Invasive Species News

September 9, 2016

Not One, but Four Giraffe Species

Largest Reforestation Program: Harm Wildlife?

Bees: Flowers a Link to Bacteria Transmission

Antelope Turned Ancient Forests Into Savannas

Latest Headlines

updated 12:53am EDT

Newly Described Amphipod Species Already Under Threat

Sep. 8, 2016 — Biologists have described a new amphipod species which is endemic to the Alps. While alpine lakes provide relatively undisturbed habitats for Gammarus alpinus, this species ... read more

Crab from the Chinese Pet Market Turns out to Be a New Species of a New Genus

Sep. 7, 2016 — Shimmering carapaces make crabs attractive to pet owners. To answer the growing demand, fishermen collect and trade ... read more

Historical Coexistence With Dingoes May Explain Bandicoot Avoidance of Domestic Dogs

Sep. 7, 2016 — Domestic dogs and cats were introduced to Tasmania two centuries ago, but bandicoots still fail to recognize these ... read more

Thrive or Fail: Examining Forest Resilience in the Face of Fires

Sep. 7, 2016 — Scientists outline a framework to help scientists better test, understand and predict when forests are resilient enough to recover from fire or when a combination of ... read more

How Fungi Help Trees Tolerate Drought

Sep. 7, 2016 — Specific adaptations in the transcriptome of the most common ectomycorrhizal fungus could help their hosts be more resistant to drought stress, a finding that could be useful ... read more

In Eastern Tibetan Forest, Signs of Tree Growth Amid Climate Change

Sep. 7, 2016 — Word of mouth from nomadic herders led Lucas Silva into Tibetan forests and grasslands. What his team found was startling: rapid forest growth in tune with what scientists ... read more

European Earthworms Decrease Species Diversity in North America

Sep. 6, 2016 — European earthworms invading the forests of North America are responsible for a decline in species diversity in the forest understory. Scientists have now been able to ... read more

Blue Coral Snake, Calliophis Bivirgata: A Mysterious Beauty Armed With Exotic Toxins

Sep. 5, 2016 — Toxicologists in Malaysia published the first report on the venom proteome correlating toxic functionalities of the Malayan ... read more

Four out of Six Great Apes One Step Away from Extinction, Experts Say

Sep. 4, 2016 — The Eastern gorilla -- the largest living primate -- has been listed as Critically Endangered due to illegal hunting, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of ... read more

A New Tool for Wetland Management

Sep. 2, 2016 — A team of environmental engineers and a wetland ecologist have created a computer model that can help wetland managers increase the size of migratory bird habitat and combat ... read more

Water Contamination in New Zealand Leaves Thousands Ill

Fire Crews Struggle to Contain California Wildfire

Mexico Village Damaged by Landslide Triggered by Storm Earl

Mexico Landslides Leave 40 Dead as New Storm Forms

Throughout History, Humans Have Preferred Their Pigs to Be Black, Suggests Study

Sep. 6, 2016 — An international team of researchers studied the mitochondrial DNA and MC1R gene sequences in tissue samples collected from 57 modern feral Hawaiian pigs. They found a novel mutation in all the ... read more

Detecting Forest Fragility With Satellites

Sep. 5, 2016 — Over the past decades forests in different parts of the world have suffered sudden massive tree mortality. Now an international team of scientists has found a way to spot from satellite images which ... read more

'Ghost Snake' Discovered in Madagascar

Sep. 2, 2016 — Researchers discovered a new snake species in Madagascar and named it 'ghost snake' for its pale grey coloration and elusiveness. The researchers named it Madagascarophis lolo, pronounced ... read more

Deadly Duo: Study Reveals Role of Killer Shrimps in the Disappearance of Species in Central European Rivers

Sep. 1, 2016 — Researchers have discovered that the amphipod crustacean, which is native to the Ponto-Caspian region, is not a true predator and only plays an indirect role in the massive species extinction of ... read more

Bird Bugs Shed New Light on Malaria Infection

Aug. 31, 2016 — A study into bird malaria could provide important clues about the causes of parasite co-infections in animals, including people, report investigators. They found that not only the bird's habitat ... read more

A Lost Century for Forest Elephants

Aug. 30, 2016 — Because forest elephants are one the slowest reproducing mammals in the world, it will take almost a century for them to recover from the intense poaching they have suffered since ... read more

When It Comes to Climate Change and Stream Flow, Plants Play an Important Role

Aug. 30, 2016 — In California's Sierra Nevada mountains, as more precipitation falls in the form of rain rather than snow, and the snowpack melts earlier in spring, it's important for water managers to ... read more

Monkeys in Zoos Have Human Gut Bacteria

Aug. 30, 2016 — Monkeys in captivity lose much of their native gut bacteria diversity and their gut bacteria ends up resembling those of humans, new research shows. The results suggest that switching to a low-fiber, ... read more

A Nonet of New Plant Species from Africa Emphasizes the Importance of Herbaria in Botany

Aug. 30, 2016 — Some collected 40 years ago, some as far back as a 100, nine new plant species from the custard apple genus Monanthotaxis have been recently discovered on dusty ... read more

Environmental DNA Uncovers Biodiversity in Rivers

Aug. 30, 2016 — Researchers have used 'environmental DNA' to determine the biodiversity of a river. Previously, this involved collecting and identifying all the organisms living in it. Using environmental ... read more

An Imbalance in Nutrients Threatens Plant Biodiversity

Aug. 29, 2016 — An unnatural balance of nutrients threatens biodiversity in a survival of the fittest scenario, according to new research. A global network of researchers who have tested the impact increased ... read more

Hay Fever from Ragweed Pollen Could Double Due to Climate Change

Aug. 24, 2016 — Climate change could cause new hay fever misery for millions of people across Europe -- according to a new report. Hay fever is a common allergic condition that is caused by an allergy to pollen -- ... read more

Predicting Plant-Soil Feedbacks from Plant Traits

Aug. 24, 2016 — In nature, plants cannot grow without soil biota like fungi and bacteria. Successful plants are able to harness positive, growth-promoting soil organisms, while avoiding the negative effects of ... read more

Forest and Watercourse Interplay Important for Restorations

Aug. 24, 2016 — Humans utilize forests and watercourses in a way that depletes ecosystem habitats, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Many areas are restored to break the trend, but to succeed you need to consider ... read more

New Study Reveals Adaptations for Snub-Nosed Monkeys

Aug. 23, 2016 — In a heroic effort, researchers have now sequenced, assembled and analyzed the mutations in the genomes of 38 wild snub-nosed monkeys (from genome mapping of 42 individuals: 27 golden, four gray, two ... read more

Biological Invasions Threaten Developing Countries

Aug. 23, 2016 — Invasions from alien species such as Japanese knotweed and grey squirrels threaten the economies and livelihoods of residents of some of the world's poorest nations, new research ... read more

Logged Rainforests Can Be an 'Ark' for Mammals, Extensive Study Shows

Aug. 22, 2016 — Research reveals that large areas of 'degraded' forest in Southeast Asia can play an important role in conserving mammal ... read more

Europe's Oldest Known Living Inhabitant

Aug. 19, 2016 — A Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) growing in the highlands of northern Greece has been dendrocronologically dated to be more than 1,075 years old. This makes it currently the oldest known living ... read more

Mussel Flexing: Bivalve Save Drought-Stricken Marshes, Research Finds

Aug. 18, 2016 — As coastal ecosystems feel the heat of climate change worldwide, new research shows the humble mussel and marsh grass form an intimate interaction known as mutualism that benefits both partner ... read more

Most Island Vertebrate Extinctions Could Be Averted, Concludes New Study

Aug. 18, 2016 — Eight of every ten species extinctions has occurred on islands, and invasive mammals are the leading reason for those losses. Currently, 40 percent of species at risk of global extinction are island ... read more

Tuesday, September 6, 2016