Coral reefs: ‘Business as usual won’t cut it’

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
sdf

Coral reef ecosystems are facing serious threats from global warming as well as local impacts. Photo courtesy Renata Ferrari.

Study says concerted global and local action required

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A detailed new study supports the idea that protecting coral reefs from local impacts like over-fishing and polluted runoff is a key part of any strategy to try and bolster reefs in the face of climate change.

The researchers concluded that, even though coral reefs are in decline, their collapse can be avoided with concerted global and local action.

“People benefit by reefs’ having a complex structure—a little like a Manhattan skyline, but underwater,” said Peter Mumby, of The University of Queensland and University of Exeter. “Structurally complex reefs provide nooks and crannies for thousands of species and provide the habitat needed to sustain productive reef fisheries. They’re also great fun to visit as a snorkeler or diver. If we carry on the way we have been, the ability of reefs to provide benefits to people will seriously decline.” (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, coral reefs, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Conservation groups challenge federal wolverine plan

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
sdfg

Can wolverines survive global warming? Map courtesy USFWS.

More protections needed to preserve North America’s rarest mammal

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A federal proposal to list wolverines as threatened under the Endangered Species Act doesn’t go far enough to protect the rare species, according to the Western Environmental Law Center, which called on the agency to use a “threatened” listing to ensure survival of North America’s rarest mammal.

The comment letter to the USFWS was submitted on behalf of 26 conservation groups  from across the wolverine’s range in the West. Federal biologists proposed listing wolverines in early February, responding to a court-ordered deadline. Global warming and habitat loss are seen as the main threats.

After being nearly extirpated from the contiguous 48 states by poisoning and trapping, populations started to recover, but there are only an estimated 250 to 200 individuals. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Study: Human impacts dominant in most ecosystems

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
dsfg

Nature unbound — or not? Bob Berwyn photo.

‘Even in protected areas, the influence of humans might be greater than we previously thought … ‘

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — As much as we’d like to believe in nature unbound, a new Canadian study suggests that human impacts are more widespread than we realize, even extending well into protected areas.

The five-year study by University of Calgary ecologists, included monitoring wolves, elks, cattle and humans. The resarchers concluded that human activities dominate all other factors, even in protected areas.

“Our results contrast with research conducted in protected areas that suggested food chains are primarily regulated by predators. Rather, we found that humans influenced other species in the food chain in a number of direct and indirect ways, thus overshadowing top-down and bottom-up effects,” said lead author Dr. Tyler Muhly.

The study was a collaboration between NSERC, Shell Canada, Parks Canada, the Alberta Government and the Universities of Alberta and Calgary. The ecologists used dozens of animal tagging devices and motion sensor-activated cameras to study human, animal and plant distribution throughout southwest Alberta. The research area stretched from Calgary in the northeast, through to the provincial borders with British Columbia in the west and the US-Canada border in the south.

“Understanding the significance of the impact that humans have on ecosystems is a critical component in formulating long-term and effective conservation strategies,” said reseacher Marco Musiani. “Our results led us to believe that ecologists have underestimated the impact of humans on natural food chains. The data we collected shows that humans are deliberately or inadvertently engineering ecosystems regardless of whether they would be naturally pre-disposed to top-down or bottom-up effects. Even in protected areas, the influence of humans might be greater than we previously thought,” Musiani said.

Ecologists have long debated whether natural ecosystems and associated food chains are primarily regulated by predators or by the productivity of plant species, called top-down and bottom-up effects, respectively. With most of the world’s ecosystems now dominated by humans, researchers from the University of Calgary sought to understand how much people influenced food chains in southwest Alberta.

“We painstakingly monitored wolves, elk, cattle and plant species, as well as humans for five years. We evaluated how these species interacted across the landscape and ultimately found that humans dominated the ecosystem,” Muhly said.

“In particular, we found that forage-mediated effects of humans (bottom-up effects) were more influential than predator-mediated effects in the food chain. The presence of humans was most correlated with occurrence of forage (plants). Elk and cattle distribution correlated closely with forage, and the distribution of wolves matched that of the elk and cattle they view as potential prey.

Filed under: biodiversity, Environment | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Study finds invasive plants to be widespread in forests

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

New mapping to help resource managers plan prevention and response

Non-native grasses have altered the wildfire regime across parts of the High Plains. Bob Berwyn photo.

Non-native grasses have altered the wildfire regime across parts of the High Plains.

By Summit VoiceFRISCO — Invasive species may be much more common than we think, according to a new U.S. Forest Service study that documented non-native species in two-thirds of forest plots inventoried in the Northeast and Midwest. The study across two dozen states from North Dakota to Maine can help land managers pinpoint areas on the landscape where invasive plants might take root.

“We found two-thirds of more than 1,300 plots from our annual forest inventory had at least one introduced species, but this also means that one-third of the plots had no introduced species,” said Beth Schulz, a research ecologist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station who led the study. “By describing forest stands with few or no introduced species, we help managers focus on areas where early detection and rapid response can be most effective to slow the spread of introduced and potentially invasive plant species.”

Nonnative, or introduced, plants are those species growing in areas where they are not normally found. Whether they were intentionally released or escaped cultivation, nonnative plants ultimately can become invasive, displacing native species, degrading habitat, and altering critical ecosystem functions. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Environment, invasive species | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Better maps to help manage invasive species threats

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
sdf

Invasive zebra mussels are threatening aquatic ecosystems. Photo courtesy U.S. Geological Survey.

New modeling takes human factor into account

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — British scientists have fine-tuned invasive species predictions by adding the human factor into the biological models often used to forecast the spread of non-native pests.

Based on their new maps, Dr. Bellinda Gallardo and Dr. David Aldridge from the University of Cambridge, identified a ‘dirty dozen’ — a group of high-risk invasive aquatic plants and animals. Some, like the killer shrimp (Dikerogammarus villosus) and the bloody red mysid (Hemimysis anomala) are already in UK but have yet to spread. Others, such as the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminalis) and the marmokrebs, a crayfish (Procambarus fallax) may not yet have arrived.

Traditional species distribution models are mostly based on environmental conditions such as temperature and rainfall. The Cambridge researchers have upped the accuracy of the models by including  factors such as population density, land-use and proximity to ports. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Environment, invasive species | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Biodiversity: The complex web of Arctic life

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
hj

Pikas in the Arctic may rely on caterpillars to fertilize grass. Photo courtesy Kim Fenske.

Biologists document biological connection between pikas and Arctic caterpillars

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — With the Arctic warming up at a rapid pace, there’s a good chance that the ecosystems will change drastically at all levels. University of Alberta Researchers tracking those changes said they were surprised when they discovered a previously unknown relationship between pikas and Arctic caterpillars.

Biologist Isabel C. Barrio analyzed how two herbivores, caterpillars and pikas, competed for scarce vegetation in alpine areas of the southwest Yukon. The caterpillars come out of their winter cocoons and start consuming vegetation soon after the snow melts in June.

Weeks later, the pika starts gathering and storing food in its winter den. For the experiment, Barrio altered the numbers of caterpillars grazing on small plots of land surrounding pika dens.

“What we found was that the pikas preferred the patches first grazed on by caterpillars,” said Barrio. “We think the caterpillar’s waste acted as a natural fertilizer, making the vegetation richer and more attractive to the pika.” (more…)

Filed under: Arctic, biodiversity, climate and weather, Environment | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Celebrating migratory birds

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

May is prime-time for our fine-feathered friends

dsfd

Itinerant shorebirds sometimes wind up at Dillon Reservoir, in Summit County, Colorado, for a short stop-over. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — If you’ve been hearing a lot of chirping and twittering in the great outdoors these days, it’s  because the birds are back. More specifically, dozens of species of migratory birds are on the move, headed for nesting grounds in North America from non-breeding areas in South and Central America, and the Caribbean.

That’s why birders are gearing up for International Migratory Bird Day, held each year on the second Saturday in May as a way to recognize the winged wonders that travel the globe each spring and fall, migrating thousands of miles from their wintering grounds to nesting grounds and back again. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado State Parks, Dillon Reservoir, seasons, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Study: Greater sage-grouse need wide-open spaces

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
sdfg

Greater sage-grouse. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Biologists take close look at sage-grouse habitat requirements

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A new U.S. Geological Survey-led study illustrates some of the challenges associated with conserving greater sage-grouse in western landscapes that are increasingly fragmented by human activities, including exurban sprawl and energy development.

Within their sagebrush habitat, the scientists documented very specific environmental conditions showing that the birds prefer to breed in drier-than-average regions within a small temperature and precipitation range. The findings suggest that predicted changes in climate may cause lek locations to change depending on where there are optimal arid conditions.

After taking a close look at most of the data available for more than 3,000 active breeding areas, the biologists concluded that the large birds do best in “landscapes with extremely minimal levels of human land use.” (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Colorado, endangered species, energy, Environment | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Study: Global pollinator decline is cause for alarm

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
dfgh

Interdisciplinary research needed to find solutions.

Pesticides, disease and habitat loss all contribute to loss of important insects

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — While the stunning decline in honeybee populations has made widespread headlines in recent years, other pollinating insects are also under pressure from multiple threats, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

The loss of those insects could have profound environmental, human health and economic consequences, considering that insects pollinate about 75 percent of crop species and enable reproduction in up to 94 percent of wild flowering plants. Pollination services provided by insects each year worldwide are valued at over $200 billion.

The research was carried out by an international team of 40 scientists from 27 institutions involved in the UK’s Insect Pollinators Initiative (IPI), a £10M research program investigating the causes and consequences of pollinator decline. (more…)

Filed under: agriculture, biodiversity, Environment | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Antarctic clams may take a hit from global warming

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Study shows climate change may affect overall population numbers

dfgh

Changes in Antarctic clam populations could have a ripple effect on other species in the region like these blue-eyed cormorants in the South Shetlands. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Warming ocean temperatures and increased glacial outflow around Antarctica may have a big impact on clams living on the ocean floor. Younger clams try to move away when they sense warmer temperature or reduced oxygen levels, but older clams stay put.

The findings by a team of British and German scientists indicate how climate change may affect biodiversity in the region, suggesting that the overall population of Antarctic clams may dwindle, since it’s the older animals that reproduce.

“Our study shows that the physiological flexibility of young clams diminishes as they get older. However, the species has evolved in such a way that the fittest animals, that can tolerate life in an extreme environment, survive to reproduce into old age,” said Doris Abele, of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. “Climatic change, affecting primarily the older clams, may interfere with this evolutionary strategy, with unpredictable consequences for ecosystems all around Antarctica.” (more…)

Filed under: Antarctica, biodiversity, climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,552 other followers