{"id":5071,"date":"2011-04-20T13:44:09","date_gmt":"2011-04-20T17:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=5071"},"modified":"2011-04-20T13:44:09","modified_gmt":"2011-04-20T17:44:09","slug":"national-parks-dance-lessons-from-a-spider-and-bellybutton-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2011\/04\/20\/national-parks-dance-lessons-from-a-spider-and-bellybutton-biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"National Parks, dance lessons from a spider and bellybutton biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>National Parks Week: <\/span><\/strong>In addition to <\/span>Earth Day<\/a> activities, this week is also National Parks Week<\/a>. Allie Wilkinson of the blog Oh, For the Love of Science!<\/em> paid tribute with a mini-travel guide on Acadia National Park in Maine; the post is complete with trail information and scenic views (see below video). \u201cMaine may as well be my home away from home,\u201d Wilkinson wrote. \u201cI\u2019ve gone up just about every year since I was a baby, at LEAST once a year (but usually end up going 3 times a year), and I always go to the same spots.\u00a0 Each year, the big trip in August takes me to Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park.\u201d Read<\/a> the full post at \u201cNational Park Week: Acadia National Park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Busy billionaire:<\/strong><\/span> Richard Branson has moved from space<\/a> to deep sea exploration<\/a>, and, most recently, he has made the news for his plan to introduce endangered ring-tailed lemurs to Moskito Island in the Caribbean. Branson stated in The Guardian<\/a> <\/em>that the decision is intended to \u201c\u2026create a second island habitat [for lemurs in Madagascar,] and the conditions on Moskito are perfect.\u201d However, many are concerned about the ecological consequences of releasing these omnivores. As explained in Smithsonian\u2019s Surprising Science <\/em>blog<\/a>, \u201cConservation plans rarely begin with (or even include) the introduction of a non-native species. And though lemurs surely are adorable, they \u2018could damage native flora and fauna on the island, particularly reptiles such as the stout iguana, turnip-tailed gecko, and dwarf gecko, as well as birds\u2019 eggs,\u2019 [conservationist<\/a> Erik Patel] says.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dance lessons:<\/strong><\/span> While we tend to think of dancing as a source of rhythmic self-expression, just like in other animal species, dancing can also be an effective way to attract a mate. Small, songless birds called manakins, for example, display an impressive moonwalk<\/a> to attract a mate. And, as described in the blog immunoBLOGulin<\/em>, \u201cIf you want to learn some sweet moves, take a lesson or two from the Australian Peacock Spider. While it\u2019s less than 1cm in length, it can really put on a dancing show\u2026\u201d The jumping spider (Maratus volans<\/em>) has a colorful flap used during the dance (see below video). Read more<\/a> at \u201cLessons from the Peacock Spider: How to attract a mate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bright bills:<\/strong><\/span> \u201cWhen it comes to mallard bills, brighter is better: A bright yellow bill is duck-speak for \u2018I\u2019m healthy,\u2019 attracting more female ducks than dingy green ones,\u201d Patrick Morgan reported for Discover\u2019s Discoblog<\/em>. That is, researchers<\/a> found that male ducks with brighter bills had semen with greater antibacterial properties, reducing the female ducks\u2019 risk of contracting bacteria-related sexually transmitted diseases. The researchers discoved that \u201cducks whose bills had more carotenoids\u2014an organic pigment that brightens bills\u2014also had semen that more effectively killed E. coli<\/em>,\u201d wrote Morgan. Read more<\/a> at \u201cWhat the Duck? Lady Mallards May Get Down With Bright-Billed Drakes to Avoid STDs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biodiversity priorities:<\/strong><\/span> According to a recent press release from the National Council for Science and the Environment, \u201c[t]he cover story<\/a> of the April issue of BioScience<\/em>, contains the results of a process in which 35 scientists and decisionmakers met during a major snowstorm (the \u201csnowpocalypse\u201d) in Washington D.C. in February 2010 to synthesize \u2018America\u2019s Top 40\u2019 research questions for biodiversity conservation and natural resource management.\u201d The questions, which were submitted by 375 experts in resource management and policy, included \u201cHow do different agricultural practices and technologies affect water availability and quality?\u201d and \u201cHow will changes in land use and climate affect the effectiveness of terrestrial and marine protected areas?\u201d Read more<\/a> at \u201cBiodiversity in a rapidly changing world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, the genes that make bees<\/a> sociable, inside a reef fish ecology<\/a> class, fossil<\/a> links reptile and human bones, the roving red fox<\/a>, rigs to reefs<\/a>, bellybutton<\/a> as a biodiversity hot spot, measuring species extinction<\/a>, a boom of leatherback turtles<\/a> in Florida, one year after the Gulf of Mexico<\/a> oil crisis and a website that maps species\u2019 evolutionary splits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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< ![endif]\u2013><\/p>\n

Photo Credit: NPS<\/a><\/p>\n

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Bright bills:<\/strong> \u201cWhen it comes to mallard bills, brighter is better: A bright yellow bill is duck-speak for \u2018I\u2019m healthy,\u2019 attracting more female ducks than dingy green ones,\u201d Patrick Morgan reported for Discover\u2019s Discoblog<\/em>. That is, researchers<\/a> found that male ducks with brighter bills had semen with greater antibacterial properties, reducing the female ducks\u2019 risk of contracting bacteria-related sexually transmitted diseases. The researchers discoved that \u201cducks whose bills had more carotenoids\u2014an organic pigment that brightens bills\u2014also had semen that more effectively killed E. coli<\/em>,\u201d wrote Morgan. Read more<\/a> at \u201cWhat the Duck? Lady Mallards May Get Down With Bright-Billed Drakes to Avoid STDs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biodiversity priorities:<\/strong> According to a recent press release from the National Council for Science and the Environment, \u201c[t]he<\/p>\n

Bright bills:<\/strong> \u201cWhen it comes to mallard bills, brighter is better: A bright yellow bill is duck-speak for \u2018I\u2019m healthy,\u2019 attracting more female ducks than dingy green ones,\u201d Patrick Morgan reported for Discover\u2019s Discoblog<\/em>. That is, researchers<\/a> found that male ducks with brighter bills had semen with greater antibacterial properties, reducing the female ducks\u2019 risk of contracting bacteria-related sexually transmitted diseases. The researchers discoved that \u201cducks whose bills had more carotenoids\u2014an organic pigment that brightens bills\u2014also had semen that more effectively killed E. coli<\/em>,\u201d wrote Morgan. Read more<\/a> at \u201cWhat the Duck? Lady Mallards May Get Down With Bright-Billed Drakes to Avoid STDs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biodiversity priorities:<\/strong> According to a recent press release from the National Council for Science and the Environment, \u201c[t]he cover story<\/a> of the April issue of BioScience<\/em>, contains the results of a process in which 35 scientists and decisionmakers met during a major snowstorm (the \u201csnowpocalypse\u201d) in Washington D.C. in February 2010 to synthesize \u2018America\u2019s Top 40\u2019 research questions for biodiversity conservation and natural resource management.\u201d The questions, which were submitted by 375 experts in resource management and policy, included \u201cHow do different agricultural practices and technologies affect water availability and quality?\u201d and \u201cHow will changes in land use and climate affect the effectiveness of terrestrial and marine protected areas?\u201d Read more<\/a> at \u201cBiodiversity in a rapidly changing world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, the genes that make bees<\/a> sociable, inside a reef fish ecology<\/a> class, fossil<\/a> links reptile and human bones, the roving red fox<\/a>, rigs to reefs<\/a>, bellybutton<\/a> as a biodiversity hot spot, measuring species extinction<\/a>, a boom of leatherback turtles<\/a> in Florida, one year after the Gulf of Mexico<\/a> oil crisis and a website that maps species\u2019 evolutionary splits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

cover story<\/a> of the April issue of BioScience<\/em>, contains the results of a process in which 35 scientists and decisionmakers met during a major snowstorm (the \u201csnowpocalypse\u201d) in Washington D.C. in February 2010 to synthesize \u2018America\u2019s Top 40\u2019 research questions for biodiversity conservation and natural resource management.\u201d The questions, which were submitted by 375 experts in resource management and policy, included \u201cHow do different agricultural practices and technologies affect water availability and quality?\u201d and \u201cHow will changes in land use and climate affect the effectiveness of terrestrial and marine protected areas?\u201d Read more<\/a> at \u201cBiodiversity in a rapidly changing world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, the genes that make bees<\/a> sociable, inside a reef fish ecology<\/a> class, fossil<\/a> links reptile and human bones, the roving red fox<\/a>, rigs to reefs<\/a>, bellybutton<\/a> as a biodiversity hot spot, measuring species extinction<\/a>, a boom of leatherback turtles<\/a> in Florida, one year after the Gulf of Mexico<\/a> oil crisis and a website that maps species\u2019 evolutionary splits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: NPS<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Parks Week: In addition to Earth Day activities, this week is also National Parks Week. Allie Wilkinson of the blog Oh, For the Love of Science! paid tribute with a mini-travel guide on Acadia National Park in Maine; the post is complete with trail information and scenic views (see below video). \u201cMaine may as well be my home away…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[661,287,101,7,870,694,1026,709,55,943,286],"class_list":["post-5071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","tag-bees","tag-biodiversity","tag-birds","tag-conservation","tag-diversity","tag-earth-day","tag-endangered","tag-extinction","tag-gulf-of-mexico","tag-national-park","tag-national-parks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}