biology, distribution, and threats to insects are largely unknown. Many species are still waiting to be discovered. This is a big limit to conservation, since you cannot protect what you don’t know.



“Hobbyists and pet insect enthusiasts are producing and sharing a huge quantity of observations on the biology and ecology of hundreds of species, even rare or still undescribed ones, a priceless heritage for the scientific community,” said the researchers.&nbsp;



“Strengthening the dialogue between them, promoting a white market over a black one, may be a crucial help for the conservation of these insects, fundamental parts of the biodiversity of our planet, that are replacing our traditional pets at home.”



The research is published in the <a href="https://jor.pensoft.net/">Journal of Orthoptera Research</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Praying mantises are becoming more popular as pets

Caring for insects as pets may sound strange, but thousands...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acv.12788">Animal Conservation</a> has provided the first global evaluation of all terrestrial vertebrate species that have not been declared <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pink-pigeons-need-a-genetic-rescue-to-survive-extinction/">extinct</a> in order to identify which of these species have not been spotted for at least 50 years, and are thus considered to be “lost,” but perhaps not yet fully extinct. By reviewing information on 32,802 species from the IUCN Red List, the experts have identified 562 such lost species.



The IUCN considers a species as extinct “when there is no reasonable doubt the last individual of a species has died,” and declared a total of 311 terrestrial vertebrate species as extinct since 1500. However, according to the study authors, extinction declarations are rare, partly due to inherent uncertainties in knowing when the last individual of the species has died. 



"This has led to the growth of a group of ‘lost’ species that have not been observed in decades or even centuries, yet are not declared extinct, and as such possess an uncertain conservation status," said the researchers.



From the 562 species that are considered lost, the Red List categorizes 75 as “possibly extinct.” Among this list, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-in-five-reptiles-is-currently-at-risk-of-extinction/">reptiles</a> lead the way with 257 lost species, followed by 137 species of amphibians, 130 of mammals, and 38 of birds. Most of these species were last spotted in megadiverse countries such as Indonesia (69 species), Mexico (33), and Brazil (29).



While not surprising, this distribution of lost species is particularly worrying. “The fact most of these lost species are found in megadiverse tropical countries is worrying, given such countries are expected to experience the highest numbers of extinctions in the coming decades,” explained study lead author Thomas Martin from the <a href="https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/">Paignton Zoo</a> in the United Kingdom.



According to study senior author Arne Mooers, a professor of Biodiversity at the<a href="https://www.sfu.ca/"> Simon Fraser University</a>, future survey efforts concentrated on the identified “hotspots” where the existence of many species is uncertain are needed to either rediscover lost species or to remove the reasonable doubt that a particular lost species actually still exists. 



“While theoretical estimates of ongoing ‘extinction rates’ are fine and good, looking hard for actual species seems better,” Professor Mooers concluded.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

More than 500 animal species are lost, but are they extinct?

A new study published in the journal Animal Conservation has...

Recently, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza – commonly known as bird flu – has been spreading across North America. In order to control such devastating outbreaks, which have the potential of spilling over into humans and other mammals, identifying which bird species carry the virus and how they spread it is highly essential.&nbsp;



A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://vet.tufts.edu/">Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine</a> at Tufts University has now provided a detailed assessment of which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-report-confirms-that-bird-species-are-steadily-declining/">bird species</a> drive avian influenza spillover and global spread.&nbsp;



“The scientific community has become accustomed to speaking about influenza viruses in birds as a group, but birds are an incredibly diverse taxa of animals with&nbsp;different natural history, physiology, and anatomy,” said study senior author Jonathan Runstadler, an expert in infectious diseases and global health at the Cummings School.



According to Professor Runstadler and his team, the lineage of bird flu circulating now in the US originated around 1996 and was first identified in a domestic goose in China. After several mutations, it caused the first big wild bird outbreak in 2005 in a major wetland in central Asia, and was introduced in the US via the Pacific Northwest in 2014, causing major losses to the poultry industry and forcing the culling of over 40 million chickens and turkeys.



“It was a big blow,” said study lead author Nichola Hill, an assistant professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, who previously worked in Professor Runstadler’s lab.&nbsp;



“After it ended, we knew that we were between outbreaks and there was a high probability of an outbreak happening again. We felt we needed to look at long-term, historical data to find patterns and determine which birds are really driving global spread. So we compared birds at a finer taxonomic scale than prior studies, such as wild ducks, gulls, land birds, and geese versus domestic poultry like chickens, and we came up with some really interesting findings.”



Historically, duck species such as mallards have been considered super-spreaders of bird flu, infecting both wild and domestic birds. However, other species such as wild geese or gulls are particularly good at amplifying the virus and spreading it widely in animal populations.&nbsp;



While the 2014 outbreak was most likely initiated by ducks which carried the virus via the Pacific, the current outbreak – which already spread through 40 different bird species, including crows, sparrows, owls, and hawks - was possibly brought about by black-backed gulls flying over the Atlantic.



“Knowing that gulls, geese and ducks may be moving this virus in different ways is a big contribution to understanding or eventually modeling with more accuracy how we expect a virus like this to spread. Ultimately, we could put this data into a model that allows us to predict if there’s a virus emerging, when that virus might enter North America, and what bird populations we might target for surveillance to detect it,” Professor Runstadler concluded.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1010062">PLoS Pathogens</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Experts identify the super spreaders of bird flu

Recently, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza – commonly...

Cold-water corals, just like their tropical counterparts, build three dimensional reef structures that offer complex habitats for many different species, including commercially important fish. They form <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-impacts-biodiversity-in-protected-areas-worldwide/">biodiversity</a> hotspots and are considered important in deep-sea ecosystem functioning, food web structure and nutrient cycling. Today, cold-water coral reefs are considered vulnerable ecosystems because they are exposed to threats from destructive fishing techniques, such as bottom trawling and towed dredges.



In addition, these corals are expected to suffer dramatically from future environmental changes in the oceans due to global warming, which may bring food shortages, decreases in oxygen availability, and acidification. However, it is difficult to predict how cold-water corals will respond to future climate changes because there is a complete lack of any data documenting local extinction events involving these corals.&nbsp;



To get around this problem, a team led by Rodrigo da Costa Portilho-Ramos of the University of Bremen made use of ancient evidence of past climate change captured in the sediments of the seabed. They analyzed sediments collected at or near six sites of cold-water coral ecosystems in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, applying standard techniques to reconstruct ocean conditions and the abundance of the common coral species&nbsp;Lophelia pertusa&nbsp;over the last 20,000 years. This period encompasses Earth’s last major global warming event.



This approach allowed the researchers to reconstruct paleoceanographic conditions and link the proliferation or reduction of cold-water corals with changes in environmental conditions. This was possible because of the fact that cold-water coral ecosystems take a long time to develop and then are persistent over long time periods.&nbsp;



The results of the analysis are published today in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLoS Biology</a>. They show that the abundance of the cold-water coral L. pertusa&nbsp;in times gone by was most strongly correlated with changes in food supply, the tiny suspended organisms that arrive either from shallower waters above, or by lateral water flow along the seafloor. Low oxygen concentration also appeared to be a key stressor for&nbsp;L. pertusa. In contrast, changes in ocean temperature and salinity did not appear to be significantly associated with the proliferation or disappearance of&nbsp;L. pertusa&nbsp;over time.



The findings suggest that cold-water coral ecosystems are most likely to be affected in future by climate change-driven alterations to ocean processes that affect their food and oxygen supplies. In some cases, the data suggest, high abundance of food may compensate for low oxygen levels.



“Marine sediment records from the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea reveal that events of growth and mortality of cold-water corals induced by climatic changes over the last 20,000 years were mainly triggered by food supply, controlled by export production and turbulent hydrodynamics, rather than by changes in the bottom-water temperature," said Portilho-Ramos.



"Therefore, climate-driven changes in oceanic processes concerning food supply are also likely to be the determining factors of life and death of cold-water coral species in the coming decades.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ancient sediments predict future stressors for cold-water corals

Cold-water corals, just like their tropical counterparts, build three dimensional...

Scallops are usually caught by dredging, a destructive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphin-bycatch-from-fishing-activities-is-unsustainable/">fishing</a> method that tears up the seafloor and harms other life. Now, a study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/fisheries-research">Fisheries Research</a>, shows there may be a better way.&nbsp;



A team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> fitted lobster pots with LED lights, and used them experimentally with fishermen off the coast of Cornwall in the UK. The lights did not seem to make a difference in the amount of lobster or crabs caught in the traps. Scallops on the other hand, swam into the pots in droves.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"We were working on lights for crab and lobster pots and I gave some to a fisherman for testing," said Dr. Rob Enever of Fishtek. “He told me the lights made no difference to crabs or lobsters, but he noticed quite a lot of scallops in his pots. We decided to test this properly in this study."



"When I saw the results, I couldn't believe my eyes. Boats that would only see two or three scallops in their pots annually were now seeing 20 or more in a single pot. We have found something really astonishing here. This could be a real opportunity for crab and lobster fishers, because the lights don’t seem to reduce the number of crabs and lobsters they can catch – they just bring in an extra haul of scallops."



More than 500 scallops were caught. Of those, 99.6 percent were caught in lobster pots with lights in them. The researchers believe this breakthrough could ultimately lead to a widespread, improved method for catching scallops.



"We are delighted to be working with an excellent local company to do the science that underpins innovation that could be good for fishers and the environment," said Dr. Phil Doherty.



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Breakthrough study reveals that scallops are attracted to light

Scallops are usually caught by dredging, a destructive fishing method...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a> has revealed a dramatic increase in shipping traffic in the North East Atlantic. Scientists have warned that in order to help protect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-protected-areas-are-key-for-our-future/">marine</a> life, more monitoring is needed.&nbsp;



The researchers discovered that over a five-year period, rates of shipping in the North East Atlantic rose by 34 percent. What is even more concerning to scientists is the rate of shipping growth in marine protected areas. Vessel movements in these sensitive environments have increased by 73 percent in the same time period.



The<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X22003630"> report</a> is the first survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Using data recorded by Automatic identification Systems (AIS), the researchers studied the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten distinct vessel types. The study area covered 1.1 million km2, including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and the UK



”This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine environment, and consequently may have implications for the conservation of exposed and at-risk species," said study lead author James Robbins. "Renewed monitoring effort is needed to ensure that protective measures are adequate to conserve species under threat in a changing environment, where the footprint of human activities is expanding.”&nbsp;



The increase in traffic may have implications for species that these areas are designated to protect. Shipping impacts on the marine environment include the spread of non-indigenous species, noise, chemical, and air pollution, collisions with wildlife, and marine litter.



Shipping is a likely cause of the unintended movement for more than half of non-indigenous species in European waters (<a href="http://eader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0964569113000562?token=A04541237DCD04B81B24328A5914A67D8825B950B2553D5EE62F572C9611C44871C801ADE26ACD300CA7D710574DDA26&amp;originRegion=eu-west-1&amp;originCreation=20220517121528">Katsanevakis et al., 2013</a>). Once introduced, the invasive species have a negative impact on the ecosystems they invade, and are considered one of the biggest threats to biodiversity.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/persons/sarah-marley">Dr Sarah Marley</a>, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth and Lecturer at Scotland’s Rural College, said&nbsp;



“Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a multitude of threats - from subtle impacts like underwater noise pollution to dramatic outcomes when ships hit whales," said study co-author Dr. Sarah Marley. "We need to understand when and where shipping occurs in order to best mitigate these risks”.



The results found the greatest increases in shipping are taking place across multiple designated protection areas across the world.



<ul><li>In areas close to the Spanish coast, the Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 per cent in vessel activity. This area is designated to protect seabirds.&nbsp;</li><li>Several areas off the west coast of Scotland also saw increases of 463 per cent in shipping, a zone designated to protect harbour porpoises.&nbsp;</li><li>The Vadehavet med Ribe Å, Tved Å og Varde Å vest for Vard off the coast of Denmark, where fish, seals and harbour porpoises are protected saw a 443 per cent increase in ship movements.&nbsp;</li></ul>



As the human population continues to grow, increased demands on international trade will intensify shipping across the world. Current predictions see a global increase of 240 percent and 1209 per cent by 2050.&nbsp;



The impacts of shipping on the marine environment prove that it is crucial for policy makers to closely monitor areas that are designated to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems that will face continuous pressures over time.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/marine-pollution-bulletin">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dramatic increase in shipping traffic threatens marine life

A new study from the University of Portsmouth has revealed...

The climate crisis is threatening the yellow-billed hornbill, a cousin of fan-favorite Zazu from The Lion King, with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-threatens-two-new-fish-species-with-extinction/">extinction</a>.



Climate change is worsening extremes, such as high temperatures and the frequency and intensity of drought periods associated with arid regions. Animals that inhabit these regions are already suffering the consequences.&nbsp;



A team of researchers recently studied the breeding success of southern yellow-billed hornbills by investigating the impacts of high air temperatures and drought from 2008 to 2019. This study, published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, is one of the first to examine how climate change impacts breeding success over a longer timescale.



“There is rapidly growing evidence for the negative effects of high temperatures on the behavior, physiology, breeding, and survival of various bird, mammal, and reptile species around the world,” said first author Dr. Nicholas Pattinson of the University of Cape Town.



“For example, heat-related mass die-off events over the period of a few days are increasingly being recorded, which no doubt pose a threat to population persistence and ecosystem function.”



The southern yellow-billed hornbill is found in most of southern Africa, largely within the Kalahari Desert. Known for its peculiar breeding and nesting strategy, the southern yellow-billed hornbill is a socially monogamous species.&nbsp;



The birds are cavity nesters; the female seals herself into the nest cavity and stays there for 50 days to care for chicks. They are protected by a narrow slit, which is only used by the males, who enter to feed the females and their chicks. This strategy protects the young hornbills from predators.&nbsp;



Breeding success depends on factors such as climate and food availability. The yellow-billed hornbills initiate breeding in response to rainfall, which corresponds with the hottest days of the year.&nbsp;



The research team studied pairs breeding in wooden nest boxes, and looked at breeding success at broad and fine scales (long term trends and individual breeding attempts). Climate trends within the region were also analyzed.&nbsp;



The study found a collapse in breeding during the monitoring period (2008-2019) due to an increase in the maximum air temperature. This was because high temperatures resulted in deadly impacts, such as reduced foraging, which affected the chances of successful breeding.&nbsp;



During the last three seasons (2016 to 2019), the experts found a decline in occupied nest boxes, dropping from 53 to 12 percent. Nest success - where pairs successfully raised at least one chick - also declined from 58 to 17 percent. Furthermore, the average number of chicks produced per breeding attempt decreased.&nbsp;



When the threshold air temperature reached above 35.7°C, no successful breeding attempts were recorded. The study revealed that breeding was negatively correlated with increased periods of heat - when the maximum air temperature exceeded the threshold that the hornbills could maintain normal breeding and nesting behavior. These effects were seen even in non-drought years.&nbsp;



The climate crisis is accelerating at a much faster pace, resulting in severe negative effects for species over alarmingly short time periods. The researchers predict that the southern yellow-billed hornbills could be wiped out as soon as 2027. The consequences of increased warming could drive local extinctions, where no young animals will replace the dying population.&nbsp;



“Much of the public perception of the effects of the climate crisis is related to scenarios calculated for 2050 and beyond,” said Dr. Pattinson. “Yet the effects of the climate crisis are current and can manifest not just within our lifetime, but even over a single decade.”



The study was published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cousins of beloved Lion King character are vanishing as temperatures rise

The climate crisis is threatening the yellow-billed hornbill, a cousin...

Carpilius maculatus

Taxonomic tree: