Evidence of Culture in Wild Chimpanzees

Researchers Thibaud Gruber, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK, Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda; Martin N. Muller, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda; Pontus Strimling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK; Richard Wrangham, Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; and Klaus Zuberbuhler, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK, Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda have come up with fascinating evidence of culture in Wild Chimpanzees. The word "Culture" here refers to a population-specific set of behaviors acquired through social learning, such as imitation. 15 years were spent in the field to come up with these fascinating observations.

The study clearly showed that neighboring chimpanzee populations in Uganda used different tools to solve a problem like extracting honey trapped within a fallen log. Kibale Forest chimpanzees use sticks to get at the honey, whereas Budongo Forest chimpanzees rely on leaf sponges that they make out of chewed leaves. The researchers say the difference in tool use was that chimpanzees resorted to preexisting cultural knowledge in trying to solve the novel task .This is in contrast to an animal or human learning something on his or her own through trial and error.

Details of the research appears in Current Biology

Cross-border conservation efforts can yield better results than going it alone.

After extensive research, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in Australia have found out that Cross-border conservation efforts can yield better results than going it alone by individual states.

The researchers zoomed in on the terrestrial Mediterranean basin for their study due to its complexity. It holds over 25 countries with 250 million people and it is an important global biodiversity hotspot with many endemic and rare species. Currently, conservation efforts are largely uncoordinated across the whole region. The study found that there could be a saving of 45 % in costs of conservation if efforts of endemic vertebrates’ research were coordinated across Mediterranean ecosystem. This works out to $67-billion in savings.

Countries across the globe can take leaf out of this path breaking research.

The details of the study appear in “The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA”.

04/01/2010 09:00:06

Best Wishes

2010 is the international year of biodiversity. Best wishes for your conservation mission during the year 2010.

Out of Station

Between 20th and 28th I will be travelling to areas with no internet facility. There won't be any update during this period.

I take this opportunity to wish all of you A Very Happy Christmas

EcoCradle- Green alternative to polystyrene packaging made from farm waste

EcoCradle, the green alternative to polystyrene packaging made from farm waste and mushrooms is just off the block. The inventors are Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, classmates from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

The product uses 10 times less energy to produce, and biodegrades into a natural fertilizer. It is created using almost no energy, and almost no CO2 emissions. The production cost is comparable to that of polystyrene.

Environmentalist world-wide are pinning lot of hopes on this new material.

Biodiversity Loss Can Put You at Greater Risk of Catching Infectious Diseases

New research suggests that biodiversity loss may put you at greater risk for catching some nasty disease.

According to the researchers, University of Vermont biologist Joe Roman, EPA scientist Montira Pongsiri, and seven others lots of new diseases are emerging and diseases that were once local are now global. A host of new infectious diseases like the West Nile Virus have appeared. Diseases like malaria have reasserted themselves and spread.

The present research is the first linking spread of diseases with biodiversity change, decline and extinction. Investigation in Peru was the first to demonstrate that malaria transmission can rise in response to deforestation. It appears that loss of the structural diversity provided by trees led to higher density of Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes, a potent transmitter of malaria, as well as to higher biting rates. The new research brings epidemiology and ecology together.

The researchers conclude "The standard argument for protecting biodiversity is often that, well, there are medicines out there and you don't want to destroy a forest where you might have a cure for cancer," he says, "and that's true -- but I don't think that's as compelling as the argument that if you cut down the forest you or your kids are more prone to infectious diseases."

Details of research appear in December issue of the journal BioScience available online on Dec. 7.