Laeocochlis sinistratus

At 29,032 feet (8,849 m), Mt. Everest is the world's highest mountain. Although many people go to Everest to climb, very little is known about its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vanilla-cultivation-can-boost-biodiversity-in-madagascar/">biodiversity</a>.



In 2019, National Geographic and Rolex came together for the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/topic/perpetual-planet">Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition</a>, the most comprehensive scientific expedition in Everest's history. Scientists from The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Appalachian State University led the research team.&nbsp;



The experts collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples for various water sources between 14,763 feet and 18,044 feet. Environmental DNA can be used to search for small amounts of genetic material left by organisms and is known to be more efficient than traditional surveys. This technique has previously helped scientists to study elusive marine animals such as humpback whales and Swinhoe's softshell turtle. Samples were collected in the field using sealed cartridges and analyzed in a lab.&nbsp;



The scientific team analyzed 20 liters of water and found organisms representing 187 taxonomic orders, or one-sixth of all known orders. The team was also able to identify some samples to the species level. They found DNA from microorganisms, rotifers and tardigrades, as well as from Tibetan snow cock, domestic dogs, and domestic chickens. Several sites contained mayfly DNA, an indicator species of environmental change.&nbsp;



"High-alpine and aeolian environments, which have often been thought of as barren and mostly devoid of life, in fact have abundant biodiversity," said Dr. Tracie Seimon, co-leader of the Everest biology field team. "High mountain environments including Mount Everest should be recognized as a target for sustained long-term biodiversity monitoring of high-alpine taxa to complement bioclimatic monitoring and climate change impact assessments."



Dr. Marisa Lim of the Wildlife Conservation Society is excited about what is left to discover. "We went in search for life on the roof of the world. This is what we found. However, the story does not end here. There is more to be discovered and we hope our findings help to inform future exploration," said Dr. Lim.



The team hopes that the eDNA inventory gathered in this study will help future scientists monitor high alpine regions in the Himalaya and inform past studies so that we may better understand how the region's biodiversity is responding to human pressure and a changing climate.



This study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01120-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004222011208%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">iScience</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Environmental DNA reveals the diversity of Mount Everest

At 29,032 feet (8,849 m), Mt. Everest is the world's...

In learning to communicate, a good teacher is essential not only in the case of humans, but also for other animals. For instance, juvenile <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebra-finches-use-both-calls-and-vision-to-coordinate-flight/">zebra finches</a> learn songs directly from a “tutor” – usually their father – through social interactions which keep them focused and motivated. The physical presence of the tutor seems to be essential – young birds that only hear the songs through a speaker don’t manage to learn so well. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.oist.jp/">Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology</a> (OIST) has now managed to identify for the first time the brain circuitry which controls such learning.&nbsp;



“This study is the first demonstration of the neural circuitry that is telling these animals what incoming information they need to pay attention to,” said study senior author Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama, an associate professor of Neuroscience at OIST. Since in the wild, zebra finches are surrounded by many sounds, including the songs of other birds, this specific neural circuit is activated to signal that the song coming from the tutor is important and has to be memorized.



Two decades ago, scientists discovered that human babies also need a personal tutor to teach them how to recognize phonemes in language by engaging the learner’s attention. “That is pretty logical – if we are attentive, we are learning better,” said study lead author Jelena Katic, a postdoctoral fellow in Neuroscience at OIST. “We wanted to understand, is the same true for juvenile birds?”



Dr. Katic and her colleagues found that during the learning process, neurons from a brain area called locus coeruleus (LC) project to a higher order auditory region in the brain called the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), which is where the young birds’ memories of a tutor’s song are formed. Both of these brain regions responded more strongly when the tutor sang than when the youngsters heard a recording of the song, and the firing of the NCM neurons was time-locked to specific syllables of the tutor’s song, suggesting that they are registering the incoming auditory information.&nbsp;



However, since the LC neurons were active constantly while the tutor sang, they were likely responding to vocal communication itself rather than the specific notes that were emitted. Moreover, if the scientists deactivated the neurons projecting from the LC to the NCM while the tutor sang, the juveniles were unable to accurately copy the song.&nbsp;



“Imagine that the NCM neurons are receiving multiple inputs from different regions of the brain, including some from auditory areas that convey the notes and prosodic patterns of the song,” explained Dr. Katic. “But LC is conveying another type of information – the social context identifying that the song is important.”



Further research is needed to clarify what cues juveniles use to capture this social context, which chemicals in the brain structure the functioning of the LC-NCM circuitry, and what kinds of cues the juveniles emit that might encourage the tutor to teach them.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32207-1">Nature Communications</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

What brain circuitry drives social learning in birds?

In learning to communicate, a good teacher is essential not...

The Anthropocene is an unofficial unit of geological time defined as the most recent period in our planet’s history, starting in the 1950s, when human activities began to have a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems and climate. During this time, humans have increasingly modified natural landscapes and endangered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-loss-weakens-ecosystem-functioning/">biodiversity</a>.&nbsp;



According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>, small animal communities from the Anthropocene are less diverse and differently structured than those a few centuries ago, during the Holocene (approximately 500 years ago). Fortunately, the experts found that even small protected spaces can play a fundamental role in conserving native small mammal communities, highlighting their importance for urban conservation projects.&nbsp;



Small mammals such as rats or shrews are excellent indicators of ecosystem health. This is due to their abundant numbers, small individual geographic ranges, habitat specificity, and low extinction rates caused by their high fertility and growth rate.



The researchers surveyed small mammal communities along a geographical gradient of human modification – the Jasper Ridge Biological Reserve (least human modification), Stanford’s Student Observatory (average human modification), and the Stanford University campus (high human modification). The scientists found that, although they are fairly resistant to extinctions, small mammal communities are often altered by human activities and environmental changes in less obvious ways.



“We examined thousands of small mammal bones and teeth from modern (Anthropocene) raptor pellets and three (Holocene) archaeological sites along the gradient, representing different levels of human modification today,” said study lead author Maria Viteri, an expert in Conservation Science, Ecology, and Paleontology at Stanford.



The analysis led to three major findings. “First, small mammal diversity decreased with increasing human modification today. Second, the overall make-up of today's small mammal communities is fundamentally distinct from past communities, even 500 years ago,” Viteri reported.&nbsp;



Luckily, the third finding was much more optimistic: “Our results demonstrate that even a relatively small, protected space can at least partially protect native faunal communities.”&nbsp;



Although previous research has argued that larger protected areas do a better job of conserving biodiversity, this study shows the importance of smaller protected areas in urban environments, where large spaces for conservation are lacking.&nbsp;



“The study shows that the way that we manage lands matters, and that it is not too late to protect our lands in order to protect biodiversity.” However, “while biological preserves can buffer biodiversity change across spatiotemporal gradients of human impact, they cannot completely mitigate the overwhelming signal of the Anthropocene on today’s ecosystems,” Viteri concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.916239/full">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Small mammals of the Anthropocene are deeply altered

The Anthropocene is an unofficial unit of geological time defined...

A new research project funded by the <a href="https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/ecology-and-evolution-infectious-diseases-eeid">Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program</a> has been designed to identify strategies to minimize the risk of pathogens spreading from pet amphibians to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/huge-win-for-wildlife-endangered-species-act-is-restored/">wildlife</a>. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.utk.edu/">University of Tennessee Knoxville</a> have received $2.75 million in funding to investigate the spread of pathogens in wildlife trade networks.



The spread of new infectious diseases has become a major focus since the emergence of Covid-19. According to the researchers, the goal of the new study is to identify how socio-economic decisions and pathogen dynamics impact each other in a wildlife trade network.



“It is important to study how human values and knowledge impact behavior in preventing transmission of pathogens within and beyond the trade network,” said study principle investigator Neelam Poudyal, associate director of the UT One Health Initiative.



“This study will enable us to understand factors that determine human decisions to engage in biosecurity practices, assess the feasibility of market-based mechanisms to promote healthy trade, and characterize the public value of protecting natural populations of amphibian biodiversity.”



Over the next five years, the experts will analyze what aspects of the wildlife trade, like species composition and the number of animals, influence the emergence of pathogens



The experts noted that with more than 2.5 million live animals moving throughout more than 180 nations per year, the need for advanced pathogen mitigation is critical.



“Global and domestic trade of wildlife is one of the major pathways for movement and introduction of wildlife and zoonotic pathogens,” said co-principal investigator Professor Matt Gray. “Our research is focusing on amphibian pathogens in trade but will be used as a model for other pathogens of concern.”



“Especially as global trade markets have become more interconnected, we've seen over and over again how animal trade practices can either foster or else help prevent the emergence of infectious disease outbreaks in wildlife and people, sometimes with devastating effects,” said Nina Fefferman, director of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis.



“Our work to discover how people make choices about how they buy, transport, and sell animals and how that shapes pathogen dynamics will help us guide policies to support conservation and prevent the next global pandemic."



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Project aims to limit pathogen spread from pet amphibians

A new research project funded by the Ecology and Evolution...

In a new study, researchers at <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> have found that hybrid baboons got about one-third of their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-have-inherited-hundreds-of-genes-from-microbes/">genes</a> from another, closely-related species. The experts found evidence that some of these borrowed genes came at a cost for the interbred animals.&nbsp;



The genetic study was focused on wild baboons in southern Kenya near Amboseli National Park, where yellow baboons often encounter and intermix with Anubis baboons from the northwest. These individuals have been monitored since 1971 as part of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project. Scientists with the project have documented when the animals mated with outsiders and have observed the offspring throughout their lives.&nbsp;



According to five decades of observations, there have been no obvious signs that hybrids fare any worse than their counterparts. In fact, baboons with more anubis DNA in their genome were found to mature faster, form stronger social bonds, and have more mating success.&nbsp;



The Duke study, however, indicates that there are potential consequences of intermixing that are not so obvious. Professor Jenny Tung, who led the study with her doctoral students Tauras Vilgalys and Arielle Fogel, said the research sheds light on how the diversity of species on Earth is maintained even when the genetic lines between species are blurry.



According to Fogel, interspecies mating is surprisingly common in animals - 20 to 30 percent of apes, monkeys and other primate species interbreed and mix their genes with others.



The researchers set out to investigate the possible costs and benefits of genetic mixing in primates, including humans. They analyzed the genomes of 440 Amboseli baboons across nine generations.



The study revealed that all of the baboons in the Amboseli are a mix, with anubis DNA making up an average of 37 percent of their genomes. Some of the interbreeding was recent - within the last seven generations. For about half of the baboons, however, the mixing happened hundreds to thousands of generations ago.



During that time, the data show that certain bits of anubis DNA came at a cost for the hybrids who inherited them, affecting their survival and reproduction in such a way that these genes are less likely to show up in their descendants’ genomes today, explained Vilgalys.



The researchers said that the baboons at Amboseli offer clues to the costs of the hybridization. Vilgalys noted that genomic data allows researchers to look back many more generations and study historical processes that can’t be seen directly in the field.



“But you need to look at the animals themselves to understand what genetic changes actually mean,” said Professor Tung. “You need both fieldwork and genetics to get the whole story.”



“We’re not saying this is what Neanderthal and Denisovans genes did in humans. But the baboon case makes it clear that genomic evidence for costs to hybridization can be consistent with animals that not only survive, but often thrive.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>.



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hybridization among wild baboons comes with hidden costs

In a new study, researchers at Duke University have found...

This year, the United Kingdom experienced record heatwaves and one of the worst droughts in a century, leading some counties, such as Kent or Essex, to introduce water restrictions. These included bans on hose pipes, filling paddling pools, or even washing cars. 



However, in a small part of West Sussex, a highly different method of combating drought is under way. In February, a pair of Eurasian <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/why-do-beavers-build-dams/">beavers</a> were introduced to the <a href="https://knepp.co.uk/home">Knepp Wildland</a>, a pioneering rewilding project on what used to be farmland. During the recent heatwaves, the dams these animals built have kept ponds full and lands marshy, and helped lower the air and land temperatures.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We’ve seen really amazing results just in the five months they’ve been here,” said Penny Green, a resident ecologist at Knepp Wildland. “The beavers have already made a little network of ponds from the damming that they’ve done, they’ve been chewing back some of the vegetation in the ponds and we’ve got little beaver lawns.”



“But the most interesting thing for us at the moment is that even though we’re in a huge drought year, and most of the little streams either side of the enclosure are running dry, here in the beaver pen it is the most amazing wetland oasis all around us.”



The sprawling system of ponds and channels connecting them helps branches take root and start growing again, while also attracting a huge range of wildlife, including dragonflies, damselflies, reed warblers, chiffchaffs, as well as a wide range of amphibians, insects, and bats. Moreover, the water backing up above the dams has given rise to further wetlands outside of the fenced area, where larger mammals such as deer, cows, and pigs often come to quench their thirst.



Surprisingly, the very imperfection of beavers’ dams is a key aspect in the fight against drought and biodiversity loss. “They’re providing opportunities during the summer months because they have slightly leaky dams,” explained Green. “There will be a bit of water trickling out when there perhaps wouldn’t be so much water in our landscapes during drought years like this year. So they’ll be letting a little bit of water out of these dams throughout the summer.”



Beavers’ activity has a crucial role in cooling the environment too, as deeper water with lower temperatures spills out in the surrounding landscape, and its evaporation from the large surface areas of the ponds helps cool the air itself.&nbsp;



As Green argues, many benefits extend well beyond the hot summer months. “Beavers create all sorts of wonderful habitats for other wildlife, but in turn they also provide lots of ecosystem services that helps us as humans. They help to alleviate flooding by holding back water especially in heavy downpour events where we get heavy rain. They are holding on to water and slowing the flow down, which is great.”



Considering these various climate benefits that beaver activity gives rise too, the UK government has finally given these resilient ecosystem engineers legal protection, forbidding people to deliberately capture, kill, and injure them, or damage their lodges and dams. In our fight against climate change, these fascinating creatures may be some of our most unexpected, yet stronger allies.



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Beavers are key allies in the fight against droughts

This year, the United Kingdom experienced record heatwaves and one...

A new study has confirmed that primate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vanilla-cultivation-can-boost-biodiversity-in-madagascar/">diversity</a> is greater in areas that are managed by Indigenous peoples. The experts determined that primates such as monkeys and apes are less likely to be classified as vulnerable, threatened or endangered when they live in territories that overlap with Indigenous lands.&nbsp;



The research was led by Paul A. Garber, a professor of Anthropology at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</a>, and Alejandro Estrada, a professor in the Institute of Biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.&nbsp;



“There is an impending extinction crisis among the world’s 521 primate species,” said Professor Garber. “We know that 68% of these species are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered and many of them may not survive to the end of the century. Worldwide, 93% of primate populations are declining.”



Understanding the conditions that allow primate populations to survive and even thrive is critical to preventing their extinction and preserving their special contributions to healthy forest ecosystems, explained Professor Garber.



“Most primates exploit forests, where they serve as agents of pollination and seed dispersal. They’re involved in important predator-prey relationships. They consume insects and small vertebrates. They play a very important role in the regeneration of forests.”



Professor Garber noted that primates are one of the first indicator species if there’s a dramatic change in the environment, as they are relatively large-bodied animals with a slow reproductive rate.



For the investigation, the study authors set out to evaluate the relationship between Indigenous lands and primate biodiversity. “We found that Indigenous peoples’ lands account for 30% of the primate range, and 71% of primate species inhabit these lands. As their range on these lands increases, primate species are less likely to be classified as threatened or have declining populations.” wrote the researchers.



The study also compared Indigenous lands to regions with roughly the same human population density immediately outside of the territories.&nbsp;



“The results were that the human footprint – a measure of infrastructure development and habitat conversion – was significantly greater immediately outside Indigenous peoples’ lands than inside,” said Professor Garber.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>.



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Primates have greater diversity on Indigenous lands

A new study has confirmed that primate diversity is greater...

Laeocochlis sinistratus

Taxonomic tree: