Restoration

Jun

26

2008
 
 

Six billion dollar answer



No-take marine reserves help species recover faster than expected

coral trout/grouper/cod fish!The world’s largest network of no-take marine reserves is a success. Relieved readers of Current Biology this week can see how the controversial closing down to all fishing on more than a third of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has allowed significant recovery of target species densities in just two years. A team of scientists led by Hugh Sweatman of the Australian Institute of Marine Science found that populations of coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) — the main target for reef line fisheries — within protected areas had bounced up by around two thirds compared with those where fishing was still allowed. Big, bold initiatives might not be popular with the people they affect most but, in this case at least, they work. Source: Russ GR, Cheal AJ, Dolman AM, Emslie MJ, Evans RD, Miller I, Sweatman H & Williamson DH (2008) Rapid increase in fish numbers follows creation of World’s largest marine reserve network. Curr. Biol. DOI: tba

Image: © Timothey Kosachev

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Jun

18

2008
 
 

There’s a catch, after all



Offsetting marine bycatch could do more harm than good, study finds

Trawling for solutionsCan fisheries bycatch impacts be offset by making efforts to protect afflicted species elsewhere? Not according to a study published today in PLoS ONE, which claims that the “compensatory mitigation for marine bycatch” approach is a non-starter. A baker’s dozen of international scientists, led by University of California Santa Cruz researcher Myra Finkelstein, found that diverting attention to other conservation measures – such as removing non-native predators from breeding grounds – could potentially spell disaster. The problem is that such an approach requires action for each individual bycatch species, thereby spreading conservation resources too thinly. The focus should remain on finding ways to reduce bycatch, Finkelstein’s team concludes. Source: Finkelstein M, Bakker V, Doak DF, Sullivan B, Lewison R, Satterthwaite WH, McIntyre PB, Wolf S, Priddel D, Arnold JM, Henry RW, Sievert P & Croxall J (2008) Evaluating the potential effectiveness of compensatory mitigation strategies for marine bycatch. PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002480

Image: © Thomas Shortell

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Jun

17

2008
 
 

Woe be-toad them



Global analysis could help identify frog species at risk in time to act

going, going, gone A number-crunching study has thrown light on the mysterious global declines in hundreds of amphibian species. Imperial College London researcher Jon Bielby and colleagues collected data on habitat types, species ranges, disease prevalence and a host of other factors to produce a broad scale picture of the health of the world’s frog populations. Of particular note was the finding that aquatic, slowly reproducing species were most susceptible to the fatal Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus. The results, published in Conservation Letters confirm earlier, more restricted findings and should help conservationists decide how to set priorities by enabling them to identify species at risk before it’s too late. Source: Bielby J, Cooper N, Cunningham AA, Garner TWJ & Purvis A (2008) Predicting susceptibility to future declines in the world’s frogs. Conservation Letters DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263x.2008.00015.x

Image: © Sergey Korotkov

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Jun

14

2008
 
 

Tree of life



Oldest plant seed germinates, but is it a boy or a girl?

Oldest date aroundThere’s great news this week in Science for anyone interested in seed banks: a date palm Phoenix dactylifera seed unearthed during archaeological investigations of Herod’s Masada fortress has been successfully germinated. The seeds were discovered under a pile of rubble in the 1960s, and were stored at room temperature for the following four decades. But in 2005, Sarah Sallon, a plant biologist based at the Hadassah Medical Organization, Israel, and curious colleagues popped three of the ancient pips into plant pots. Eight weeks later one of the seeds had sprouted, and having survived re-potting it currently stands some four feet in height. Sallon hopes it’s a female (she won’t know for a couple of years), as that raises the possibility of resurrecting this long gone cultivar: if it was fit for a king, it will probably be worth the effort. Radiocarbon studies have demonstrated this to be the oldest seed ever deliberately germinated, as long as the dates haven’t been muddled up, so to speak. Source: Sallon S, Solowey E, Cohen Y, Korchinsky R, Egli M, Woodhatch I, Simchoni O & Kislev M (2008) Germination, genetics and growth of an ancient date seed. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1153600

Image: © Guy Eisner

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Jun

12

2008
 
 

Jets and sharks



Large predatory sharks are about to leave the Mediterranean

Do we still need a bigger boat?The Mediterranean sea is pretty much a big pond, so many European holiday makers would probably breathe a quiet sigh of relief to read in Conservation Biology that the number of big, fierce sharks swimming among them has plummeted in recent years. An international team, led by Dalhousie University’s Francesco Ferretti, fearlessly waded through public and private archives, searching for evidence of population trends among the twenty largest species known to prowl the Med. In the five species for which there were sufficient data – a paucity all too telling of our scientific neglect of these top oceanic predators – precipitous declines were clear. Hammerhead sharks Sphyrna spp. were worst hit: none have been seen in coastal waters since 1963, and no records of the sharks anywhere in the Mediterranean exist after 1995. Nervous bathers should note that only the thresher shark Alopias vulpinus has been recorded in coastal waters in recent years. If looks like it is safe to be in the water after all. Just as long as you’re not a shark. Source: Ferretti F, Myers RA, Serena F & Lotze HK (2008) Loss of large predatory sharks from the Mediterranean Sea. Cons. Biol. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.00938.x

Image: © Bart Coenders

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Jun

11

2008
 
 

Tree of death



Evolutionary phylogeny of British birds flags up species at future risk

scary, isn't it?British bird species with declining populations are more closely related than expected, according to findings published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The study’s author, Imperial College’s Gavin Thomas, suggests the link might help identify those species most at risk of extinction. The evolutionary tree, which Thomas constructed by comparing mitochondrial gene sequences of Britain’s resident birds, shows that red listed species are clustered together. The reason is simple: closely related species tend to share physical traits, so what’s bad for one is bad for another. However, the findings also suggest a way for conservationists to identify vulnerable species – by looking at those currently in decline it should be possible to work out which ones are next in line to fall off the perch. Source: Thomas G (2008) Phylogenetic distributions of British birds of conservation concern. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0549

Image: © Graham McKenzie-Smith

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Jun

4

2008
 
 

Flight from an evolutionary trap



Island birds adjust nesting behaviour in response to alien predators

bellbird... not at the nest!Island life for many species was easy until we showed up with our various commensal hangers-on in tow. The arrival of rats, mice, cats, hedgehogs, stoats and even brush tail possums was a disaster for New Zealand’s birds, but a study published today in PLoS ONE shows it’s not all doom and gloom. University of Canterbury researcher Melanie Massaro and colleagues found that the endemic bellbird Anthornis melanura copes with perceived predator threat by altering its nesting behavior, making fewer, more lengthy incubating visits. Massaro interprets this as an adaptation to reduce activity around the nest in an effort to avoid being spotted by hungry predators. The behavioral shift has probably evolved within the last 700 or so years, because that’s when the first boatload of horrible mammals arrived. And the rats, mice, cats, hedgehogs, stoats and brush tail possums… Source: Massaro M, Starling-Windhof A, Briskie JV & Martin TE (2008) Introduced mammalian predators induce behavioural changes in parental care in an endemic New Zealand bird. PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002331

Image: © Dave Ozanne

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May

30

2008
 
 

Wise owls in germ warfare



Rare bird of prey threatened by malaria as competing species moves in

spotted owlSpotted owls Strix occidentalis are fighting a turf war with the increasingly invasive barred owl S varia; the two species competing for both food and limited nesting sites in old-growth forest. San Francisco State University researchers Heather Ishak, Ravinder Sehgal and colleagues now report in PLoS ONE how the spread of barred owls could also be increasing spotted owls’ risk of malaria and other blood-borne parasites. West coast barred owls were found to have significantly lower rates of infection than spotted owls inhabiting the same region. One possible explanation is that barred owls have better defenses – the Northern spotted owl population shows evidence of a recent genetic bottleneck, which could adversely affect their ability to mount an immune response. If true, barred owls could be acting as vectors for the parasites, passing them on to the increasingly threatened spotted owls, who promptly pass away. Source: Ishak HD, Dumbacher JP, Anderson NL, Keane JJ, Valkiūnas G, Haig SM, Tell LA & Sehgal RNM (2008) Blood parasites in owls with conservation implications for the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis). PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002304

Image: © Travis Manley

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May

29

2008
 
 

The need for weeds



Turkish flora threatened by intensive agriculture, almost unnoticed

weeds“Weeds” provide valuable food for many species, yet their conservation status has been largely overlooked. A study by Cengiz Türe and Harun Böcük at Anadolu University, Turkey, now illustrates the extent of the oversight. Writing in Weed Research, they report on a worryingly high number of species – some 112 all told – listed on the wrong end of the IUCN’s Red List scale of endangerment. The intensification of arable farming in Europe has coincided with a dramatic decline in native plant species, hampering subsequent efforts to restore lost biodiversity. Turkey is particularly rich in endemic plant taxa, but modern agricultural practices are designed to eliminate non-crop species. Türe and Böcük make the bizarre, yet perfectly logical, suggestion that farmers should nurture weeds. Quite how farmers will react is another story… Source: Türe C & Böcük H (2008) Investigation of threatened arable weeds and their conservation status in Turkey. Weed Research DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3180.2008.00630.x

Image: © Lane Erickson

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May

20

2008
 
 

Tom meets Jerry



Extinct thylacine DNA comes to life in a laboratory mouse

big dog Scientists have extracted DNA from a hundred year old pickled Tasmanian tiger and inserted into a mouse. The extinct marsupial Thylacinus cynocephalus was a remarkable example of convergent evolution, looking like and doing pretty much what modern eutherian canids (big fierce doggy predators) do. Writing in PLoS ONE, University of Texas molecular geneticist Richard Behringer and colleagues have shown it’s possible to go further than simply work out the DNA sequence of long-lost organisms. By swapping in the resurrected stretch of DNA – not a gene as such, but able to control the expression of one – the researchers made a remarkable discovery: the thylacine DNA worked the same way as the mouse’s own. The findings should pave the way to understanding how individual genes and their functions have evolved within species. A different kind of Jurassic Park perhaps lies ahead… Source: Pask AJ, Behringer RR, Renfree MB (2008) Resurrection of DNA function in vivo from an extinct genome. PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002240

Image: Benjamin A. Sheppard

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