breeding | Common News Update

Sep292020 by adminNo Comments

Birds breeding earlier in response to climate change may be putting themselves at risk

Science

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- As the climate warms, spring temperatures are arriving earlier and earlier, causing some animals to alter their breeding and migrational patterns. Research published this week in the journal PNAS suggests some birds may be putting themselves at risk by mating and breeding earlier in the year. That's because animals are more likely to face inclement weather events -- and a lack of food -- earlier in the year. Advertisement "We actually can look at it empirically for our specific study location using really great long term weather records collected near Ithaca, New York, that start in 1893," study co-author Conor Taff told UPI in an email. "What we see is that springs have gotten warmer overall in that time period, but the date of the last major cold snap has not changed,"...

Aug132020 by adminNo Comments

Golden eagles breeding success at Scottish Highlands estate

Science

Golden eagles have bred at a "rewilding" estate in the Scottish Highlands for the first time in 40 years. An eagle pair successfully reared the chick at an artificial eyrie on the 10,000-acre Trees for Life Dundreggan estate. This positive news came as it emerged that a young tagged gold eagle known as Tom has gone missing in Perthshire. Tom was being satellite-tracked by Raptor Persecution UK. Springwatch presenter Chris Packham has also been working on the tagging project.The Tayside and Central Scotland Moorland Group said members of the community in Strathbraan had been out looking for Tom.On the Dundreggan estate an artificial nest was built five years ago high on a rocky crag, on the remains of an old nest site.Its purpose ...

Aug132020 by adminNo Comments

Male frog in Brazil loyal to two females during breeding season

Science

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Scientists have discovered a frog species in Brazil's Atlantic rainforest that practices harem polygyny. The discovery, described Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, marks the first time biologists have observed a male frog offering his companionship and loyalty to two females during a breeding season. Advertisement "Single-male polygyny with reproductive fidelity occurs in invertebrates, bony fishes, and some tetrapods, such as lizards, mammals, and birds," researchers wrote in the new paper. According to the study's authors, the practice is not well-documented among amphibians. To confirm the practice of polygyny among Thoropa taophora frogs, researchers observed the behavior of males during the course of the breeding season. The research team, led by Fabio de S...

Oct142017 by adminNo Comments

Penguins die in 'catastrophic' Antarctic breeding season

Science

All but two Adelie penguin chicks have starved to death in their east Antarctic colony, in a breeding season described as "catastrophic" by experts. It was caused by unusually high amounts of ice late in the season, meaning adults had to travel further for food.It is the second bad season in five years after no chicks survived in 2015.Conservation groups are calling for urgent action on a new marine protection area in the east Antarctic to protect the colony of about 36,000.WWF says a ban on krill fishing in the area would eliminate their competition and help to secure the survival of Antarctic species, including the Adelie penguins. WWF have been supporting research with French scientists in the region monitoring penguin numbers since 2010. The protection proposal will be discussed at a m...

Sep302017 by adminNo Comments

Scientists are successfully breeding disease-resistance into mosquitoes

Science

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- While other mosquito-borne diseases have captured headlines in recent years, malaria remains the most problematic. Every year, several hundred million people become infected and a few hundred thousand perish.But a recent breakthrough in the genetic modification could help breed disease-resistance into mosquito populations and eradicate malaria altogether.Malaria is caused by a parasitic protozoan called Plasmodium that lives in the guts of mosquitoes. Humans can become infected when bitten by a mosquito carrying the parasite. To stop the disease in its tracks, scientists have been genetically modifying mosquitoes to make the insects resistant to the parasite.While researchers have enjoyed success in breeding malaria-resistant mosquitoes in the lab, scientists were concern...