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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

ScienceDaily: Nature News

ScienceDaily: Nature News


Climate-change clues from turtles of tropical Wyoming

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST

Tropical turtle fossils discovered in Wyoming reveal that when Earth got warmer, prehistoric turtles headed north. But if today's turtles try the same technique to cope with warming habitats, they might run into trouble.

Intelligent tree inventory detector

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 09:09 AM PST

Planning and managing vegetation in urban area is complex, yet it can be seamlessly done using computerized tree inventory and Geographic Information System (GIS).

Coral disease linked to a warming Atlantic

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 09:09 AM PST

Over the last four decades, the iconic elkhorn and staghorn corals that dominated Caribbean reefs for millions of years have all but disappeared. According to a new study, ocean warming has played a significant role in this dramatic decline.

International team of scientists launches fossil database

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST

Have you ever wondered exactly when a certain group of plants or animals first evolved? A new resource for scientists is designed to help answer just those kinds of questions. The Fossil Calibration Database, a free, open-access resource that stores carefully vetted fossil data, is the result of years of work from a worldwide team of scientists.

Ocean acidification slows algae growth in the southern ocean

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:37 AM PST

Scientists demonstrate for the first time that ocean acidification could have negative impacts on diatoms in the Southern Ocean. In laboratory tests they were able to observe that under changing light conditions, diatoms grow more slowly in acidic water.

Small predator diversity an important part of a healthy ecosystem

Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:45 PM PST

Biodiversity, including small predators such as dragonflies and other aquatic bugs that attack and consume parasites, may improve the health of amphibians, according to a team of researchers. Amphibians have experienced marked declines in the wild around the world in recent decades, the team added.

Sea urchins, sand dollars thrived with time

Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:44 PM PST

New work on echinoids -- marine animals like sea urchins and sand dollars -- gives scientists a reason to rethink a classical pattern of evolution. Fossil-based studies have traditionally indicated that groups of organisms diversify fastest early in their evolutionary history, followed by a steady decline through time. But the new work on Echinoidea shows that rates of evolution were actually lowest at the group's onset and increased through episodic bursts associated with changes in feeding strategies.

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