A new study from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> reveals what is going on inside of your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-brain-interactions-have-an-influence-on-diseases/">brain</a> when you get lost in a fictional fantasy. The experts discovered that the more immersed we become in the lives of our favorite characters of fiction, the more our brain activity reflects how much we identify with them.
&#8220;When they think about a favorite fictional character, it appears similar in one part of the brain as when they are thinking about themselves,&#8221; said study lead author Timothy Broom.
The research was focused on self-described fans of the HBO series &#8220;Game of Thrones.&#8221; The individuals were instructed to think about themselves, nine of their friends, and nine characters from the drama series. The participants also reported on which character they felt closest to and liked the most.
According to Broom, Game of Thrones was ideal for this study because it attracted a devoted fan base and the large cast presented a variety of characters that people could become attached to.
One of the key findings involved participants who scored highest on &#8220;trait identification.&#8221; These individuals agreed most strongly with statements like &#8220;I really get involved in the feelings of the characters in a novel.&#8221;
&#8220;People who are high in trait identification not only get absorbed into a story, they also are really absorbed into a particular character,&#8221; said Broom. &#8220;They report matching the thoughts of the character, they are thinking what the character is thinking, they are feeling what the character is feeling. They are inhabiting the role of that character.&#8221;
The researchers used an fMRI machine to measure activity in various parts of the brain through small changes in blood flow. As the participants&#8217; brains were scanned, they were evaluating themselves, their friends, and Game of Thrones characters. 
A part of the brain called the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) is known to show increased activity when people think about themselves and, to a lesser extent, when they think about close friends.
While in the fMRI, the individuals were shown a series of names &#8211; including themselves, friends, or characters &#8211; along with a trait, such as lonely, sad, trustworthy, or smart. The participants simply said &#8220;yes&#8221; or &#8220;no&#8221; to imply whether the trait fit the person.
As expected, the vMPFC was most active when people were evaluating themselves, less active when they evaluated friends, and least active when they evaluated characters from Game of Thrones.
However, among those who were high in trait identification, the vMPFC was more active when they thought about the fictional characters than it was for participants who identified less with the characters. This region of the brain was particularly active when the individuals evaluated the character they identified with the most.
Study co-author Dylan Wanger said the findings help explain how fiction can have such a big impact on some people.
&#8220;For some people, fiction is a chance to take on new identities, to see worlds though others&#8217; eyes and return from those experiences changed,&#8221; said Wagner.
&#8220;What previous studies have found is that when people experience stories as if they were one of the characters, a connection is made with that character, and the character becomes intwined with the self. In our study, we see evidence of that in their brains.&#8221;
The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan">Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience</a>.
&#8211;&#8212;
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What happens in your brain while you're lost in fiction

Plant,Leaf,With,Water,Drops

Heat waves are not good for people, but they can be just as bad for certain plants. Hot conditions can affect the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-activate-immune-defenses-against-pathogens-in-rain/">immune</a> systems of plants such that they no longer function efficiently. This means that plants are more susceptible to infection by pathogens after heatwaves, even when the extreme temperatures do not last for long.&nbsp;



Scientists have known for decades that above-normal temperatures suppress a plant’s ability to make salicylic acid, a defense hormone that has an important role in the plant’s immune system, stopping pathogens and pests before they get established. The exact mechanism by which this immune system failure occurs, however, was not fully understood.&nbsp;



In new research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, scientists now say that they understand why a plant’s immune system becomes compromised when the temperatures rise too high. They have also proposed a way to reverse the effect and to boost plant defenses against heat. This would help plants to survive better in conditions of global warming, and keep food on tables around the world.&nbsp;



The scientists worked on a small species of cress, Arabidopsis thaliana, which is a flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. It is considered a weed and is commonly used in laboratory experiments involving plants. In earlier research, Sheng-Yang He from Duke University, and his graduate student Bethany Huot, found that even brief heat waves had a dramatic effect on the immune system functioning of Arabidopsis plants. The heat left them more prone to infection by a bacterium known as Pseudomonas syringae.



Under normal circumstances, when this pathogen infects a plant, the levels of salicylic acid in the leaves increase up to seven-fold, preventing the bacterium from taking hold or spreading. But when the temperature rises above 86oF, the plant cannot make enough of this defense hormone to keep the pathogen in check.&nbsp;



“Plants get a lot more infections at warm temperatures because their level of basal immunity is down,” said Sheng-Yang He. “So we wanted to know, how do plants feel the heat? And can we actually fix it to make plants heat-resilient?”



Around the same time, a different team of scientists had found that, in plant cells, molecules called phytochromes function as internal thermometers, helping plants sense warmer temperatures in the spring and activate growth and flowering. He and his colleagues wondered whether these same heat-sensing molecules could be involved in compromising the immune system when the heat is on.&nbsp;



To answer this question, the researchers looked at normal plants and mutant plants in which the phytochrome photoreceptors were always active, irrespective of the temperature. The plants were all infected with P. syringae&nbsp;bacteria, and then grown at temperatures of 73oF and 82oF.&nbsp; The researchers found that the phytochrome mutants fared exactly like normal plants: they still couldn’t make enough salicylic acid to fend off infections when temperatures were high.



The scientists continued to search for the molecular mechanism behind failed immunity in Arabidopsis plants that were exposed to excess heat. Co-first authors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-science/faculty-profiles/christian-danve-m-castroverde/index.html">Danve Castroverde</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.google.com/yonsei.ac.kr/jonghumkim/home">Jonghum Kim</a>&nbsp;spent several years doing similar experiments involving various plant genes that could potentially have been involved, but those mutant plants also became more vulnerable to infections during warm spells.&nbsp;



A new approach had to be adopted. Using next-generation sequencing, the researchers compared gene readouts in infected&nbsp;Arabidopsis&nbsp;plants at normal and elevated temperatures. They found that many of the genes that were suppressed at the higher temperatures were regulated by the same molecule, a gene called CBP60g.



The CBP60g gene acts like a master switch that controls the activity of many other genes, so anything that downregulates or “turns off” CBP60g will also affect the functioning of those other genes. In fact, the end result is that the plant cells simply don’t make the proteins needed in order to produce salicylic acid, a key substance in the immune response.&nbsp;



Further experiments revealed that the cellular machinery needed to start reading out the genetic instructions in the CBP60g gene doesn’t assemble properly when it gets too hot, and that’s why the plant’s immune system can’t do its job anymore. When the researchers used mutant Arabidopsis plants in which the CBP60g gene was constantly “switched on," the plants were able to produce high levels of salicylic acid and keep bacteria under control, even when they were heat stressed.&nbsp;



The team also found that elevated temperatures didn’t just impair salicylic acid defenses in&nbsp;Arabidopsis&nbsp;plants, but had a similar effect on crop plants such as tomato, rapeseed and rice.&nbsp;



The implications of this are that crop plants might be engineered in the same way to have functional immune systems even under conditions of extreme heat. In fact, the researchers found a way to produce heat-resilient plants in which the CBP60g master switch was turned on only when under attack from pathogens, and this helped to protect the plant’s immune response. In addition, there was no stunting of growth, which is critical if crop are to produce maximum yields.&nbsp;



Extreme heat events are becoming more common and more severe as global warming takes hold. Under these conditions, plants’ natural defenses are set to become less effective, which could lead to worldwide food shortages. Already, up to 40 percent of food crops are lost to pests and diseases each year, costing the global economy around $300 million. Heat waves can only make this situation worse.&nbsp;



At the same time, population growth is driving up the world’s demand for food. To feed the estimated 10 billion people expected on Earth by 2050, forecasts suggest that food production will need to increase by&nbsp;60 percent. The findings of the current study could therefore be good news for food security in the future.&nbsp;



Follow-up experiments to restore CBP60g gene activity in rapeseed thus far are showing the same promising results. In fact, genes with similar DNA sequences are found across plants, He says.



In&nbsp;Arabidopsis, keeping the CPB60g master switch from feeling the heat not only restored genes involved in making salicylic acid, but also protected other defense-related genes against warmer temperatures too.



“We were able to make the whole plant immune system more robust at warm temperatures,” said Sheng-Yang He. “If this is true for crop plants as well, that's a really big deal because then we have a very powerful weapon.”



---



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

Plant immune defenses are weakened by rising temperatures

Heat waves are not good for people, but they can...

If global warming could be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the risks to humans would be reduced by up to 85 percent. This is the conclusion of a study led by the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> (UEA), which also identified hotspot regions for climate change risks.



The researchers investigated how limiting global warming could simultaneously reduce the risk of human exposure to heat stress, water scarcity, coastal and river flooding, and disease. The experts compared the extent of these threats at various levels of warming (1.5°C compared to 2°C or 3.66°C).&nbsp;



The researchers also measured the impacts of global warming on agricultural yields and the economy. The study shows that overall, human exposure to these risks would be reduced by 10-44 percent if warming is reduced to 1.5°C rather than 2°C. Compared to 3.66 degrees Celsius of warming, a 1.5°C limit would reduce human risks by 32–85 percent.



The threats that were reduced the most were river flooding, drought, and heat stress, but the risk reduction was greatest for drought. Furthermore, West Africa, India and North America were identified as regions where the risks are projected to increase the most by the end of this century.



“Our findings are important because the Paris Agreement target is to limit global warming to ‘well below’ 2°C and to ‘pursue efforts’ to limit it to 1.5°C. This means that decision makers need to understand the benefits of aiming for the lower figure," said study lead author Professor Rachel Warren.



“In addition, at COP26 last year, the commitments made by countries in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions are not sufficient to achieve the Paris goals. At present, current policies would result in average warming of 2.7°C, while the Nationally Determined Contributions for 2030 would limit warming to 2.1°C."



“While there are a number of planned additional actions to reduce emissions further, potentially limiting warming to 1.8°C in the most optimistic case, these still need to be delivered and further additional action is needed to limit warming to 1.5°C.”



The findings are published today in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10584">Climatic Change</a>.



---



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

Limiting global warming could reduce human risk by 85%

If global warming could be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius,...

Heat waves are a harsh reality of climate change and will significantly impact India and Pakistan. A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en">University of Gothenburg</a> have published a study which outlines possible future scenarios for South Asian heat waves.&nbsp;



"We established a link between extreme heat and population," explained study co-author Deliang Chen. "In the best scenario, we succeeded in meeting the targets in the Paris Agreement, which added roughly two heat waves per year, exposing about 200 million people to the heat waves."&nbsp;



"But if countries continue to contribute to the greenhouse effect as they are still doing now, clearing and building on land that is actually helping to lower global temperatures, we believe that there could be as many as five more heat waves per year, with more than half a billion people being exposed to them, by the end of the century.”&nbsp;



The analysis revealed that regions of high population, such as the Indo-Gigantic Plains, are particularly susceptible to heat waves. As populations grow, so do consumption and transportation, leading to increased emissions and more heat waves. The study authors feel that governments in India and Pakistan need to start planning for this outcome now to reduce human death and suffering.&nbsp;



“We hope that the leaders in the region such as India and Pakistan read our report and think about it. In our calculation model, the range for the number of people who will be exposed to heat waves is large. The actual numbers will depend on the path that these countries choose to take in their urban planning," said Chen.&nbsp;



"We can more than halve the population exposed to intense heat waves if we reduce emissions so that we reach the targets in the Paris Agreement. Both mitigation and adaptation measures can make a huge difference."



The region is already experiencing intense heat that is affecting farming. To combat the heat, farmers are moving higher, but this only exacerbates the problem because they are cutting down trees to farm - leading to a greater release of carbon. If nothing is done, the researchers believe the situation will become volatile.&nbsp;



“Each heat wave will result in increased mortality and decreased productivity, since few people can work in 45-degree heat," said Chen. "I fear that if nothing is done, it can ultimately lead to a huge wave of migrations.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EF002511">Earth’s Future</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Heat waves set to explode in South Asia

Heat waves are a harsh reality of climate change and...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/english-bulldogs-are-suffering-from-poor-breeding-practices/">Dogs</a> arose from wolves, somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. They were the first species to be domesticated, long before humans petted kittens, herded sheep, cows, goats or pigs, and long before they planted rice, wheat, barley or corn. And yet, the exact timing, location and means by which wolves were tamed and made into companions is shrouded in mystery. Countless previous studies that have used the archaeological record or compared the DNA of dogs and modern wolves, have not been able to answer these unknowns.&nbsp;



Controversy exists not only around the timing of domestication, but also around the location and whether domestication was a once-off event or occurred on more than one occasion in history. The first genetic analysis, carried out in 1997, focused on the genetic differences between dogs and gray wolves and concluded that dogs may have been domesticated some 135,000 years ago. A later study by some members of the same group indicated that dogs originated in the Middle East.&nbsp;



Yet another analysis, which examined the DNA of 1,500 modern dogs and was published in 2009, argued that dogs were first domesticated in southern China less than 16,300 years ago. Then, in 2013, a team of scientists compared the mitochondrial genomes of ancient European and American dogs and wolves with their modern counterparts. It concluded that dogs originated in Europe between 32,000 and 19,000 years ago.&nbsp;



Clearly, there is as yet no definitive understanding of the details of domestication of our first and oldest animal companion.&nbsp;



A new study led by geneticists from the <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/">Francis Crick Institute</a>.has now taken a different approach to the conundrum of dog domestication. Following a recent finding that dogs are not the descendants of modern gray wolves but rather of an ancient, unknown wolf species that has subsequently become extinct, the scientists decided to analyze the genomes of ancient wolves that were sourced from museum collections.&nbsp;



Working together with archaeologists from 36 different institutions, in 16 different countries, the researchers analyzed the genomes of 72 ancient wolves that had been excavated previously from archaeological sites in Europe, Siberia and North America. The specimens spanned the past 100,000 years in time and included a full, perfectly preserved head from a Siberian wolf that lived 32,000 years ago. Nine different ancient DNA labs then collaborated on generating DNA sequence data from the wolf specimens.



The results of the analysis, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, confirmed that dogs, both early and modern, are more similar genetically to ancient wolves from Asia than from Europe. This suggests that domestication occurred somewhere in the East. However, the researchers also found evidence that dogs have a dual ancestry, meaning that two separate populations of wolves contributed DNA to dogs.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Early dogs from northeastern Europe, Siberia and the Americas appear to have a single, shared origin from the eastern source. But early dogs from the Middle East, Africa and southern Europe appear to have some ancestry from another source related to wolves in the Middle East, in addition to the eastern source.



There are a couple of plausible explanations for this finding. One possible explanation is that wolves underwent domestication more than once, with the different populations then mixing together. Another possibility is that domestication happened only once, and that the dual ancestry is due to these early dogs then mixing with wild wolves. It is not currently possible to determine which of these two scenarios occurred.&nbsp;



“Through this project we have greatly increased the number of sequenced ancient wolf genomes, allowing us to create a detailed picture of wolf ancestry over time, including around the time of dog origins," said study co-first author Anders Bergström.



“By trying to place the dog piece into this picture, we found that dogs derive ancestry from at least two separate wolf populations – an eastern source that contributed to all dogs and a separate more westerly source that contributed to some dogs."



The researchers also used the data from the ancient wolf genomes to understand how wolf DNA changed during the 30,000 generations that were represented in their 100,000-year timeline. They were able to identify the effects of natural selection as particular genes spread within wolf populations.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For example, they observed that over a period of around 10,000 years, one gene variant went from being very rare to being present in every wolf, and it is still present in all wolves and dogs today. The variant affects a gene,&nbsp;IFT88, which is involved in the development of bones in the skull and jaw. It is possible that the spread of this variant could have been driven by a change in the types of prey available during the Ice Age, giving an advantage to wolves with a certain head shape.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This is the first time scientists have directly tracked natural selection in a large animal over a time-scale of 100,000 years, seeing evolution play out in real time rather than trying to reconstruct it from DNA today," said study senior author Pontus Skoglund, group leader of the Ancient Genomics lab at the Crick.



“We found several cases where mutations spread to the whole wolf species, which was possible because the species was highly connected over large distances. This connectivity is perhaps a reason why wolves managed to survive the Ice Age while many other large carnivores vanished."



"Similar whole-genome time series from the Ice Age, in humans or other animals, could provide new information about how evolution happens."



---



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

Dog ancestry traced to two populations of ancient wolves

Dogs arose from wolves, somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 years...

Life on Earth was devastated by the end-Permian <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/its-too-late-the-6th-mass-extinction-is-here/">mass extinction</a> 252 million years ago – the largest such event in our planet’s history, which killed over 90 percent of animal and plant species. Afterwards, it took millions of years for biodiversity to return to pre-extinction levels. By examining trails and burrows on the South China sea bed, an international team of scientists has now found that bottom burrowing animals, such as worms and shrimps, were the first to bounce back after this catastrophic event.&nbsp;



“The end-Permian mass extinction and the recovery of life in the Early Triassic are very well documented throughout South China,” said study co-author Michael Benton, a professor of Vertebrate Paleontology at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>. “We were able to look at trace fossils from 26 sections through the entire series of events, representing seven million crucial years of time, and showing details at 400 sampling points, we finally reconstructed the recovery stages of all animals including benthos, nekton, as well as these soft-bodied burrowing animals in the ocean.”



According to Professor Benton and his colleagues, elevated temperatures and extended anoxia coincided with very low ecological diversity across the Permian-Triassic boundary, and it took over three million years for the recovery of soft-bodied animals.



“The first animals to recover were deposit feeders such as worms and shrimps. The recovery of suspension feeders such as brachiopods, bryozoans and many bivalves took much longer,” explained study co-author Alison Cribb, a PhD student in Geobiology at the <a href="https://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a>.



“Maybe the deposit feeders were making such a mess of the seafloor that the water was polluted with mud, the churned mud meant suspension feeders could not properly settle on the seafloor, or the muddy water produced by those deposit feeders just clogged the filtering structures of suspension feeders and prohibited them from feeding efficiently.”



These findings suggest that soft-bodied animals are some of the creatures most resilient to elevated carbon dioxide levels and rapid global warming. “These ecosystem engineers may have played a role in benthic ecosystem recovery after severe mass extinctions, potentially triggering the evolutionary innovations and radiations in the Early Triassic,” concluded study lead author Xueqian Feng, an expert in Paleoecology at the <a href="https://en.cug.edu.cn/">China University of Geosciences</a>.



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



---



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;

Worms were first to recover after major extinction event

Life on Earth was devastated by the end-Permian mass extinction...

Agroecological practices are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/noise-from-wind-farms-could-affect-marine-mammal-behavior/">farming</a> methods that consider ecological principles. A study recently published in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-022-00789-1">Agronomy for Sustainable Development </a>shows that using this approach can improve the well-being of farmers.&nbsp;



The research, led by <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a>, showed that small-scale farmers in Tanzania who implemented agroecological tactics had significant material improvement, including savings, land acquisition, and other assets. They were also more able to care for dependents, diversify their livelihood opportunities, and secure their possessions more effectively.&nbsp;



The research team surveyed 467 farming households and found that most practiced at least one form of agroecology - the most common being mulching, intercropping, and reusing post-harvest remains.&nbsp;



Based on these results, the researchers believe ecological farming can positively influence other farmers’ lives, even if only one technique is implemented.&nbsp;



“We show that practices taking advantage of nature’s contributions to people within agricultural systems can contribute positively to food security and human well-being of smallholder farmers in rural landscapes of the tropics," said study lead author Dr. Marion Pfeifer, a professor in Newcastle’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences.



Rural landscapes in tropical regions have enormous potential to support biodiversity and mitigate climate change. Some projects, including one funded by Science and Nature People Partnership, are already considering these findings.&nbsp;



“The findings are important for the formulation of policies relevant for land use and management, such as how to manage rural landscapes for biodiversity and wellbeing outcomes," said Dr. Pfeifer.



"During the past year, we have been working with partners in government and industry as well as farmers to exchange and discuss our findings. We will continue to work with them to identify pathways that allow to increase adoption of agro-ecological practices, where feasible."&nbsp;



"As an added bonus, this may well allow us to increase or conserve the trees planted on and around farmed land, adding climate change mitigation values and opportunities for potentially tapping into carbon payment schemes.”



The study authors point out that executing agroecology comes with concerns, and researchers have to ensure that the solutions are fair and have prolonged sustainability.&nbsp; Moreover,&nbsp; it’s necessary to ensure local communities benefit from the practices.&nbsp;



---



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

Sustainable farming is good for farmers’ well-being

Agroecological practices are farming methods that consider ecological principles. A...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">University of California, Santa Cruz</a> (UCSC) has found that the dramatic outbreak of kelp-eating sea urchins along the Central Coast of California in 2014 – which led to a significant reduction in that region’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-kelp-ecosystems/">kelp</a> forests – was mainly driven by the emergence of sea urchins from their hiding places, rather than by increases in urchin populations. In subsequent years, urchin movements allowed the recovery of kelp forests in areas from which these predators left.&nbsp;



“As people are thinking about practical ways to facilitate kelp forest recovery, most people would agree we need to reduce the number of sea urchins, but it’s also really important to consider the role of sea urchin behavior,” said study lead author Joshua Smith, a former doctoral student at UCSC, and currently a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a>.



According to Dr. Smith and his colleagues, a series of major disruptions to California’s kelp forest ecosystems began in 2013, when an outbreak of sea star wasting disease decimated one of the main sea urchin predators, the sunflower sea star. This was followed one year later by a massive marine heatwave, which created poor conditions for the growth of kelp, and set the stage for the unprecedented sea urchin invasion on the rocky reefs of Monterey Bay where kelp forests grew.



“In 2014, they came storming out of the crevices looking for kelp,” Smith said. “These were big adult sea urchins that showed up all of a sudden, especially in central and northern California, and that behavioral shift here along the Monterey Peninsula led to these urchin barrens where there had been kelp forest.”&nbsp;



However, the scientists found that, in subsequent years, kelp forests recovered when sea urchins moved to shallower water to feed upon red foliose algae. “They prefer kelp, but they had eaten all the kelp, so they moved up into shallower water and that allowed the kelp to regrow on the deeper reef. Interestingly, the kelp that came back was bull kelp, not the giant kelp that is typically dominant on the central coast,” Smith explained.



This year, water conditions appear excellent for kelp growth, since an unusually windy spring has brought cold, nutrient-rich water along the coast. “We’re all waiting to see how that impacts kelp recovery. There are just a lot more sea urchins now out on the reefs actively grazing, so we need to consider how we might get their numbers back down and enough predation to drive them back into the crevices,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.14064">Ecology Letters</a>.



---



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;

Sea urchin behavior drives destruction of kelp forests

A new study led by the University of California, Santa...

It’s well known that frogs undergo a great many changes as they develop from tadpoles into adults. What was less understood was how eyes change during the development of frogs, so researchers set out to investigate in a new study published in the journal <a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/">BMC Biology</a>.



“Seeing underwater is not the same as seeing on land. The light underwater can have more of a reddish cast, especially in ponds where many frogs live, while the light on land is bluer. The amount of light is also different under water versus on land," explained study lead author Ryan Schott of <a href="https://www.yorku.ca/">York University</a>.



"Animals that see well in one environment will likely not see clearly in the other. We were interested in finding out what changes occur that allow an animal to go from seeing underwater to seeing on land."



“The adaptive decoupling hypothesis proposes that animals that have distinct life stages separated by metamorphosis, like caterpillars to butterflies or tadpoles to frogs, might be more able to adapt to their different environments.”



The researchers used RNA sequencing, which allowed them to see what genes were expressed in the eyes during different stages of development. They also measured the photoreceptor’s sensitivity to different colors of light at different points using microspectrophotometry.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The scientists were surprised by the results of the RNA sequencing, which showed that 42 percent of the tadpole eye genes changed expression during their transformation to adults.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The difference in the gene expression levels that we found in their eyes across the life stages was much higher than expected and a high proportion of them are genes that are directly involved in vision, which was an exciting result,” said Schott.



The eyes of the tadpoles, as expected, changed to see better in bluer light, as opposed to their aquatic natal habitat, just like leopard frogs found above water.



---



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

How tadpole vision changes from water to land

It’s well known that frogs undergo a great many changes...

An Australian research team from <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> has described a new genus of extinct giant kangaroo from fossil evidence found in the mountains of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/trss20/current">Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The kangaroo was first described in 1983 by famous paleontologist, Tim Flannery. The remains, which are 20,000 to 50,000 years old, were found in a paleontology and archeology site in Chimbu Province known as Nombe Rockshelter. Now, the scientists from Flinders have renamed the kangaroo Nombe nombe after the location of its discovery.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The New Guinean fauna is fascinating, but very few Australians have much of an idea of what’s actually there,” said study co-author Isaac Kerr. “There are several species of large, long-nosed, worm-eating echidna that are still around today, many different wallaby and possum species that we don’t get in Australia, and more still in the fossil record.”



The new description of the kangaroo puts it in a genus separate from those found in Australia. “We think of these animals as being uniquely Australian, but they have this intriguing other life within New Guinea," said Kerr.&nbsp;



Using 3D scanning and other advanced forms of technology, the scientists were able to take a closer look at Nombe. With these improved observations, the experts now believe that the genus evolved from an ancient lineage of kangaroos dispersing into New Guinea 5-8 million years ago.



Paleontology work has been carried out in PNG by US and Australian scientists in the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s and into the 90’s, but field work has been halted since then. The paleontologists with Flinders hope to change this, and are undertaking field work in PNG once again.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to study co-author Professor Gavin Prideaux, the research will go forward thanks to a grant from the Australia Pacific Science Foundation.



“We’re very excited to undertake three palaeontological digs at two different sites in eastern and central PNG over the next three years,” said Professor Prideaux. “We’ll be working with the curators of the Papua New Guinea Museum and Art Gallery and other contacts in PNG, with whom we hope to build some local interest in New Guinean palaeontology.”



Previously, impressive megafauna have been discovered in PNG’s fossil record - not only giant kangaroos but other giant marsupials and more. Who knows what will now be discovered?&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Extinct giant kangaroo discovered in Papua New Guinea

An Australian research team from Flinders University has described a...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.060911">Circulation</a> has found that about 80 percent of people in the United States have low to moderate cardiovascular health, according to the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>’s Life’s Essential 8™ checklist. This is a new tool used to determine a cardiovascular health score based on components for ideal heart and brain health such as diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep duration, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure.



Life’s Essential 8™ is an updated algorithm from the scientifically proven <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/company-collaboration/well-being-works-better/lifes-simple-7">Life’s Simple 7™</a>. The new metrics are more sensitive to differences among various groups of people, and also take into consideration the impact of sleep problems on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vitamin-d-is-essential-for-heart-health/">heart health</a>. In adults, overall cardiovascular health is computed by summing the scores for each of the eight components and dividing the total by eight. Scores below 50 indicate low cardiovascular health, those between 50 and 79 moderate cardiovascular health, and those over 80 high cardiovascular health.&nbsp;



By applying these metrics to a cohort of 23,400 U.S. adults and children, the scientists found that the average cardiovascular health score was 64.7 for adults and 65.5 for children. Among adults, 19.6 percent had high cardiovascular health, 62.5 percent moderate, 17.9 percent low, and only 0.45 percent managed to score a perfect 100. Adult women had higher scores than men (67 compared to 62.5), and the health scores were generally lower at older ages. Non-Hispanic Asian Americans had a higher average cardiovascular health score than other racial and ethnic groups, followed by Non-Hispanic White, Non-Mexican Hispanic, Mexican, and Non-Hispanic Black individuals.



“These data represent the first look at the cardiovascular health of the U.S. population using the AHA’s new Life’s Essential 8™ scoring algorithm,” said study lead author Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, the president of the American Health Association and chair of the <a href="https://www.preventivemedicine.northwestern.edu/">Department of Preventive Medicine</a> at Northwestern University.



&nbsp;“Overall, the cardiovascular health of the U.S. population is suboptimal, and we see important differences across age and sociodemographic groups. Analyses like this can help policy makers, communities, clinicians, and the public to understand the opportunities to intervene to improve and maintain optimal cardiovascular health across the life course,” he concluded.



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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;&nbsp;

Only one in five U.S. citizens has optimal heart health

A new study published in the journal Circulation has found...

A new longitudinal study led by the <a href="https://www.ufabc.edu.br/">Federal University of ABC</a> (UFABC) in Brazil has found that the Covid-19 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pandemic-related-worries-diminish-cognitive-skills/">pandemic</a> has altered the way people perceive the passage of time. By surveying 900 volunteers via an online platform for five months in 2020 – the period with the strictest Covid-related lockdowns – the experts discovered that people experienced time passing more slowly during home confinement at the beginning of the pandemic, and associated this “time expansion” with feelings of loneliness and a lack of positive experiences.



At the end of the first month of social distancing in Brazil (May 2020), most participants (65 percent) reported feeling that time is passing more slowly, while an even larger proportion (75 percent) reported feeling less “time pressure.”&nbsp;



“We followed the volunteers for five months to see if this ‘snapshot’ of the start of the pandemic would change over time. We found that the feeling of time expansion diminished as the weeks went by, but we didn’t detect significant differences with regard to time pressure,” said study lead author André Cravo, a professor of Psychology at UFABC.



Professor Cravo and his colleagues used time awareness scales from 0 to 100 to measure how the two parameters – time expansion and time pressure – increased or decreased every week.&nbsp;



“Besides a rise or fall on the scales, we also analyzed the factors that accompanied the changes. During the five-month period, we observed a similar pattern: in weeks when participants reported feeling lonely and experiencing less positive affect, they also felt time pass more slowly. In highly stressful situations, they felt time pass more quickly,”&nbsp;Cravo explained.



The results revealed that time seemed to pass slower for younger participants early in the pandemic, when social distancing rules were the strictest. Beside age, demographic factors such as gender, occupation, or household size had no apparent influence on time perception.



According to Professor Cravo, the feeling that time is passing more slowly or quickly is mainly influenced by two factors – the relevance of time in a particular context and unpredictability.&nbsp;



“For example, if you’re late for work [so that time is relevant in the context] and have to wait for a bus [unpredictable timing], you have an extreme perception that the minutes aren’t passing. When you’re on vacation and having fun, time isn’t relevant and appears to fly,” he explained.



However, when we recall past situations, our perception of time often changes. “When you remember what you did during a vacation, time seems to have lasted longer. On the contrary, when you’re standing in line, time goes all too slowly, but when you recall the situation later, it feels as if it was over quickly,” Cravo said.



However, how people will remember the passage of time during the Covid-19 pandemic is still unclear. “Several temporal milestones, such as Carnival, the June festivals and birthdays, had to be skipped in the last two years, so the question remains open,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj7205">Science Advances</a>.



---



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;

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our perception of time

A new longitudinal study led by the Federal University of...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.kent.ac.uk/">University of Kent</a> has discovered that rainforest chimpanzees dig wells to reach cleaner water, and the idea is catching on. Such behavior is not common in the animal kingdom, and the few species that have been observed digging to access water are primarily in dry, hot regions. This is the first time the well-digging behavior has been observed in rainforest chimpanzees.



"Access to resources shapes species’ physiology and behavior. Water is not typically considered a limiting resource for rainforest-living chimpanzees; however, several savannah and savannah-woodland communities show behavioural adaptations to limited water," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"Here, we provide a first report of habitual well-digging in a rainforest-living group of East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and suggest that it may have been imported into the community’s behavioural repertoire by an immigrant female."



The study was focused on rainforest chimpanzees in the Waibira community of Uganda. A young immigrant female named Onyofi, who arrived in 2015, was the first to be seen digging a well. The experts say that she was immediately very proficient, which suggests that she perhaps grew up in a well-digging community.



In the days and weeks to follow, several other young Waibira chimpanzees and adult females were seen digging wells. While the adult males were seen using the wells dug by others, they were never seen digging them.&nbsp;



"Well digging is usually done to access water in very dry habitats - in chimpanzees, we only know about three savannah living groups who do so," said study lead author Hella Péter.



"What we’ve seen in Waibira is a bit different from those groups. First, they live in a rainforest, so most people assume getting water shouldn’t be a challenge - but it looks like the yearly few months of dry season is enough to cause some trouble for them!"



"What’s also interesting is that the wells all appear next to open water, so the purpose of them is likely filtering, not reaching the water - the chimpanzees might get cleaner or differently flavoured water from a well, which is fascinating."



Onyofi was carefully watched both by young chimps and other adults as she dug. This indicates she was the first to bring this idea to the Waibira community.&nbsp;



The researchers say that her wells seemed popular, with other chimpanzees drinking from them directly, or using chewed up leaves or moss, demonstrating that there seems to be some added benefit to well-water.



"One of the most interesting things was seeing the other chimpanzees' responses to Onyofi’s digging - even large dominant males would politely wait for her to finish digging and drinking, and only then go and borrow her well, which is pretty unusual around such a valuable resource," said study co-author Dr. Catherine Hobaiter.



"We’re curious to see what happens once some of the young males who can dig grow older - maybe they will be acceptable teachers for the big males, and they’ll stop relying on others to dig wells for them."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10329">Primates</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

Rainforest chimpanzees dig wells for cleaner water

A team of researchers led by the University of Kent...

Scientists have long known that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-rally-against-the-worlds-first-octopus-farm/">octopus</a> is an extraordinary organism with a highly complex brain and cognitive abilities that are unique among invertebrate creatures. According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.sissa.it/">International School for Advanced Study</a> (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, the neuronal and cognitive complexity of these animals could originate from a molecular analogy with the human brain. The experts found that the octopus and human brain share similar transposons, or “jumping genes” – a type of genes that can move from one point to another of an individual’s genome, shuffling or duplicating.



Over 45 percent of the human brain is composed of such jumping genes. However, most of them lost their ability to move, or are inactive because they accumulated mutations over generations. Moreover, even some of the intact ones are most of the time blocked by cellular defense mechanisms. The most relevant mobile elements, though, belong to the Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINE) family. These are still potentially active, and are thought to be associated with cognitive abilities such as learning or memory.&nbsp;



The scientists found that the genomes of two common species of octopus – Octopus vulgarisms and Octopus bimaculoides – are also rich in jumping genes, although most of them are inactive. However, some elements of the LINE family were discovered in parts of the octopus brain that are crucial for these creatures’ amazing cognitive abilities.



“The discovery of an element of the LINE family, active in the brain of the two octopus species, is very significant because it adds support to the idea that these elements have a specific function that goes beyond copy-and-paste,” explained study co-senior author Remo Sanges, the director of the Computational Genomics Laboratory at SISSA.



“I literally jumped on the chair when, under the microscope, I saw a very strong signal of activity of this element in the vertical lobe, the structure of the brain which in the octopus is the seat of learning and cognitive abilities, just like the&nbsp;hippocampus&nbsp;in humans,” added study co-author Giovanna Ponte, a researcher in Biology and Neurophysiology at the <a href="https://www.szn.it/index.php/it/">Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn</a>.



According to the researchers, this similarity between the genetic constitution of the human and octopus brain are a fascinating example of convergent evolution – a phenomenon for which, in two genetically distinct species, the same molecular processes develop independently, in response to similar needs.&nbsp;



“The brain of the octopus is functionally analogous in many of its characteristics to that of mammals. For this reason, also, the identified LINE element represents a very interesting candidate to study to improve our knowledge on the evolution of intelligence,” concluded co-senior author Graziano Fiorito, the director of the Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-022-01303-5">BMC Biology</a>.



---



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;

Human and octopus brains are more similar than expected

Scientists have long known that the octopus is an extraordinary...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a> (SFU) has found that temperature changes have negatively impacted most species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/multiple-habitats-must-be-protected-to-save-bumblebees/">bumblebees</a> over the past 120 years. According to the experts, such shifts in temperatures had more of a negative impact than other factors, including precipitation levels and floral resources.



“Bumblebees are important pollinators for wild plants and for the crops humans rely on for food. That’s why we need to develop conservation strategies that account for the future impacts of climate change on bee populations,” said study lead author Hanna Jackson, a Masters student in Biological Sciences at SFU.



Together with her colleagues, Jackson analyzed a large dataset containing records of 46 species of bumblebees from North America between 1900 and 2020. In order to estimate the effects of climate and land-use variables on species’ occupancy, the researchers created two occupancy models - one focused on time and the other on environmental factors. The analysis revealed that six bumblebee species decreased through time, 18 remained stable, and 22 increased.



Although both temperature and precipitation increased over the past 120 years, the results suggest that temperature changes had the most pointed negative impact on bumblebee populations, with 37 of the 46 species showing greater declines - or, at least, less positive increases in occupancy - as temperatures have steadily risen.&nbsp;



Nine of these species exhibited clear declines correlated to changing temperatures within their range. The scientists did not find such patterns related to the other factors that were investigated, - such as precipitation - and only one species declined due to scarcity in floral resources. In fact, the study of the relation between bee dynamics and precipitation and floral resources had mixed results: about half of the species were negatively impacted by changes in these factors, while the other half seemed to benefit from them.



Thus, changing temperatures are a major environmental factor driving changes in the composition of bumblebee populations. However, all the observed trends appeared to be highly species-specific.&nbsp;



“Because bumblebee species likely vary in their future responses to land-use and climate change, conservation action should prioritize individual species, taking into account their unique climate and habitat preferences,” Jackson concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0551">Biology Letters</a>.&nbsp;



---



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;

Temperature changes negatively impact bumblebees

A new study led by the Simon Fraser University (SFU)...

Populations of migratory bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/managing-invasive-species-can-improve-climate-resilience/">species</a> have been declining more than non-migratory birds. Now, researchers have set out to identify the problem in a new study published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14668238">Global Ecology and Biogeography</a>.&nbsp;



“We know that migratory birds are in greater decline than non-migratory species, but it’s not clear why. We wanted to find out where in their life cycles these migratory species are most exposed to human impacts," said Dr. James Gilroy from the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a>’s (UAE) School of Environmental Sciences.



The research shows that migratory birds passing through human built environments suffer the most losses. Impacts with wind turbines, dangerous roads, buildings and power lines are all taking their toll.



“We found that human modification of the landscape in the birds’ distribution ranges in Europe, Africa and Western Asia is associated with declining numbers of over 100 Afro-Eurasian migratory birds," said Dr. Claire Buchan.



"When we talk about modification of the landscape, we mean things like roads, buildings, powerlines, wind turbines – anything that isn’t naturally there."



“One of the biggest impacts seems to be caused by things that would kill a bird outright – for example flying into a wind turbine, a building, being electrocuted on a powerline, hit by a vehicle or hunted. We found that exposure to these human-induced ‘direct mortality’ threats in the bird’s wintering ranges are reflected in population decreases in breeding birds.”



The scientists found 16 different human created factors that negatively impact migratory bird populations across Europe, Asia and Africa, including are collisions, destruction of natural habitat and climate change.&nbsp;



“Our findings are important because we need to understand where declining species are being most impacted by humans across their seasonal migrations," said Dr. Aldina Franco. "Pinpointing where birds are most exposed to these threats could help us target conservation actions."



The scientists hope that their research will help create better conservation plans for birds and improve their survival in the future.&nbsp;



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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

Human modifications create deadly traps for migratory birds

Populations of migratory bird species have been declining more than...

Although much research has already been done to predict the effects of climate change on the land, sea, and ice, the ways in which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clouds-have-an-amplifying-effect-on-global-warming/">clouds</a> will be affected is less understood. According to a new study published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021MS002841">Journal of Advances in Modelling Earth Systems</a>, climate change could either cause low clouds to dry up and shrink like the ice sheets, or they could thicken and become more reflective.



“If you ask two different climate models what the future will be like when we add a lot more CO2, you get two very different answers. And the reason for that is the way clouds are included in climate models,” said study co-author Michael Pritchard, an associate professor of Earth System Science at the <a href="https://uci.edu/">University of California, Irvine</a>.



While clouds and aerosols (particles of soot and dust that nucleate cloud droplets) are a fundamental part of the climate equation, these phenomena occur on a length- and time-scale that current models cannot reliably reproduce. Thus, they are always included in climate models through various approximations.



Some of the most advanced global climate models struggle to approach four-kilometer global resolution. However, in order to manage to capture the fine-scale turbulent eddies which form shallow cloud systems, models would need a resolution of at least 100 meters. Experts estimate that it could take until 2060 before the computing power able to capture this level of detail will be available.



In order to fix this gap, Professor Pritchard and his colleagues have tried to break the climate modelling problem into two parts: a course-grained, 100-kilometer lower-resolution planetary model, and many smaller patches with 100- to 200-meter resolution. These two simulations run independently and exchange data every 30 minutes to ensure that neither simulation goes off-track or becomes unrealistic.&nbsp;



“The model does an end-run around the hardest problem - whole planet modeling,” explained Professor Pritchard. “It has thousands of micromodels that capture things like realistic shallow cloud formation that only emerge in very high resolution.”



This modeling method was made possible by one of the fastest computers in the world, the <a href="https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/systems/frontera">Frontera supercomputer</a> at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, which scientists can use to run models at time- and length-scales accessible only on a few other computer systems in the United States, and test their potential for cloud modeling.



“The use of computation-based methods is critical to our understanding of climate and everything else around us,” said Manish Parashar, director of National Science Foundation’s <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/oac">Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure</a>. “Frontera is inspiring climate scientists to devise new and novel simulation methods for enabling our deeper understanding of climate change.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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;

How will clouds be affected by climate change?

Although much research has already been done to predict the...

Female,Bonobo,With,A,Baby,Is,Sitting,On,The,Grass.

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abo3608">Science</a> has argued that, while attempting to mitigate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/science-reporting-can-change-climate-change-beliefs/">climate change</a> is becoming increasingly urgent, so is the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth’s rapidly changing biosphere. Since oncoming changes will seriously challenge current natural resource management and conservation efforts, new forward-looking conservation approaches to enable the adaptation and resilience to climate change of a variety of species, communities, and ecosystems are absolutely necessary.



“There is actually a lot we can do to help systems cope with oncoming climate change,” said study lead author Jonathan Moore, a professor of Biology at the <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a>. “From restoring connectivity to reducing local stressors to conserving future habitats - all of these proactive approaches can help the ecosystems that we rely upon to adapt to climate change.”



According to study co-author Daniel Schindler, an expert in Ecosystem Dynamics at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, in order for species and ecosystems to adapt and be resilient to climate change, preservation-orientated approaches should be complemented by attempts that enable and foster ecological change.&nbsp;



“Local efforts to conserve biodiversity and regenerate habitat complexity will also help maintain a diversity of future options for species and ecosystems in an unpredictable future,” explained Professor Schindler.



Thus, conservation efforts should focus not only on “climate change losers,” but also on the proactive management of emerging opportunities. For instance, while threatening species such as polar bears, warming Arctic oceans and shrinking sea ice may create more fish production in some areas – a phenomenon that needs to be taken into account too when devising proactive approaches to help ecosystems cope with climate change.



“Earth’s systems have an incredible capacity to adapt and be resilient to changes. That is what has allowed some species to persist for millions of years. But our actions are seriously undermining that adaptive capacity,” said Professor Moore. “Natural resource management and conservation efforts will need to embrace the dynamic aspects of the biosphere to help maintain functioning ecosystems and protect biodiversity amid ongoing climate change.”



While it is important and urgent for humanity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to control the pace of climate change, even with the most aggressive reduction strategies further warming will likely persist for decades. Thus, additional strategies to enable adaptation and resilience will be crucial for maintaining functional ecosystems and conserving biodiversity.



“The biosphere has never been static – and we need to embrace management approaches that maintain a dynamic and fluid biosphere. Thus, conservation and management need to be prospective - looking to the future, and proactive - taking action for the future,” Professor Schindler concluded.



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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;

How can Earth’s ecosystems adapt to climate change?

A new study published in the journal Science has argued...

Hermit,Crab,(decapod,Crustaceans)

Hermit crabs are found in oceans all over the world, occupying habitats that range from shallow coastal waters to the deepest of seas. They have soft, fragile abdomens that need to be protected from damage and are adapted to occupy the empty shells of mollusks, carrying these shells around like mobile homes while they forage on detritus on the ocean floor.&nbsp;



A study, led by Dr. Yoshikawa from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a>, has now identified a species of hermit crab off the coast of Japan that carries a specific and previously unknown species of anemone on it back. The anemone, described for the first time in this study, has been named Stylobates calcifer and it is only found on the shells of a single host species of hermit crab, Pagurodofleinia doederlein. In fact, the anemone is so important to the hermit crab that, when the crab moves into a new shell home, it will go to great lengths to take the anemone along.&nbsp;



At least 35 symbiotic sea anemone species have been found living on the legs of hermit crabs or on the shells they inhabit. Symbiosis implies a close physical relationship between organisms of different species, and in the case of hermit crabs and their anemones, this is a mutualistic relationship from which both species benefit. Having an anemone covering one’s back may provide camouflage and protection, while riding through the water on the shell of a crab may ensure access to food, particularly the scraps of food left over after the crab eats dinner.



Dr. Yoshikawa and his team collected 16 specimens of the new, deep-sea anemone from depths of 100 - 400 meters between 2017 and 2020. All the specimens came from the ocean on the Pacific side of Japan, and were used for detailed studies of the anatomy, morphology, histology and genetics of the species. Based on the results of these analyses, the researchers have described and named the new species of anemone, Stylobates calcifer, in a publication in <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/bbl/current">The Biological Bulletin</a>, a journal of the University of Chicago Press.&nbsp;



In addition to describing the new species of anemone, the researchers were able to record live video footage of the process whereby a hermit crab that chose to move house succeeded in coaxing its anemone to detach from the old shell and settle on the new one. This is not an easy task as the anemone occupies the entire top surface of the hermit crab’s shell, and is attached by means of a hard, chitinous secretion called a carcinoecium. This structure helps the anemone cling to the uneven surface of the mollusk shell, but also strengthens and enlarges the shell, which gives the crab extended occupation of its shelter.&nbsp;



Despite this, a hermit crab will eventually outgrow its shell and will need to find new, more spacious accommodation. The researchers were able to observe the behavior involved when a captive hermit crab changed shells, thereby extending the understanding of how this symbiotic relationship between hermit crab and anemone is maintained.&nbsp;



Initially, the hermit crab left its old shell and tested out its new one. Once convinced that the new shell was a better option, it tapped and pinched the anemone (still attached to the old shell) with its walking legs and chelipeds (legs that bear claws). It also climbed on top of the anemone and tapped it with the new shell, continuously trying to encourage the anemone to detach. By this physical stimulation and provocation, the crab was able to peel the base of the anemone off the surface of the old shell, but it took approximately 12 hours of intense activity on the part of the crab.



The crab then tried all means of tactics to get the anemone to attach itself to the new shell, which was now on the crab’s abdomen. The crab dragged the anemone around, manipulating it, presenting it with the new shell and continuously stimulating it with legs and chelipeds. Initially, the anemone did not respond in any way and the crab’s efforts appeared fruitless. However, after the anemone was turned upside-down and placed on its tentacles, the crab maneuvered itself, along with its new shell, into a suitable hollow in the anemone’s foot.&nbsp;



Eventually, 18 hours after the anemone’s detachment from the old shell, it began to show ‘climbing’ behavior and mounted itself onto the new shell. It soon covered the surface of the shell and was positioned vertically, with its tentacles facing upwards, ready to access food particles suspended in the water column. The entire process took 43 hours from the time that the hermit crab initially changed shells.&nbsp;



The study authors acknowledge that all their behavioral observations involved only a single crab-anemone pair because of the difficulties involved with retrieving and maintaining deep-sea species in captivity. Nevertheless, they suggest that their observations reveal details of a remarkable symbiotic relationship between deep-sea organisms. Future research would need to focus on how the anemones recognize the host hermit crabs on the ocean floor and then build and retain their highly specific association with them.&nbsp;



The live video recordings are available at <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719160#_i32">https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719160#_i32</a>



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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

Remarkable symbiotic relationship found in the deep sea

Hermit crabs are found in oceans all over the world,...

Climate change has already caused significant damage, including longer and more intense heatwaves, accelerated sea level rise, and the loss of polar sea ice. Now, by performing the first-ever survey of planktonic lipids in the world’s oceans, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> (WHOI) has found that, as global warming advances, there may be fewer and fewer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omega-3s-seafood-healthy-aging/">omega-3</a> fatty acids produced by plankton at the base of the food web, which will mean less of these lipids available for fish and human beings.



Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that the human body cannot produce on its own. They are regarded by scientists as highly beneficial, increasing cardiovascular health and promoting healthy aging.&nbsp;



“The lipids in the ocean affect your life,” said study co-author Benjamin Van Mooj, an expert in Marine Chemistry at WHOI. “We found that the composition of lipids in the ocean is going to change as the ocean warms. That is a cause for concern. We need those lipids that are in the ocean because they influence the quality of the food that the ocean produces for humanity.”&nbsp;



The researchers collected 930 lipid samples from 146 locations across the world’s oceans during seven oceanographic research expeditions from 2013 to 2018.&nbsp;



“Focusing on ten molecularly diverse glycerolipid classes we identified 1,151 distinct lipid species, finding that fatty acid unsaturation (i.e., number of carbon to carbon double bonds) is fundamentally constrained by temperature. We predict significant declines in the essential fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] over the next century, which are likely to have serious deleterious effects on economically critical fisheries,” the study authors reported.



Although planktonic community lipidomes are affected by a variety of environmental factors, such as nutrient availability, the most fundamental control of their composition appeared to be temperature. “Indeed, it is striking that the relationship between temperature and unsaturation emerges from our dataset despite spanning such diverse and disparate planktonic communities, from the nutrient-depleted subtropical gyres to the highly-productive Antarctic coastal shelf,” the authors wrote.&nbsp;&nbsp;



To determine how the upper and lower limits for the composition of omega-3 fatty acids may shift under future warming conditions, the scientists generated maps using end-of-century sea surface temperature conditions for various climate change scenarios. Under a worst-case scenario with unmitigated greenhouse gas emissions, some ocean regions may witness a drastic decrease of up to 25 percent of these beneficial lipids.



These findings provide examples “of how human activities are perturbing the oceans in ways that we never expected, and of the uncertainty of how the ocean is going to respond to warming,” concluded Dr. Van Mooj.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn7455">Science</a>.&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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ocean warming will massively reduce omega-3 fatty acids

Climate change has already caused significant damage, including longer and...

When a small group of individuals separates from a larger population and subsequently founds a new population, this has an effect on the genetic variation of the descendants, particularly if the group remains genetically isolated. The founder group will carry only a small selection of the total genetic variation of the original population, and this will be evident in the form of reduced genetic diversity in their offspring. In addition, the founding individuals may carry rare, recessive genetic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mutations-in-animals-shed-new-light-on-the-process-of-aging/">mutations</a> that will then become common in their descendants due to inbreeding within the founder population.&nbsp;



Despite the fact that founder events can have profound effects on the genetic diversity, fitness and disease risk of populations, not much is known about the timing, intensity or frequency of these events, or how they have shaped the evolution of the species. This type of evolution is not driven by natural selection, where the individuals with the best adapted genes survive and pass on these genes. Instead, founder events give rise to genetically different populations through the survival of a small group of individuals that become the sole founders of a new population with a drastically reduced genetic diversity.&nbsp;



New research has now led to the development of a method that uses genomic analysis to estimate the timing and intensity of founder events in populations of humans and other species. The method, known as ASCEND, involves the analysis of genome-wide patterns of allele sharing between individuals, particularly in isolated populations. The authors, Rémi Tournebize and Priya Moorjani of the UC Berkeley, have developed and applied this method to study global patterns of founder events in recent human history, as well as to assess the evidence for founder events in the history of 40 modern dog breeds.&nbsp;



There are many instances in human history where founder populations have arrived and settled at new locations. For example, the first settlers in Finland arrived some 9,000 years ago and then remained largely geographically isolated, and populations of Romani people migrated to live in Europe and parts of the Americas, forming founding groups in their new homelands. Some groups remain genetically isolated through cultural and religious practices, such as the Ashkenazi Jews and the Amish, who tend to marry within the group.



In the current study, the authors compared the shared alleles in the genomes of 2,310 individuals from 184 different population groups from around the world. They considered a minimum of 5 individuals from each population group and excluded individuals that were closely related. The results, published today in the open access journal&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/">PLOS Genetics</a>, showed that 61 percent of the population groups considered (113 out of 184) showed genetic evidence of a founder event that had occurred within the past 200 generations.&nbsp;



These findings indicate that a majority of the populations considered have arisen from the genetic input of a small group of ancestors at some time in the recent past. The most extreme founder event was observed in the Onge population from the Andaman Islands, which showed a 10-times greater founder effect than has been found in the Ashkenazi Jews. The Onge are a demographically small and historically isolated population that currently consists of only around 100 individuals.&nbsp;



The researchers found that the highest frequency of founder events occurred in populations from the Oceania region (80 percent out of five groups) and from the Americas (78 percent of nine groups studied). The lowest frequency of founder events was recorded in populations from Europe (38 percent of 30 populations considered).&nbsp;



Furthermore, island populations have experienced more extreme founder events than continental populations, and people with hunter-gatherer or nomadic lifestyles, along with indigenous groups, are also more likely to show genetic evidence of significant founder events in their histories. Analysis of seven Native American groups from Central and South America also showed evidence of significant recent founder events, estimated to be dated to between 200 and 500 years ago, and postdating the European colonization of the Americas.



When the researchers applied their ASCEND technique to the genomes of 52 populations of dogs, representing 40 unique breeds, they found that all of the groups showed evidence of significant founder events within the past 25 generations (75–125 years ago). Unlike the case with human founder events associated with settlement, migration and cultural or religious traditions, dog genomes reflect the influence of dog breeding, a practice that began during Victorian times. Reductions in genetic diversity in dog breeds are likely to be related to inbreeding and the use of a few highly prized males to sire numerous offspring.



Some of the strongest founder events were identified in the boxer and bulldog breeds. These breeds were intensively bred as working dogs, and later as companions. They are known to suffer from high rates of recessive diseases, most likely as a consequence of founder events and subsequent inbreeding in their past histories.



The authors hope that using the new ASCEND analysis technique will help scientists to identify groups that experienced strong founder events and that may consequently be at greater risk of certain genetic diseases. Ashkenazi Jews and Finns, who experienced strong founder events, often undergo genetic screening to learn about their pre-disposition to certain genetic diseases. The current study found that several populations among Native Americans, Oceanians, and South Asians have experienced even more extreme founder events than Ashkenazi Jews, and so these populations may also benefit from genetic screening.



“Some human populations like Ashkenazi Jews or Finns have been extensively studied in population genetics and have helped researchers identify many disease-causing mutations," said the researchers. "Hence, we wanted to study if other populations have a similar history that could enable further progress in medical genetics. We were surprised to see how widespread the history of founder events is in humans, both in present-day and ancient DNA samples, suggesting that investigation of disease-causing variants will be fruitful to identify and reduce disease burden among contemporary groups.”



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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

Human genomes reveal the history of past founder events

When a small group of individuals separates from a larger...

All living creatures get older and ultimately die. However, according to <a href="https://www.sdu.dk/en">University of Southern Denmark</a> researchers, not all organisms age at the same rate. They found that many turtle and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-tortoise-believed-extinct-found-in-the-galapagos/">tortoise</a> species are able to slow down their senescence significantly and, in some cases, nearly turn it off.



Fernando Colchero, Dalia Conde, and Rita da Silva studied 52 turtle and tortoise species and discovered that 75 percent have a very slow rate of senescence. Compared to humans, 80 percent of these long-living species have a slower rate of senescence.&nbsp;



The experts found that the senescence rates of the Aldaba giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) can reach as low as zero, and the black marsh turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) can reduce their rate of aging to below zero. For the black marsh turtle, this means that the risk of death is reduced as the animal ages.&nbsp;



Moreover, the study authors discovered that the animals have flexible senescence rates. When captive animals were presented with improved living conditions, these adaptable creatures were able to reduce their aging rate.&nbsp;



This flexibility does not apply to humans, as research on humans and non-human primates has shown better living conditions don’t significantly reduce the rate of aging.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Although the researchers are not sure why turtles and tortoises age less rapidly, there are theories suggesting it has something to do with growth after sexual maturity. One theory assumes that as the body prepares for reproduction, more energy is diverted into that function, and the matured body begins to deteriorate as a result. Based on this theory, there is no avoiding the aging process.



However, animal species that continue to grow after sexual maturity, including turtles and tortoises, may function differently. Some scientists think that since these species continue to grow after their reproductive years arrive, they can keep investing energy into cell repair, thereby avoiding the damaging effects of aging. 



The researchers made it clear that they are not calling turtles and tortoises immortal. They noted that these animals will eventually succumb to other causes of mortality, such as disease.



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

Turtles and tortoises can slow their rate of aging

All living creatures get older and ultimately die. However, according...

Vampyronassa rhodanica was a cephalopod, a member of the group that includes cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and the nautilus. V. rhodanica is also an ancient extinct relative of the more famous vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) which lives in deep, dark pockets of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/even-the-most-remote-oceans-are-polluted-with-microplastics/">ocean</a>, rarely seen by human eyes.&nbsp;



Now, researchers have analyzed the fossilized remains of V. rhodanica. The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, looks at the extinct squid's tentacles, which evolved for active hunting, unlike its extant relative.



Until now, little has been known about the body - much less the life history - of V. rhodanica. Unlike bodies with hard skeletons, the fossilized remains of cephalopods (besides those with shells) are hard to find.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Alison Rowe led a research team to analyze a rare, well-preserved V. rhodanica fossil from the La Voulte-sur-Rhône (Ardèche, France). The 10-centimeter specimen, which was 164 million years old, had a classic squid shape. The scientists used non-invasive 3D imaging to look more closely at the fossil.&nbsp;



The researchers found that V. rhodanica had similar suckers to the living vampire squid, in that both lack teeth in their suckers. However, modern vampire squids lack robust suckers on the end of their specialized long dorsal arms, which V. rhodanica clearly had.



The scientists hypothesize that these suckers were used like modern suckers - to create a watertight seal to grab and hold prey firmly in the tentacles. Because of these suckers, as well as sensory appendages used for detecting prey, the research team thinks this was an active predator.



By contrast, the modern vampire squid has evolved to a slow moving life deep in the dark, cold ocean where little oxygen is available. During their sedentary lives, vampire squids simply grab whatever food floats their way, making them more opportunistic in nature than their extinct relatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



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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

Ancient squid had suckers for actively hunting prey

Vampyronassa rhodanica was a cephalopod, a member of the group...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> has found that prehistoric megatooth sharks – the largest sharks that ever lived, including the famous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/megalodons-grew-larger-in-cold-water/">Megalodon</a> – were apex predators at the highest level ever measured. According to the experts, these massive creatures that evolved after the dinosaurs went extinct and ruled the world’s seas and oceans until three million years ago fed even upon other predators and predators-of-predators, in a highly intricate food web.



“We’re used to thinking of the largest species - blue whales, whale sharks, even elephants and diplodocuses - as filter feeders or herbivores, not predators,”&nbsp;said study lead author Emma Kast, a former doctoral student at Princeton and currently a postdoctoral fellow in Geography, Geology, and Geophysics at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>. “But Megalodon and the other megatooth sharks were genuinely enormous carnivores that ate other predators, and Meg went extinct only a few million years ago.”



To reach this conclusion, Dr. Kast and her colleagues used a novel technique to measure the nitrogen isotopes in the sharks’ teeth. The level of a specific isotope (nitrogen-15) can be used to reliably assess an animals’ position in the trophic chain. While other researchers have managed to employ this method on creatures from the recent past (up to 15 thousand years ago), in older animals there has generally not been enough nitrogen left to measure. Luckily, the enormous size and abundance of teeth of Megalodons and their relatives helped scientists find sufficient nitrogen traces to be able to clarify these creatures’ position in the food web.



“Teeth are designed to be chemically and physically resistant so they can survive in the very chemically reactive environment of the mouth&nbsp;and break apart food that can have hard parts,” explained study senior author Daniel Sigman, a professor of Geological and Geophysical Sciences at Princeton. Moreover, since sharks are constantly growing and losing teeth, they each produce thousands of teeth over their lifetime. “When you look in the geologic record, one of the most abundant fossil types are shark teeth,” Sigman added. “And within the teeth, there is a tiny amount of organic matter that was used to build the enamel of the teeth - and is now trapped within that enamel.”&nbsp;



By measuring nitrogen isotope levels in this organic matter, Sigman and his team found that megatooth sharks occupied a higher trophic level than is known for any extinct or extant marine species. “Ocean food webs do tend to be longer than the grass-deer-wolf food chain of land animals, because you start with such small organisms. To reach the trophic levels we’re measuring in these megatooth sharks, we don’t just need to add one trophic level - one apex predator on top of the marine food chain - we need to add several onto the top of the modern marine food web,” Dr. Kast concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl6529?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D49172270223902357213481499257602856343%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1655978988&amp;_ga=2.140267444.64815737.1655711280-2046344334.1629960599">Science Advances</a>.&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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prehistoric megatooth sharks were apex predators

A new study led by Princeton University has found that...

In the past, people removed large pieces of wood from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-is-the-climate-impacting-aquatic-life-in-mountain-streams/">streams</a> because they preferred the aesthetics of the pristine rivers depicted by European colonists. Ivan Arismendi is an associate professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>. He explained some of the other reasons that people had for eliminating log jams.&nbsp;



“There is a lot of cultural legacy there, with log jams areas seen as places that increased flood risk, impeded navigation and transport, and accumulated debris," said Professor Arismendi.



However, this idea began to change in the 1980s when biologists realized that these “log jams” enhanced fish habitat. Land managers developed programs to undo past damage, and logs were purposefully put back into streams.&nbsp;



A team of researchers at OSU was curious to know how the presence of wood in streams may affect land-dwelling creatures. To explore this question, Ezmie Trevarrow and Ivan Arismendi set up 13 motion-activated cameras near large log jams near Corvallis, Oregon, between July 2020 and June 2021.



The experts observed 40 species, including mule deer, raccoons, belted kingfishers, and American robins. They also observed one golden eagle, which is a rare find in the region.&nbsp;



Most (68%) of the activity around the log jam consisted of movement, but animals also used the area to rest (18%) and to eat and handle their food (9%). The team observed some spectacular activities, including one brave little deer mouse who used a log to cross the creek during high flow - even though water covered the log.



The study areas were used mainly in the spring, fall and summer, but there was activity in the winter as well. This finding suggests that log jams serve as year-round highways for wildlife in the area.&nbsp;



“This study reveals a hidden role of large wood in streams. The findings are valuable for land managers because they demonstrate additional value of restoration projects that involve wood placement into streams," said Trevarrow.



​​Professor Arismendi is looking forward to gathering more data. This summer, he will set up 30 cameras in Oregon State’s H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Cascades Mountains. “This is the beginning of looking into this topic more in-depth. I think there is a lot to unpack about the role of log jams in rivers.”



This study was recently published in <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10531?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiNwpoLOgeGKULrNVOsA_KsgM340-jigtBuy21lXvzN94Exosq40JCoaAjbfEALw_wcB">Biodiversity and Conservation</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

Log jams provide year-round "highways" for wildlife

In the past, people removed large pieces of wood from...

They say that no man is an island, but to the tiny mites that inhabit our skin, we are the island of their dreams. These microscopic mites (Demodex folliculorum) live in the pores and hair follicles on the face, including the eyelashes, and the nipples of almost every human being. They are only around 0.3mm long and are passed on to us at birth. From then on, they live in our pores, feed on the sebum that is naturally produced in the cells of the pores, and reproduce on our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-craft-living-human-skin-on-a-robotic-finger/">skin</a> in the darkness of night.&nbsp;



A new study, led by researchers from the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a> has found that life for the mites living on a person’s face is not all roses, however. Their isolated existence results in inbreeding during the lifetime of the host person, which leads to the loss of genes and cells in the parasites. In the study, D. folliculorum&nbsp;genomes were studied for the first time ever, and the results showed that the mites are becoming so simple, genetically and anatomically, that they can be considered in transition from external parasites to internal symbionts.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We found these mites have a different arrangement of body part genes to other similar species due to them adapting to a sheltered life inside pores. These changes to their DNA have resulted in some unusual body features and behaviors," explained Dr. Alejandra Perotti, who co-led the research.



The study of the D. folliculorum DNA, published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe">Molecular Biology and Evolution</a>, makes the following fascinating (and bizarre) findings&nbsp;concerning the mites:



<ul><li>Due to their isolated existence on a single person’s face and nipples, with no exposure to external threats, no competition to infest hosts and no encounters with other mites with different genes, the mites have experienced genetic reduction. This has caused them to become extremely simple organisms, with tiny legs, each powered by just three single-cell muscles. They survive with the minimum repertoire of proteins – the lowest number ever seen in this and related species.</li><li>This gene reduction is the reason for their nocturnal behavior too. The mites lack UV protection and have lost the gene that causes animals wake up when it is daytime. They have also been left unable to produce melatonin – a compound that makes small invertebrates active at night. However, they are able to fuel their all-night mating sessions using the melatonin secreted by human skin at dusk.</li><li>Their unique gene arrangement also results in the mites’ unusual mating habits. Their reproductive organs have moved anteriorly, and males have a penis that protrudes upwards from the front of their body meaning they have to position themselves underneath the female when mating, and copulate as they both cling onto the human hair.</li><li>One of their genes has been inverted, giving them a particular arrangement of mouth-appendages that stick out and enable them to feed. This aids their survival when they are young.</li><li>The mites have many more cells when they are young than they do as adults. This contradicts the previous assumption that parasitic animals reduce their cell numbers early in development. The researchers argue this is the first step towards the mites becoming symbiotic inhabitants within the cells of the skin.</li><li>The lack of exposure to potential mates that could add variety to their gene pool means that the mites may well be on course for an evolutionary dead end, and potential extinction. This has been observed in bacteria that live inside cells before, but never in an animal.</li><li>Some researchers had assumed the mites do not have an anus and therefore must accumulate all their feces through their lifetimes before releasing it when they die, causing skin inflammation. The new study, however, confirmed they do have anuses and so have been unfairly blamed for many skin conditions.</li></ul>



Research collaborators from the University of Valencia, University of Vienna and National University of San Juan also contributed to the study.



Dr Henk Braig, co-lead author from Bangor University and the National University of San Juan, said: “Mites have been blamed for a lot of things. The long association with humans might suggest that they also could have simple but important beneficial roles, for example, in keeping the pores in our face unplugged.”



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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

Parasitic mites that live on our faces have simplified genetically

They say that no man is an island, but to...

Elephants,In,Chiang,Mai.,Elephant,Nature,Park,,Thailand

As natural environments become increasingly fragmented, the potential for human-wildlife interaction is increasing. Now, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/leaving-trees-standing-could-reduce-climate-consequences/">climate change</a> is also likely to significantly contribute to this problem. By using a risk framework that incorporated different possible scenarios, the experts have examined how the risk of human-elephant conflict could change over time in Thailand.



When humans encroach on natural landscapes, the chances of interacting with wildlife increase. Conflicts can arise when wild animals harm crops or livestock, or when human activities damage animal habitats. For instance, forest edges are highly attractive areas for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-give-birth-and-then-keep-it-moving/">elephants</a> searching for food, which can often bring them into contact with farmers and mature crops.



“In Thailand, half of the country’s population live in rural areas and rely on agriculture,” said study lead author Nuntikorn Kitratporn, a PhD student at the University of Tokyo. “Thailand also has about three to four thousand wild elephants and deforestation and the growth of commercial agriculture have pushed elephants into increasingly fragmented patches of habitat, increasing the chance of interactions between humans and elephants.”



According to Kitraporn and his colleagues, climate change is increasing the chance of human-elephant encounters, as shifting environmental conditions lead to changes in the behavior and distribution of elephants. By using a risk assessment framework, combined with data on the recent spatial distribution of human-elephant conflict (2000-2019) in Thailand, the scientists investigated how these conflicts may develop in the near future (2024-2044), under different scenarios of future climate and socioeconomic conditions.



“We found a spatial shift in risk toward northern areas and higher latitudes,” said Kitratporn. “In other areas, habitat is likely to become less suitable over time, which could first increase and gradually decrease the risk of interactions.” Moreover, the risk of human-elephant conflicts was predicted to increase from increased frequency of droughts.



Better understanding how human-wildlife interactions may change in the future is crucial for long-term planning. “Our results highlight geographically explicit strategies to support long-term planning of conservation resources. Areas with increasing future risk are currently facing low conflict; hence it is recommended that future strategies should enhance adaptive capacity and coexistence awareness. Conversely, areas with lowering future risk from a decrease in habitat quality are recommended to identify buffer strategies around protected areas to support existing large elephant populations,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155174">Science of the Total Environment</a>.&nbsp;



---



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;

Human-elephant conflicts may increase with climate change

As natural environments become increasingly fragmented, the potential for human-wildlife...

Modern dwarf crocodiles living in Africa today reach maximum lengths of only four to five feet. A new discovery found an extinct "giant" form of two dwarf crocodiles that grew up to 12 feet in length when they lived some 15 to 18 million years ago.&nbsp;



The part of Africa where these giant dwarves were found is also the site of many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-humans-born-with-a-moral-compass/">human</a> fossils - the East African Rift Valley. Previous research in these areas has found early human ancestors with their bones scarred by apparent crocodile tooth marks.&nbsp;



The scientists suspect the new species of crocodiles (known as Kinyang mabokoensis and K. tchernovi) actually ate our ancestors. These crocs had nostrils facing forward instead of straight upward like modern crocodiles, suggesting they spent more time in the forests of the area than in the water - a place they could encounter fragile bipedal apes.&nbsp;



Study co-author Christopher Brochu is a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/">University of Iowa</a> who has many years of experience working with extinct and living crocodilians.



"These were the biggest predators our ancestors faced," said Professor Brochu. "They were opportunistic predators, just as crocodiles are today. It would have been downright perilous for ancient humans to head down to the river for a drink."



The two species of Kinyang lived in a time when their region of Africa was covered in thick forest but both went extinct around 15 million years ago, the question is why? Brochu suspects that the reason might be climactic. This part of Africa today is much drier than the environment Kinyang lived in. With less rain, the place mat have become inhospitable to this strange crocodilian.&nbsp;



"Modern dwarf crocodiles are found exclusively in forested wetlands," said Professor Brochu. "Loss of habitat may have prompted a major change in the crocodiles found in the area. These same environmental changes have been linked to the rise of the larger bipedal primates that gave rise to modern humans."



So it goes, a change in environment always seems to favor one lineage and disfavor another, this is the raw material which evolution uses to shape and reshape our planet.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19328494">The Anatomical Record</a>.



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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

Dwarf crocodiles once hunted human ancestors

Modern dwarf crocodiles living in Africa today reach maximum lengths...

Last year, a team of volunteers, farmers, researchers, and various organizations conducted the first national survey of UK turtle doves in decades. The study revealed that there are just 2,100 pairs of turtle doves that currently breed in the UK.



Turtle doves are the only long-distance migratory dove species in Europe, making annual trips to and from Africa. The survey shows that the species is now concentrated in southeastern and eastern England as far north as Yorkshire.



The new estimate represents a 98 percent decline in the turtle dove population since the 1970s, when there was an estimated 125,000 pairs of the small pigeons. Despite this alarming discovery, the <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/">RSPB Wildlife Charity</a> says there is still hope for turtle doves.



For example, Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership of conservation organizations which aims to restore breeding habitat for turtle doves in the UK. This team is advising land managers to create the scrub and tall hedges that turtle doves need for nesting. The birds generally only eat seeds such as the small seeds of various legumes – plants that are disappearing from the countryside.



“In the ’70s, there were records of flocks of over 500 birds, and the UK population was estimated at 125,000 pairs," said Andrew Stanbury, a conservation scientist with the RSPB.



“Although these results paint a stark picture with numbers, the way forward is clear and we stand a good chance of turning around the fortunes of this bird. We hope that the 2021 survey will represent the lowest population point.”



According to RPSB, it is imperative that new agri-environmental schemes in England, which are replacing EU payments for farming after Brexit, continue to support farmers who implement wildlife-friendly measures on their land.



Beyond habitat loss, turtle doves are also threatened by unsustainable hunting practices. Until recently, an estimated one million birds were shot each year in southwest Europe, including migratory birds like turtle doves. However, hunting of turtle doves was outlawed in France, Spain and Portugal in 2021.



“The fact that no hunting is currently permitted on the western European flyway provides us with a huge window of opportunity to reverse the decline in arguably one of England’s most threatened bird species," said Phil Grice, principal specialist for ornithology at Government conservation agency Natural England.



“Providing good nesting habitat, in the form of tall hedges and mature scrub, and abundant seed resources throughout the late spring and summer will be vital.”



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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

Turtle doves have declined by 98 percent in the UK

Last year, a team of volunteers, farmers, researchers, and various...

Koalas are threatened by habitat loss, climate change and diseases, including the Koala retrovirus (KoRV). This virus is known to cause serious illness in koalas, such as cancer, and is now becoming established as an endogenous retrovirus (ERV) within the population.



In a new study from <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a>, researchers have discovered more about retroviral establishment among koalas. By analyzing the koala genome, the experts have found new ERV lineages beyond the Koala retrovirus.



"Retroviruses have left their legacy in host genomes over millions of years as endogenous retroviruses, and their structure, diversity, and prevalence provide insights into the historical dynamics of retrovirus–host interactions. In bioinformatic analyses of koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) whole-genome sequences, we identify a recently expanded ERV lineage (phaCin-β) that is related to the New World squirrel monkey retrovirus," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"This ERV expansion shares many parallels with the ongoing koala retrovirus (KoRV) invasion of the koala genome, including highly similar and mostly intact sequences, and polymorphic ERV loci in the sampled koala population."



According to study lead author Mette Lillie, many of the new ERVs are only found in a few koala individuals, which indicates that they are relatively new. "It may even indicate an ongoing establishment in the population."



After looking at the distribution pattern of ERVs in the koala population and comparing how their lineages differ, the researchers concluded that additional active retroviruses may be discovered in koalas and other animal species that share the same environment. The findings may ultimately help in the search for retroviruses in Australian fauna that have not yet been identified.



"The ERVs that have been left behind after retrovirus infections in the past now make it possible to uncover historical interactions between retroviruses and animal species, such as mapping how virus transmission has taken place," said study co-cuthor Patric Jern. "Variations in ERV distribution patterns within host populations can also be valuable as genomic markers, for example in management and protection of endangered species.'



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

New retroviruses have been found in koalas

Koalas are threatened by habitat loss, climate change and diseases,...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> (OSU) has found that frog-eating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-play-an-active-role-in-plant-pollination/">bats</a> trained by scientists to associate a phone ringtone with a tasty food reward were able to remember what they learned for up to four years in the wild. While many previous studies have documented long-term memory in a wide range of animals living in captivity – including sea lions, tortoises, dolphins, birds, and primates – this is one of the first attempts to investigate how memory functions in animals living in the wild.



“Being able to study memory in the wild is important,” said study co-author&nbsp;Gerald Carter, an assistant professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at OSU. “You can’t necessarily extrapolate from the wealth of data we have on animals in the lab to what they’re facing in the wild, where there are many more things they have to remember. The environment is different and the brain is different in the wild versus captivity.”



The scientists acquainted 49 bats with a series of phone ringtones which attracted their attention, and trained them to associate flying toward just one of these tones with receiving a baitfish reward. Afterwards, all bats were microchipped and returned to the wild. Between one and four years later, eight of these bats were recaptured and exposed again to the reward-related ringtone. While all of them flew toward the sound, six flew all the way to the speaker and immediately grabbed the reward, suggesting that they expected to find food when primed with the familiar ringtone. By contrast, control bats without previous training to recognize the tones, mostly twitched their ears in response to the sounds, but did not fly toward their source.



“I was surprised – I went into this thinking that at least a year would be a reasonable time for them to remember, given all the other things they need to know and given that long-term memory does have real costs. Four years strikes me as a long time to hold on to a sound that you might never hear again,” said study lead author May Dixon, a postdoctoral researcher in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at OSU.



“The study taught us a lot because there are relatively few studies of long-term memory in wild animals and we don’t have systematic understanding of long-term memories in nature yet. If we can collect additional data on different species of bats, we could pick this apart and see what life histories select for long memories.”



Since previous studies have shown that, in other animal species such as the fruit fly, long-term memory is actually detrimental, further research is needed to clarify whether these skills are an asset or a liability for wild frog-eating bats.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.031">Current Biology</a>.



Image Credit: Marcos Guerra



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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;

Frog-eating bats have a long-term memory

A team of researchers led by the Ohio State University...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.yorku.ca/">York University</a> in Canada has discovered that the local environment plays a crucial role in the health and diversity of the gut microbiome of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-bees-struggle-to-recover-after-extreme-weather-events/">wild bees</a>. These findings could help detect invisible stressors and early indicators of potential threats for wild bee populations. Moreover, establishing a baseline of what a healthy microbiome looks like in wild bees will allow scientists to compare species across populations and continents, and better understand how diseases and harmful microbiota are introduced and transmitted.



“We can really dissect bee health in a very systematic way looking at population genetics and parasite pathogen loads, healthy microbiomes, and deviations,” said study corresponding author Sandra Rehan, an expert in Wild Bee Genomics, Environment, and Conservation at York. “The long-term goal is really to be able to use these tools in order to detect early signatures of stress and habitats in need of restoration or conservation. To develop it almost like a diagnostic tool for bee health.”



By using metagenomic analyses, the scientists sequenced the genomes of three species of carpenter bees (a type of wild bee) in North America, Australia, and Asia to shed more light on these bees’ microbiomes, diet and viral load, and environmental DNA.



Unlike species of social bees such as bumblebees or honeybees, solitary bees get their microbiome – which is crucial for their health – from the environment in which they live and forage for food, instead of inheriting it from their nest mates. “This may make them better bio-indicators as they are much more sensitive to their environment,” Professor Rehan explained.



The researchers found beneficial bacteria that helped with metabolic and genetic functions in all three carpenter bee species, including, for instance, a species of Lactobacillus – a bacterium which is found across most bee lineages, and protects against prevalent fungal pathogens, boosts the immune system, and facilitates nutrient uptake. However, in a previous <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/edn3.291">study</a>, Professor Rehan discovered that adult carpenter bees living in cities lacked this beneficial microbe.&nbsp;



“This raises red flags,” she said. “We are continuing those studies to look at more nuanced urban, rural comparisons, and long-term data to really understand these environmental stressors. Anytime we characterize a microbiome and see deviations from what we know to be normal, it can give us an indication of a population or species in threat.”



In future research, the scientists aim to investigate and compare the microbiomes of a larger variety of wild bee species. “The long-term goal is really to be able to use these tools to detect early signatures of stress in wild bees and thereby identify habitats in need of restoration or preservation. We are excited to be building the tools for a new era of wild bee research and conservation,” Professor Rehan concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03535-1">Nature Communications Biology</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;

Clues to bee health found in their gut microbiome

A new study led by York University in Canada has...

Worsening environmental pressures due to climate change, such as sea temperature rises, are causing catastrophic losses of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corals-need-our-help-to-survive-global-warming/">corals</a> all over the world. As the waters of the Great Barrier Reef (the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem) warm, subtropical corals are migrating south in search of cooler waters. Sydney’s coastline has recently become home to a new subtropical species of coral (Pocillopora aliciae), raising the question whether this place could become a refuge for corals displaced by climate change.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/">University of Technology Sydney</a> (UTS) has analyzed the metabolism of these new corals under current and future warming scenarios, and found that these invading subtropical corals will survive and thrive in their new habitat. However, the experts argue that warming could pose significant problems for the native Sydney coral species.&nbsp;



“While we found these corals possess the machinery to withstand large changes in temperature, those temperatures could kill the existing corals in Sydney. This is incredibly important when we consider the future of Sydney’s precious ecosystems,”&nbsp;said study senior author Jennifer Matthews, a coral biologist at UTS.



“The ecological services and economic revenue of the Sydney marine environment make it a very valuable ecosystem, but it is under continuous threat from climate change and urbanization, causing increased stormwater inflows and habitat modification.”



However, according to study co-author Brigitte Sommer (a marine ecologist at UTS), increasing the biodiversity and complexity of Sydney’s marine ecosystems could bring significant benefits, by turning this region into a refuge for reef fish, coral crabs, and potentially other coral species.



“Determining which coral species will be able to migrate poleward in warming seas and how they will interact with local species is critical so we can protect these dynamic ecosystems into the future,”&nbsp;she explained.



“We are continuing to examine how corals can live and breed in temperate, or suboptimal, environments, and how we might use this knowledge to help us to protect Australia’s reefs into the future,” concluded Dr. Matthews.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-022-02277-0">Coral Reef</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;

How will climate change affect Sydney’s coral reefs?

Worsening environmental pressures due to climate change, such as sea...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-increases-the-risk-of-armed-conflict/">climate change</a> advances, many animal species are shifting the timing of major life events, such as reproduction. For instance, with earlier spring thaws, many types of flowers bloom earlier. However, it is not yet clear whether such significant changes in life history will ultimately help various species adapt and survive, or lead to larger problems instead.&nbsp;



A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> (UW) has investigated for the first time the effect of life history changes driven by climate change on a species of large carnivore – the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), a species distantly related to wolves which raise their young cooperatively in packs.



By analyzing field observations and demographic data from 1989 to 2020 on African wild dog populations, the scientists found that, over a three-decade period, the animals shifted their average birthing dates later by 22 days – an adaptation which allows them to match the birth of new offspring with the coolest temperatures in early winter.&nbsp;



“Although most animal species are advancing their life history events earlier in the year with climate change, this finding represents a rare instance of a species delaying its life history, and at a rate twice as high as the average rate of change observed across animal species”, said Jeremy Cohen, a macroecologist at <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>, who was not involved in the study.



However, this significant shift leads to fewer pups surviving their most vulnerable, post-birth “denning period,” due to rapid temperature increases. Thus, this species – which is already threatened by habitat loss, disease, and conflicts with humans - seems to be caught in a “phenological trap,” in which changes in the timing of major life events ultimately proves maladaptive due to unprecedented environmental conditions such as climate change.



&nbsp;“Large predators play extraordinarily important roles in ecosystems, but we still have a lot to learn about the implications of climate change for these animals,” said study lead author Briana Abrahms, an assistant professor of Biology at UW. “Big climate-driven shifts like the one we found may be more widespread in top predators than originally thought, so we hope our findings will spur new climate-change research on other predator populations around the planet.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121667119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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;

Top predators trapped by trying to adapt to climate change

As climate change advances, many animal species are shifting the...

Vegetation is declining along the migration routes of elephants in Namibia, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.uef.fi/en">University of Eastern Finland</a>. Human development creates obstacles such as fences that disrupt the movement of wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-different-types-of-animals-see/">animals</a>, which intensifies the loss of vegetation cover.&nbsp;



"Human-wildlife conflict in the Zambezi region of northeast Namibia is well documented, but the impact of wildlife (e.g., elephants) on vegetation cover change has not been adequately addressed. Here, we assessed human-wildlife interaction and impact on vegetation cover change," wrote the researchers.&nbsp;



"Anthropogenic activities such as wood extraction and conversion of woodland and forests into small and large-scale farming have been a major contributor to land degradation across different geographical regions. In the tropics, particularly Africa and in Namibia, agricultural expansion, wood extraction, and infrastructure development are the key drivers of land degradation."



The team used remote sensing data, such as that collected by the MODIS satellite, to investigate how elephants and other large herbivorous mammals affect vegetation cover. The researchers also examined the effects of human activity on vegetation and the movements of wild animals.&nbsp;



The experts analyzed data from the Zambezi area in Namibia from 2002 to 2021. The results showed that vegetation cover is actually increasing in areas with intensive farming and cattle grazing.



There are about 12,000 elephants now living in the Zambezi area. This is compared to less than 1,500 individuals in 1989. The researchers found that the greatest declines in vegetation were in areas with larger elephant populations. The most affected areas were discovered along elephant migration routes in national parks and nature reserves.



“A deeper understanding of how wild animals affect the vegetation offers tools for improving the management of wild animals and natural resources,” said Professor Alfred Colpaert.



"The findings of this study will serve as a reference for policy and decision makers," wrote the researchers. "Future studies should consider integrating higher resolution multi-platform datasets for detailed micro analysis and mapping of vegetation cover change."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors">Sensors</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

Vegetation is vanishing along elephant migration routes

Vegetation is declining along the migration routes of elephants in...

Beautiful,Image,In,Nature,Of,Monarch,Butterfly,On,Lantana,Flower

Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are already causing an ongoing biodiversity crisis, leading to mass die-offs in coral reefs and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microscopic-fungi-help-forests-fight-climate-change/">forests</a>, altered species distributions and reproductive events, and a host of other negative effects. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> (UCL) and the <a href="https://www.uct.ac.za/">University of Cape Town</a> has found that, even if global temperatures begin to decline after peaking this century, the risks to biodiversity could persist for several decades after.&nbsp;



“We have investigated what will happen to global biodiversity if climate change is only brought under control after a temporary overshoot of the agreed target, to provide evidence that has long been missing from climate change research,” said study co-author Alex Pigot, an expert in Biodiversity and Global Change at UCL.



“We found that huge numbers of animal species will continue to endure unsafe conditions for decades after the global temperature peak. Even if we collectively manage to reverse global warming before species are irreversibly lost from ecosystems, the ecological disruption caused by unsafe temperatures could well persist for an additional half century or more. Urgent action is needed to ensure we never approach, let alone exceed, the 2°C limit.”



Dr. Pigot and his colleagues examined over 30,000 species all over the globe and discovered that, for more than one quarter of the locations studied, the probabilities of returning to pre-overshoot “normal” are uncertain or even non-existent. As climate change advances, many species will be rapidly exposed to unsafe temperatures and pushed beyond their thermal niche limits.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, the findings suggest that, even if deep carbon cuts and massive deployment of carbon dioxide removal technologies will stabilize the climate by the end of the century, the return of these species to conditions comfortably within their thermal niches will be gradual and will lag behind global warming declines, due to continually volatile climatic conditions within specific locations and lasting changes to ecosystems. Thus, the overshoot for biodiversity risks is estimated to last between 100 and 130 years – about twice as long as the actual temperature overshoot of about 60 years. Tropical regions will be the most affected, leading to massive biodiversity loss.



“Our study shows that should we find ourselves overshooting the 2°C global warming target, we could pay dearly in terms of loss of biodiversity, compromising the provision of the ecosystem services that we all rely on for our livelihoods. Avoiding a temperature overshoot should be a priority, followed by limiting the duration and magnitude of any overshoot,” said study co-author Joanne Bentley, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town.



“Our findings are stark,” concluded co-author Christopher Trisos, the director of the <a href="https://climaterisklab.com/">Climate Risk Lab</a> at the same university. “They should act as a wake-up call that delaying emissions cuts will mean a temperature overshoot that comes at an astronomical cost to nature and humans that unproven negative emission technologies cannot simply reverse.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2021.0394">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</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;

Biodiversity risks will persist long after temperatures peak

Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are already causing an...

A sovereign credit rating shows the risk of investing in a certain nation. For the first time ever, there is a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-biodiversity-affect-species-interactions/">biodiversity</a> adjusted sovereign credit rating. This rating aims at showing the cold financial impact caused by the loss of wildlife, including animals, plants, and fungi.



Loss of an abundance of beautiful wildlife is already set to cause sovereign downgrades. China and Indonesia seem to be moving towards a drop of two notches each by 2030 if they continue on their current courses.



It could be even worse. World Bank simulations show "partial ecosystem collapse" possible in many parts of the world. If this happens, it could mean major losses in fishes people eat, trees we cut down for timber and bees, birds and butterflies that pollinate our crops when they visit.&nbsp;



These losses would cause real hardship as well as financial declines. Overall, 26 of the nations studied could face a decline in this case, including drops in China of 6 notches and India slipping 4 notches on a 20-notch system.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Across the 26 countries that were found to have the greatest risks, the cost for these slips would be an estimated increase in interest payments of US$53 billion annually, causing a large risk of bankruptcy.



The economists who carried out their study point out that their calculations are conservative, counting only fisheries, lumber and pollination. In reality, an infinitude of other losses in nature have an impact as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The economic team from Cambridge, East Anglia, Sheffield Hallam, and SOAS University of London point out that investors ignoring nature cannot effectively calculate risk any more.&nbsp;



“It is not just the financiers that lose out,” said study lead author Dr .Matthew Agarwala from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>. “Increased sovereign risk sees markets demand higher risk premia, meaning governments – and, ultimately, tax payers – pay more to borrow.”



“As nature loss reduces economic performance, it will become harder for countries to service their debt, straining government budgets and forcing them to raise taxes, cut spending, or increase inflation. This will have grim consequences for ordinary people.”



The report was supported by the Finance for Biodiversity Initiative.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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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

Losing wildlife will be very costly for some countries

A sovereign credit rating shows the risk of investing in...

Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise. At the age of 190, he is the longest known living land animal in the world. Many people assume that tortoises and other ectotherms, also known as cold-blooded <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-different-types-of-animals-see/">animals</a>, live for a very long time. However, this idea is largely based on animals living in captivity and a small number of animals living in the wild. 



The research was lacking for large populations of wild ectotherms. So, an international team of 114 scientists led by <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a>m and Northeastern Illinois University worked to obtain data on wild ectotherms from around the world to find out if they are indeed long-living critters.&nbsp;



By working together, the scientists gathered information from 107 populations of 77 reptile and amphibian species. They found that the assumptions were correct. Turtles, crocodilians, and salamanders do have long life spans for their size. These animals also age more slowly than endotherms (warm-blooded animals).



Interestingly, the experts observed that animals with protective physical features age even slower, sometimes to the point of "negligible aging," which means that they don’t age biologically.



Study senior author David Miller explained that many people believe ectotherms age more slowly because they have a slower metabolism than endotherms.



“People tend to think, for example, that mice age quickly because they have high metabolisms, whereas turtles age slowly because they have low metabolisms.”&nbsp;



However, the study does not support this hypothesis. “We didn’t find support for the idea that a lower metabolic rate means ectotherms are aging slower. That relationship was only true for turtles, which suggests that turtles are unique among ectotherms," said Miller.



The results of the study support the protective phenotype hypothesis, suggesting that animals with physical or chemical defensive traits (i.e., venom, shell, armor, spines) age more slowly and live longer. Of course, having protective armor such as a shell will help an animal not get eaten and consequently live longer, but the researchers couldn’t determine the cause for the aging correlation.&nbsp;



“It could be that their altered morphology with hard shells provides protection and has contributed to the evolution of their life histories, including negligible aging – or lack of demographic aging – and exceptional longevity," said study co-author Anne Bronikowski.



The researchers are hopeful that this information can guide conservation efforts for this often overlooked group, many of which are threatened or endangered.&nbsp;



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



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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

Wild reptiles have long life spans for their size

Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise. At the age of...

An international team of paleontologists has recently discovered the oldest belly button known to science in a 125-million-year-old <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-of-the-dinosaurs-were-warm-blooded/">dinosaur</a> fossil found in China two decades ago. The fossil belongs to a member of the genus Psittacosaurus, a group of bipedal, horned dinosaurs which roamed the Earth during the Early Cretaceous period (about 145 to 100.5 million years ago).



By applying the Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) technique to a fossilized skin specimen of this two-meter-long herbivorous creature, the scientists observed a barely perceptible navel mark.&nbsp;



“Using LSF imaging, we identified distinctive scales that surrounded a long umbilical scar in the&nbsp;Psittacosaurus&nbsp;specimen, similar to certain living lizards and crocodiles,” explained study co-author Michael Pittmann, an assistant professor of Paleobiology at the <a href="https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/">Chinese University of Hong Kong</a> (CUHK). “We call this kind of scar a belly button, and it is smaller in humans. This specimen is the first dinosaur fossil to preserve a belly button, which is due to its exceptional state of preservation.”



Unlike humans and other mammals, dinosaurs did not have an umbilical cord, because they laid eggs. Instead, the yolk sac of dinosaurs was directly attached to their bodies through a slit-like opening that was also discovered in other egg-laying land animals. At the time the animals hatch, this opening seals up, leaving a distinctive long umbilical scar.&nbsp;Although scientists assumed for a long time that dinosaurs must have had such belly buttons, this study is the first to support this hypothesis with fossil evidence.



“This&nbsp;Psittacosaurus&nbsp;specimen is probably the most important fossil we have for studying dinosaur skin,” said study lead author Phil R. Bell, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of New England in Australia. “But it continues to yield surprises that we can bring to life with new technology like laser imaging.”



“Unlike most extant reptiles and birds that lose this scar within days to weeks after hatching, the umbilicus of&nbsp;Psittacosaurus&nbsp;persisted at least until sexual maturity, similar to some lizards and crocodylians with which it shares the closest morphological resemblance," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"This discovery is the oldest record of an amniote umbilicus and the first in a non-avian dinosaur. However, given the variability of this structure in extant reptilian analogues, a persistent umbilical scar may not have been present in all non-avian dinosaurs."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-022-01329-9">BMC Biology</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;

Oldest belly button known to science found in a dinosaur

An international team of paleontologists has recently discovered the oldest...

species in Rathouisiidae