New facts about Bats

New facts about bats are coming to light. A study by Margareta B Kalka, Adam R. Smit and Elisabeth K. V. Kalko has come up with the finding that bats have dramatic ecological effects that were previously overlooked. The experiment was done in a lowland tropical forest in Panama and concluded that bats eat as many insects at night as birds do during the day and disappearance of insect-eating bats in agricultural landscapes could have negative effects on crop cultivation. Kalka recommends “bats should be included in future conservation plans aimed at preserving the integrity of tropical forests and also considered in agricultural management strategies based on natural pest control". Margareta B. Kalka and Adam R. Smith are from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama. Elisabeth K. V. Kalko is from Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Germany.

Details of the work appear in the journal Science.

M.B. Kalka et al (2008). "Bats Limit Arthropods and Herbivory in a Tropical Forest" and K. Williams-Guillen et al (2008) "Bats Limit Insects in a Neotropical Agroforestry System." Science 4 April 2008.

Saving the Snow Leopard

Representatives from 12 Asian nations, China, Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, met in Beijing from March 9 – 11 to frame a multinational conservation plan to save the highly endangered snow leopard. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Institute of Zoology in partnership with Panthera Foundation, and co-sponsored by the Snow Leopard Trust and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). It has been described as a watershed event in the effort to save snow leopards. Several work sessions that sought specific results, which would be immediately applicable to preserving snow leopards across their central Asian range were organised. An estimated 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards live in the rugged mountaintops of central Asia. Dr George Schaller who did seminal studies on snow leopard made a fervent plea for their conservation. The conference drafted a vision statement for the next century.

The conference vision for Snow Leopards over the next century:
A world where snow leopards and their wild prey thrive in healthy mountain ecosystems across all major ecological settings of their entire range, and where snow leopards are revered as unique ecological, economic, and spiritual assets.

Love rites of Amazon River Dolphin

Now this is awesome. Just when we thought we knew everything out come surprises. A group of British and Brazilian researchers have found out that South American river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) uses branches, weeds and lumps of clay to woo the opposite sex and frighten off rivals. They would slowly come up above the surface of water in a vertical posture holding this stuff in their mouths. Details appear in the journal Biology Letters.

The Amazon River dolphin can be found in the Amazon River system as well as the Orinoco River system flowing throughout South America, mainly in the countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana and Peru. Adults grow to 2.5 metres and weigh 150 kilos. The dolphin eats crabs, shrimps, and sometimes even turtles and catfish.

Amazing Elephant Facts on BBC

Did you know that elephants could store water for an emergency? For me it was new info. Amazing. Now read on.

A BBC team has filmed elephants spraying themselves with water that they had stored in a reservoir in their throats several hours earlier, to escape extreme heat. The reservoir is the pharyngeal pouch just behind the tongue. They sprayed it on to the outside of the ear that was facing the wind to cool down. The footage was recorded in Namibia. Martyn Colbeck is the cameraman. The desert elephant has adapted to go up to five days without drinking.

Trigger for bird songs discovered

Scientists from the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh and Nagoya University in Japan have identified the trigger for bird songs prior to mating. They have unravelled how part of a bird's brain is affected by seasons. They have discovered that genes in cells on the surface of the brain were switched on when the birds received more light. Pituitary gland releases a hormone in the spring in readiness for mating. This is fantastic research output unthinkable till a few years back. Researchers used a genome chip, known as a microarray, to scan 28,000 genes from the Japanese quail to arrive at the fascinating findings. As science advances, the peek in to the mysteries of nature is becoming increasingly easier.

Tunisia - Scimitar Horned Oryx to be reintroduced

Scimitar Horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) have been extinct in Tunisia since the late 1970s. Efforts are on to release Oryx from American and European zoos back to the wild in Tunisia. The Oryx are currently being held in a 20,000-acre fenced area in Dghoumes National Park. Once a sustainable population has been established, possibly ten years from now they will be released in to the wild. The efforts were initiated at the request of Tunisia to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the Secretariat for the Convention on Migratory Species. For more information about this animal click here

Encyclopedia of Life.

The path-breaking project “Encyclopedia of Life” has just added the first 30,000 species pages (1/60th of the total recorded species), including 25 pages that are examples of what the site will include in the future. The project aims at gathering accurate and detailed information on the earth's known 1.8 million species and each will have its own web page. Macarthur Foundation provided the grant to start the project and the site was initially launched in May 2007. Experts in the field will evaluate all the information before publication. This will be a comprehensive database. Jim Edwards is the Executive Director of Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) the most ambitious project ever undertaken.

Dolphins and Whales 3D

The secret world of bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, and 10 other cetacean species have been graphically described in the new IMAX film “Dolphins and Whales 3D”. Produced by François Mantello. The film has some stunning underwater footage. Narrator Daryl Hannah does a terrific job. All the sequences were shot under water. None of the animals shown in the film were trained or captive. The wonderful film inspires people to take action to conserve the ocean.

Jack rabbits living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem disappear

A new study by Wildlife Conservation Society has found that jack rabbits living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have disappeared. According to the study's lead author, Dr. Joel Berger, a Wildlife Conservation Society conservationist, and professor at the University of Montana, no one knows what caused the rabbits to disappear. Dr. Berger believes that the absence of jack rabbits may be causing elevated predation by coyotes on juvenile elk, pronghorn and other ungulates. Dr Berger recommends reintroduction and believes reintroduction may result in the establishment of dynamic ecological processes that were intact before rabbits vanished from the ecosystem. The details of the study appears in the journal Oryx

Aerospace engineers look at birds, bats and insects for improved military aircrafts

University of Michigan engineers are studying birds, bats and insects as a step toward designing flapping-wing planes with small wingspans. Scientists say a Blackbird jet flying nearly 2,000 miles per hour covers 32 body lengths per second. But a common pigeon flying at 50 miles per hour covers 75. The roll rate of the aerobatic A-4 Skyhawk plane is about 720 degrees per second. The roll rate of a barn swallow exceeds 5,000 degrees per second. While military aircraft can withstand gravitational forces of 8-10 G, birds routinely experience positive G-forces up to 14 G. The birds also have outstanding capabilities to remain airborne through wind gusts, rain, and snow. Exciting prospects are in store for the future of military aviation.

DNA barcoding developed for plants

Scientists have developed a barcode that can distinguish majority of the plant species. A small gene, gene matK located in the chloroplast of the plant, is the key to the bardode. DNA barcoding is already a well-established technique in animals. This may not work properly in hybrids as hybrids have their genome rearranged, which may confuse the information provided by matK. In future as sequencing technology gets faster and cheaper, hand held devices at ports and airports could check if illegal species are being transported. Currently, there are only a few experts that could accurately identity the plant composition of biodiversity hotspots in the world. This certainly would come as a big boost for conservation. This path breaking work is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal

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Salmon Facts

An upcoming issue of Geophysical Research Letters has very interesting observations about Salmon. Led by geomorphologist Marwan Hassan of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver,Canada, the research opens up new info about various facets of Salmon migration unknown to us till now. The researchers found that the salmon account for up to 50% of the annual amount of sediment migration in a given stream. People have known for a long time that salmon dig up the stream bottoms. But it is the first time that details about how they do it are coming out. Sediment traps were used to track the movement of preplaced magnetized particles to study the effect of salmon digging up in four mountain streams in British Columbia. Oxygenation of the river is improved by this activity of Salmon. Multiplied by millions of salmon, and repeated year after year the shape of streambeds and the health of stream ecosystems are directly affected. The researchers feel that the fish could be shaping larger-scale valley features and even influencing landscape evolution.

The inputs for this post have come from ScienceNOW Daily News.

World's second largest wetlands reserve formed in Congo

World’s second largest wetlands reserve has been declared in Congo. This declaration is in tune with Ramsar convention. Named Grand Affluents wetland reserve, it comprises an area of 6 million hectares. This will help secure water and livelihoods for millions of people. Wild animals like elephants, hippopotamuses buffalos and many species of migratory bird stands benefited by this. Convention on Wetlands was first signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea on 2 February 1971.

Elusive Arctic wolves Caught In Camera

The BBC natural history team following Artic wolves (Canis lupus arctos) has hit pay dirt after months of arduous work. The team has managed to film the Artic wolves taking to the water to hunt waterfowl, a behaviour that has never been reported before. Even observing the animal is difficult in the extreme conditions of Canadian Arctic and northern parts of Greenland. Wolves usually eat large hoofed animals like Caribou and musk oxen. Hats off to the intrepid BBC team for this magnificent achievement.

Poor prospects for Captive-bred carnivores released in the wild

A study on reintroduction of captive-bred carnivores, which reviewed 45 cases involving 17 carnivore species, has come up with the finding that only 30 percent of captive animals released survived. The main drawback stems from the fact that reintroduced animals’ lacks the natural behaviour prowess needed for survival. The results of the study have important implications for conservation programs involving reintroduction. The advice is thorough study if conditions before attempting reintroductions. The research also emphasized the need for long-term monitoring of released animals. In spite of these adverse findings the researchers believe that reintroduction projects are vital to conservation efforts. The findings appear in the latest issue of journal Biological Conservation. Kristen Jule from University of Exeter of the lead author.

New Gigantic Palm Tree Discovered in Madagascar

A new genus of gigantic palm tree has been discovered in the Analalava district of Madagacar. The trunk of the tree towers over 18m high. The leaves are 5m in diameter. The palm is so massive that it can even be seen in Google Earth. The palm grows to big size and bursts into branches of hundreds of tiny flowers. This terminal flowering exhausts the tree completely and it soon dies. Swarming insects and birds surrounds the flowers. Each flower is capable of developing in to a seed. The confirmation that this is a new genus came from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. There are only three other known genera in this tribe, scattered across Arabia, Thailand and China. Madagascar is home to more than 10,000 plant species and 90% of Madagascar's plants occur nowhere else in the world. Full details of the discovery appear in the latest issue of Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.

New Hope For Northern Bald Ibises

Northern Bald Ibis is considered to be Middle East’s rarest bird. The bird was thought to be extinct in the Middle East in the 1990s. Fortunately in 2002 a colony of six birds was discovered in Palmyra, Syria. RSPB and BirdLife Middle East swung in to action immediately. Adult and young birds were fitted with satellite tags to try to discover and protect their migration routes and wintering sites. Conservationists were delighted to hear the news that Northern bald ibises were seen last month in the Jordan Valley for the first time in 13 years, and in Djibouti, east Africa, for the first time ever. These two sightings of the species 1,500 miles apart have given a boost to the conservation efforts. Scientists now think that that the number of birds could be more than estimated. It also deepens the mystery of where the birds go on migration. Tracking adult birds was successful in 2006. Three birds flew a total of 3,700 miles to the Ethiopian highlands and back last spring. Scientists hope to tag more young birds in Syria this summer. Conservationists fear lots of birds are being shot down on migration. Tracking the birds will help protect them throughout their range.

Trees That Hire Bodyguards

The latest issue of journal Science has fascinating facts about intricate web of life in Africa. Scientists report how elephants, giraffes and other large herbivorous spur Acacias to “hire” and support ants as bodyguards. The whistling thorn tree (Acacia drepanolobium) and the biting ant (Crematogaster) that lives on it form a relationship, evolved over many millennia, in which both species co-operate and in turn benefit from each other. Acacia trees provide ants with swollen thorns, which serve as nesting sites, and nectar, which the ants collect from the bases of Acacia leaves. In return for this investment, ants protect the tree from browsing mammals by aggressively swarming against anything that disturbs the tree. Healthy trees have hundreds of the thorns, often containing more than 100,000 ants per tree. When the threat from these mammals stops or decreases, the trees slash their investment in ants, opening both to other attackers. Fewer colonies of weakened ants become less able to defend their territory from another species of ant that moves in which does not have a mutually beneficial relationship with Acacias. This new ant species feeds away from the tree and does not protect it from attackers. It actually encourages a destructive, wood-boring beetle whose cavities then serve as this ant’s home. The trees untouched by browsing mammals are infested with more of the beetles gradually weakening the trees. The trees wind up actually needing the mammals. Getting rid of the mammals causes individual trees to grow more slowly and die younger. The research has important implications for conservation. The cautionary note is that because many of the mammals are threatened, human activities like population growth, habitat fragmentation, over-hunting, can influence the ecosystem with unexpected consequences.

Chimps’ Ways Of Warding Off Malaria

The journal Naturwissenschaften has come out with some amazing facts about behaviour of chimps. The researchers at Kibale National Park in Uganda have discovered that geophagy(Soil ingestion) is helping chimps to ward off malaria by bestowing ingested plants with anti-malarial properties. Digested leaves of Trichilia rubescens showed no significant anti-malarial activity when eaten alone. When the leaves and soil were digested together, the combination acquired anti-malarial properties.

Full details can be accessed at

Krief S, Klein N & Fröhlich F (2008). Geophagy: soil consumption enhances the bioactivities of plants eaten by chimpanzees. Naturwissenschaften (DOI 10.1007/s00114-007-0333-0)

New Hope For Biofuels

A team of US researchers has discovered that ethanol derived from switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ) delivers vast savings of carbon dioxide emissions compared with petrol. Production and consumption of switchgrass-derived ethanol cut CO2 emissions by about 94% when compared with an equivalent volume of petrol. GHG emissions were 88% less. The researchers also found that switchgrass-derived ethanol produced 540% more energy than was required to manufacture the fuel. Switchgrass Produces an average of 320 barrels of bioethanol per hectare. Although the process to produce ethanol from switchgrass was more complex than using food crops such as wheat or corn, biofuel from switchgrass could produce much higher energy yields per tonne because it utilised the whole plant rather than just the seeds. As switchgrass can be grown on marginal cropland it would not be in competition with food crops. The research paper appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.