36 posts · 24,716 views
A Nature Network blog that makes newly published research about evolution, ecology, ethology and birds accessible to the public. By GrrlScientist.
GrrlScientist
36 posts
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- March 21, 2013
- 08:27 AM
- 115 views
Setting the record a little straighter regarding trade in African grey parrots
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: I am trying to learn the truth regarding a published piece that caused at least one reader to ask: "Is this really true??? If it is not true how can they get away with saying this???" Read more... Read more »
Melo Martim, & O’Ryan Colleen. (2007) Genetic differentiation between Príncipe Island and mainland populations of the grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), and implications for conservation. Molecular Ecology, 16(8), 1673-1685. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03128.x
Blackburn Tim M., Harvey Paul H., & Pagel Mark D. (1990) Species Number, Population Density and Body Size Relationships in Natural Communities. The Journal of Animal Ecology, 59(1), 335. DOI: 10.2307/5176
- January 16, 2013
- 04:36 AM
- 54 views
The extraordinary courtship dance of Australia’s peacock spider
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Meet the world's most adorable spider and watch his amazing courtship dance! Adult male Maratus volans from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near Sydney. Read more... Read more »
Otto Jürgen C., & Hill David E. (2011) An illustrated review of the known peacock spiders of the genus Maratus from Australia, with description of a new species (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae). Peckhamia, 96(1), 1-27. http://peckhamia.com/peckhamia.html
Hill David Edwin . (2009) Euophryine jumping spiders that extend their third legs during courtship (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae: Maratus, Saitis). . Peckhamia, 74(1), 1-27. http://www.peckhamia.com/peckhamia/PECKHAMIA 74.1.pdf
Otto Jürgen C., & Hill David E. . (2012) Contests between male Maratus vespertilio (Simon 1901) (Araneae: Salticidae). Peckhamia, 98(1), 1-17. http://www.peckhamia.com/peckhamia/PECKHAMIA_98.1.pdf
- November 11, 2012
- 10:01 AM
- 148 views
Journal Club: Polly gets his own cracker: clever cockatoo manufactures, uses tools
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Not known to manufacture or use tools in the wild, a captive cockatoo demonstrates that parrots can make tools to suit their needs... Read more »
Auersperg Alice M.I., Szabo Birgit, von Bayern Auguste M.P., & Kacelnik Alex. (2012) Spontaneous innovation in tool manufacture and use in a Goffin’s cockatoo. Current Biology, 22(21). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.002
- November 6, 2012
- 03:46 PM
- 229 views
First ever sighting of world’s rarest whale on New Zealand coast
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: DNA technologies were used by scientists to definitively identify two stranded whales as members of rare species previously known only from a few scattered bones. ... Read more »
Thompson, K., Baker, C., van Helden, A., Patel, S., Millar, C., & Constantine, R. (2012) The world’s rarest whale. Current Biology, 22(21). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.08.055
- September 27, 2012
- 07:06 AM
- 297 views
Journal club: Choosy females speed speciation of poison dart frogs
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Female poison dart frogs’ distinct preferences for mates with particular colours may be a first step in the process of speciation Strawberry dart frog, Dendrobates pumilio, photographed at La Loma Jungle Lodge on Isla Bastimentos, Panama. Image: Cori Richards-Zawacki. Speciation is often a subtle thing, starting with a tiny difference here or there, and after a few generations, these changes begin to add up into something obvious. But speciation only happens after a portion of a p........ Read more »
Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki, Ian J . Wang, & Kyle Summers. (2012) Mate choice and the genetic basis for colour variation in a polymorphic dart frog: inferences from a wild pedigree. Molecular Ecology, 3879-3892. info:/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05644.x
- May 1, 2012
- 07:20 AM
- 467 views
Why do old books smell? [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: That old book smell brings back so many memories, but what creates that smell? ... Read more »
Strlič, M., Thomas, J., Trafela, T., Cséfalvayová, L., Kralj Cigić, I., Kolar, J., & Cassar, M. (2009) Material Degradomics: On the Smell of Old Books. . Analytical Chemistry, 81(20), 8617-8622. DOI: 10.1021/ac9016049
- February 29, 2012
- 06:14 AM
- 534 views
Stem cells put women on fertile ground [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Using cutting-edge technologies and some imagination, a Harvard professor and his team find that ovaries in women of reproductive age contain stem cells that give rise to mature oocytes When I taught comparative reproductive biology in university, I taught...... Read more »
White, Y., Woods, D., Takai, Y., Ishihara, O., Seki, H., & Tilly, J. (2012) Oocyte formation by mitotically active germ cells purified from ovaries of reproductive-age women. Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2669
- February 22, 2012
- 05:18 AM
- 414 views
Leaping lizards [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Theropod dinosaurs used their long tails as counterbalances to stabilise rapid or irregular movements Male red-headed rock agama, Agama agama, in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya [dinosaurise]. Image: Chris_huh, August 2005 (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.) There...... Read more »
Libby, T., Moore, T., Chang-Siu, E., Li, D., Cohen, D., Jusufi, A., & Full, R. (2012) Tail-assisted pitch control in lizards, robots and dinosaurs. Nature, 481(7380), 181-184. DOI: 10.1038/nature10710
- December 23, 2011
- 05:24 AM
- 612 views
Hot? Or not? The economics of red-hot chili peppers
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Chilis that produce the hottest fruits grow best when they are given lots of water... Read more »
Haak, D., McGinnis, L., Levey, D., & Tewksbury, J. (2011) Why are not all chilies hot? A trade-off limits pungency. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2091
Tewksbury, J., Reagan, K., Machnicki, N., Carlo, T., Haak, D., Penaloza, A., & Levey, D. (2008) Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(33), 11808-11811. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0802691105
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- Evolutionary Biology
- Capsicum chacoense
- Botany
- Environment
- Agriculture
- Ecology
- Chemical Biology
- directed deterrence
- genetic correlation
- frugivory
- secondary compounds
- fruit chemistry
- chemical defence
- secondary metabolite
- capsaicinoids
- capsaicin
- natural selection
- chili peppers
- December 22, 2011
- 03:46 AM
- 633 views
The science behind Santa [video]
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
How does Santa visit billions of homes all around the globe in just one night? The last important scientific question in the world has been solved! ... Read more »
Billing, R. (2008) Harnessing the brane-deer. Nature, 456(7224), 1007-1008. DOI: 10.1038/4561007a
- December 1, 2011
- 01:52 PM
- 611 views
The economics of tree swallow brood sex ratios
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Tree swallows reveal that brood sex ratios are an economic balancing act with far-reaching evolutionary consequences... Read more »
Renaud Baeta, Marc Bélisle, & Dany Garant. (2011) Importance of breeding season and maternal investment in studies of sex-ratio adjustment: a case study using tree swallows. Biology Letters. info:/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1009
Griffith, S., Owens, I., & Thuman, K. (2008) Extra pair paternity in birds: a review of interspecific variation and adaptive function. Molecular Ecology, 11(11), 2195-2212. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294X.2002.01613.x
Peter O. Dunn, Linda A. Whittingham, Jan T. Lifjeld, Raleigh J. Robertson, & Peter T. Boag. (1994) Effects of breeding density, synchrony, and experience on extrapair paternity in tree swallows. Behavioral Ecology, 5(2), 123-129. info:/10.1093/beheco/5.2.123
John P. McCarty. (2001) Variation in growth of nestling tree swallows across multiple temporal and spatial scales. Auk, 176-190. info:/10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118 [0176:VIGONT]2.0.CO;2)
Whittingham, L., & Dunn, P. (2000) Offspring sex ratios in tree swallows: females in better condition produce more sons. Molecular Ecology, 9(8), 1123-1129. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00980.x
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- Evolutionary Biology
- sex-ratio
- tree swallows
- Behavioral Biology
- tree swallow
- Environmental Health
- Molecular Biology
- Tachycineta bicolor
- CHD gene
- Reproduction
- Avian Breeding Systems
- body condition
- Zoology
- Extra-pair Paternity
- nestling mortality
- Ornithology
- Monogamy
- sex ratio
- Conservation
- Polygyny
- survival
- Ecology
- Breeding density
- birds
- DNA fingerprinting
- breeding season heterogeneity
- Extrapair paternity
- sex allocation
- breeding synchrony
- December 1, 2011
- 03:59 AM
- 419 views
Let's talk about evolution
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Prominent female role models in science and science communication talk about evolution and its importance to science, medicine and society... Read more »
Jon D. Miller, Eugenie C. Scott, & Shinji Okamoto. (2006) Public Acceptance of Evolution. Science, 313(5788), 765-766. DOI: 10.1126/science.1126746
- November 11, 2011
- 06:30 PM
- 448 views
Bird-friendly California vineyards may have fewer pests
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Insectivorous cavity-nesting birds can be encouraged to occupy vineyards by giving them nest boxes. New research documents that these birds reciprocate by providing significant eco-friendly pest control services to winegrape growers... Read more »
Julie A. Jedlicka, Russell Greenberg, & Deborah K. Letourneau. (2011) Avian Conservation Practices Strengthen Ecosystem Services in California Vineyards. PLoS ONE, 6(11). info:/
Mols, C., & Visser, M. (2002) Great tits can reduce caterpillar damage in apple orchards. Journal of Applied Ecology, 39(6), 888-899. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2664.2002.00761.x
Mols, C., & Visser, M. (2007) Great Tits (Parus major) Reduce Caterpillar Damage in Commercial Apple Orchards. PLoS ONE, 2(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000202
Germaine, H., & Germaine, S. (2002) Forest Restoration Treatment Effects on the Nesting Success of Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana). Restoration Ecology, 10(2), 362-367. DOI: 10.1046/j.1526-100X.2002.00129.x
- November 8, 2011
- 05:10 AM
- 566 views
The seventh starling (Murmuration)
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: What do particle physics, statistics and poetry have in common? (includes videos)... Read more »
Cavagna, A., & Giardina, I. (2008) The seventh starling. Significance, 5(2), 62-66. DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2008.00288.x
Cavagna, A., Cimarelli, A., Giardina, I., Parisi, G., Santagati, R., Stefanini, F., & Viale, M. (2010) Scale-free correlations in starling flocks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(26), 11865-11870. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1005766107
Hemelrijk, C., & Hildenbrandt, H. (2011) Some Causes of the Variable Shape of Flocks of Birds. PLoS ONE, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022479
- November 2, 2011
- 03:58 AM
- 597 views
Scientists reach new heights with gecko-inspired robot
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Engineers finally succeed at building a robot that climbs smooth walls with ease and shuffles across ceilings without crashing to earth -- just like a gecko! ... Read more »
J Krahn, Y Liu, A Sadeghi, & C Menon. (2011) A tailless timing belt climbing platform utilizing dry adhesives with mushroom caps. . Smart Materials and Structures, 20(11), 115021. info:/10.1088/0964-1726/20/11/115021
- October 25, 2011
- 04:45 AM
- 459 views
Jumping genes reveal birds and their sex chromosomes evolved together
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Avian retroposons -- "jumping genes" -- reveal that birds and their sex chromosomes evolved together, and provide us with important clues into the evolution of sex chromosomes and sex in general... Read more »
Suh, A., Kriegs, J., Brosius, J., & Schmitz, J. (2011) Retroposon Insertions and the Chronology of Avian Sex Chromosome Evolution. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 28(11), 2993-2997. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msr147
Nam, K., & Ellegren, H. (2008) The Chicken (Gallus gallus) Z Chromosome Contains at Least Three Nonlinear Evolutionary Strata. Genetics, 180(2), 1131-1136. DOI: 10.1534/genetics.108.090324
Shetty, S., Griffin, D., & Graves, J. (1999) Comparative Painting Reveals Strong Chromosome Homology Over 80 Million Years of Bird Evolution. Chromosome Research, 7(4), 289-295. DOI: 10.1023/A:1009278914829
- October 24, 2011
- 06:39 PM
- 512 views
Siphons really do suck
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Video proof that siphons do not require atmospheric pressure to suck ... Read more »
Boatwright, A., Puttick, S., & Licence, P. (2011) Can a Siphon Work In Vacuo?. Journal of Chemical Education, 2147483647. DOI: 10.1021/ed2001818
- October 14, 2011
- 01:50 PM
- 612 views
The birds and the trees
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Gray jays hoping to survive and reproduce during Canada's harsh winters must store food in the right kinds of trees ... Read more »
Strickland, D., Kielstra, B., & Ryan Norris, D. (2011) Experimental evidence for a novel mechanism driving variation in habitat quality in a food-caching bird. Oecologia. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2040-y
- August 17, 2011
- 05:58 PM
- 696 views
Why are there so many bird species in the tropics?
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: What can we learn about evolution, geography and biodiversity by studying continental patterns of speciation? ... Read more »
Lijtmaer, D., Kerr, K., Barreira, A., Hebert, P., & Tubaro, P. (2011) DNA Barcode Libraries Provide Insight into Continental Patterns of Avian Diversification. PLoS ONE, 6(7). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020744
Mittelbach, G., Schemske, D., Cornell, H., Allen, A., Brown, J., Bush, M., Harrison, S., Hurlbert, A., Knowlton, N., Lessios, H.... (2007) Evolution and the latitudinal diversity gradient: speciation, extinction and biogeography. Ecology Letters, 10(4), 315-331. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01020.x
Jun Chen, Qi Li, Lingfeng Kong, & Hong Yu. (2011) How DNA Barcodes Complement Taxonomy and Explore Species Diversity: The Case Study of a Poorly Understood Marine Fauna. . PLoS ONE. info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0021326
Moritz, C., & Cicero, C. (2004) DNA Barcoding: Promise and Pitfalls. PLoS Biology, 2(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020354
Hebert, P., Stoeckle, M., Zemlak, T., & Francis, C. (2004) Identification of Birds through DNA Barcodes. PLoS Biology, 2(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020312
- Biology
- Ecology / Conservation
- geographical isolation
- Kimura-2 parameter
- palaeoecology
- latitudinal diversity gradient
- mtDNA
- speciation
- tropics
- mitochondrial DNA
- DNA barcodes
- Marine Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- NJ
- COI sequences
- Bioinformatics
- Genetics
- neighbor joining
- Ecology
- Zoology
- Molecular Biology
- Biodiversity
- Veneridae
- Taxonomy
- biotic interactions
- DNA Barcoding
- biogeography
- diversification
- cytochrome c oxidase I
- glacial cycles
- evolutionary speed
- COI
- birds
- extinction
- K2P
- ornithology
- August 5, 2011
- 10:39 AM
- 1,134 views
The decline and fall of showy bustards
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: The showiest bustards live fast and die young ... Read more »
Preston, B., Jalme, M., Hingrat, Y., Lacroix, F., & Sorci, G. (2011) Sexually extravagant males age more rapidly. Ecology Letters. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01668.x
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