By Carl Zimmer
October-December 2008 / Vol. 9 No. 4
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Discussion Questions
The traditional view of parasites is as pests that decrease the health of ecosystems. What does recent work by ecologists tell us about this interpretation? What are the implications for conservation?
Regardless of the effect on ecosystems, in some cases […] Read More »
By Douglas Fox
October-December 2008 / Vol. 9 No. 4
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Discussion Questions
Is genetics relevant to conservation? How is this article an example of an application to conservation?
Why is accurate species naming important when tracking wildlife consumption? What will likely happen to global fish stocks if we can’t track the […] Read More »
By Fred Pearce
October-December 2008 / Vol. 9 No. 4
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Discussion Questions
The author suggests a link between sexual reproduction and maintainance of genetic diversity, both naturally and culturally, to fight off pests and diseases. What is that link?
If the lack of genetic diversity puts the banana and other crop […] Read More »
In a new book from Oxford University Press, two Harvard physicians look at one of the least-talked about casualties of environmental destruction: medical research. In addition to describing imperiled ecosystems that may hold solutions for human health problems, they delve into fascinating examples—ranging from “denning” bears that recycle, instead of excrete, waste and could […] Read More »
By Debora MacKenzie
Here’s a good one: what links the U.S. mortgage crisis and West Nile disease? Answer: one of the world’s most invasive alien species.
As we all know, unwise dealing by U.S. financial institutions has caused a lot of people to default on mortgages. A lot of this has been happening in the […] Read More »
Tuna: A Love Story
By Richard Ellis
Alfred A. Knopf, 2008
Richard Ellis’s paean to tuna begins as a celebration but ends more like a Greek tragedy. After describing the tuna’s impressive anatomy and physiology and the romantic history of sport fishing for tuna, replete with larger-than-life heroes, from Hemingway to Zane Grey, Ellis delves […] Read More »
Russ G.R. et al. 2008. Rapid increase in fish numbers follows creation of world’s largest marine reserve network. Current Biology 18(12):514-515.
In mid-2004, the Australian government set up the largest network of no-fishing zones in the world by prohibiting fishing across one-third (114,000 square kilometers) of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Two years […] Read More »
Betts, M.G. et al. 2008. Social information trumps vegetation structure in breeding-site selection by a migrant songbird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 275(1648):2257–2263.
Much like people, birds looking to raise children like to settle down in neighborhoods that already have plenty of families. For years, scientists have believed that birds identify those “neighborhoods” […] Read More »
Reed, S.E. and A.M. Merenlender. 2008. Quiet, nonconsumptive recreation reduces protected area effectiveness. Conservation Letters 1(3):146–154.
Conservationists often hail nature-based recreation and ecotourism as critical tools in the fight to preserve wild lands. This support is based on the assumption that many recreational activities have little impact on parks and other natural areas. But […] Read More »
Barton, B.T. and J.D. Roth. 2008. Implications of intraguild predation for sea turtle nest protection. Biological Conservation 141:2139–2145.
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) love loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) eggs, as do ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata). Unfortunately, the often-used conservation measure of controlling raccoons at turtle nesting beaches lets the ghost crabs off the hook. But raccoons […] Read More »
Swaddle, J. and S. Calos. 2008. Increased avian diversity is associated with lower incidence of human West Nile infection: Observation of the dilution effect. PLoS ONE 3(6):e2488.
Incidence of West Nile virus in humans tends to be lower in areas with a diverse array of bird species, according to a new paper in PLoS […] Read More »
Gratwicke, B. et al. 2008. Attitudes toward consumption and conservation of tigers in China. PLoS ONE 3(7):e2544.
When it comes to endangered tigers, consumers’ buying habits clash with their conservation values, according to a recent study led by Brian Gratwicke of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C.
In a survey of […] Read More »
Boersma, P.D. 2008. Penguins as marine sentinels. BioScience 58(7):597–607.
Dee Boersma has spent over 20 years studying Magellanic penguins in Punta Tombo, Argentina—long enough to suspect that their dramatic decline signals a more ominous truth: oceans are in trouble.
In a new paper in Bioscience, Boersma, of the University of Washington, recounts how penguins […] Read More »
Wittemyer, G. et al. 2008. Accelerated human population growth at protected area edges. Science 321:123–126.
Human populations in areas adjoining nature reserves grow faster than in other areas. And, in a surprising twist, this growth is not due to people moving out of newly protected areas and then populating their boundaries. Rather, the parks […] Read More »
Miller-Rushing, A.J. et al. 2008. Bird migration times, climate change, and changing population sizes. Global Change Biology 14:1959–1972.
One of the most visible biological consequences of global warming is the earlier spring arrival of many migratory songbirds. But measuring the extent to which spring arrival dates have actually shifted for any given species is […] Read More »
