Ecology - Page 5

  • Wolverines Face Courtroom Battle

    Their extremely low numbers mean that they are suffering from low genetic diversity, their habitat is being fragmented, trapping still occurs and human disturbance from snowmobiling and backcountry skiing disrupts denning wolverines.

    By Alex Taylor on 13th November 2014
  • The Comeback of the Galapagos Tortoise

    The global population was down to just 15 tortoises by the 1960s. Now there are some 1,000 tortoises breeding on their own. The population is secure. It’s a rare example of how biologists and managers can collaborate to recover a species from the brink of extinction.

    By Alex Taylor on 10th November 2014
  • Invasive Species Affect Animal Interactions

    Known to impact native plant species, invertebrate populations and soil nutrients, it has also been noticed that in areas with Japanese stiltgrass, numbers of American toads have fallen.

    By Alex Taylor on 3rd September 2014
  • Rapid Evolution of Frog Defences

    Until very recently it was believed that evolutionary processes only happened over very long periods of time, but these findings indicate that the presence of a non-native predator can induce a process of rapid evolutionary change in a native species.

    By Alex Taylor on 15th July 2014
  • Fewer Large Mammals Means Greater Disease Risk

    More rodents means more fleas, and genetic screens of these fleas showed that they carry significant numbers of disease-causing bacterial pathogens called Bartonella.

    By Alex Taylor on 14th May 2014
  • The Invasion of the Burmese Python

    Their presence in such huge numbers has led scientists to try to discover the impact of this invasive species on the natural ecosystem and native species living in the park.

    By Alex Taylor on 30th April 2014
  • Lizards Feel the Heat of Climate Change

    Study recommends that future research should focus on the availability of shade habitat and the energetic consequences of the behavioural changes that climate change may cause in the species.

    By Alex Taylor on 26th March 2014
  • Pika eat Moss to Survive Climate Change

    The pikas ingest the low quality moss over and over again and, with the help of microbes in their gut, the moss is turned into high-quality food. The end product is 6 times more nutritious than the moss itself.

    By Alex Taylor on 8th January 2014