Microbiome implicated in sea star wasting disease

Research study shows that the animals' microbiomes the community of bacteria living in and on the sea stars are critically important to the progression of the disease. Or, it could be that the changes the scientists observed in the sea stars' microbiomes were caused by another, as yet undetected, pathogen. "We were thinking we might find a smoking gun of one microbe but no, there's a whole suite of known pathogens that increase in abundance with the onset of the disease, Pespeni said.

These known disease-causing bacteria from the family Tenacibaculum, and other opportunistic bacteria, spiked in abundance at the beginning of the time the scientists observed the sea stars getting sick. And these same troublesome bacteria continued to increase as the diseased animals progressed toward death. At the same time, known beneficial bacteria, from the group Pseudoalteromonas, greatly decreased in abundance at the onset of the illness. 

Climate change causing more severe wildfires, larger insect outbreaks in temperate forests

A warmer, drier climate is expected is increase the likelihood of larger-scale forest disturbances such as wildfires, insect outbreaks, disease and drought, according to a new study co-authored by a Portland State University professor. The researchers analysed 50 protected areas like national parks as well as their immediate surroundings, allowing them to compare disturbances inside protected areas that are more climate-related from those just outside that would also be impacted by human land use.

The study found that while many temperate forests are dominated by small-scale disturbance events driven largely by windstorms and cooler, wetter conditions -- there was also a strong link between high disturbance activity and warmer and drier-than-average climate conditions. Andrés Holz, a co-author and geography professor in PSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said this suggests that with a warming climate, disturbances are expected to become larger and more severe in some temperate forests including the western U.S.

Species longevity depends on brain cell numbers

New research published in The Journal of Comparative Neurology up-ends, this theory and finds that differences in maximal longevity across bird and mammalian species are better explained by variations in the number of neurons in the brain's cortex than by body size and metabolic rate.

Specifically, it appears that the more cortical neurons a species has, the longer it takes to mature, and the longer it lives thereafter. This may relate to the importance of the cortex not only for cognitive capabilities, but also for adaptability of physiological functions related to heart rate, respiratory rate, and metabolism.

These new findings imply that everybody's brains accumulate damages at a similar rate, and the longer the brain still has enough neurons that are sufficiently healthy to keep the body functioning as a well-integrated whole, the longer one lives, said author Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, of Vanderbilt University. This puts the brain squarely in the center of new initiatives to promote healthy aging and wellbeing throughout the lifespan.

SC seeks Centre's reply on plea for steps to protect leopards in India

The supreme court on Friday sought response from the centre on a plea seeking directions for "drastic and tough steps" to protect leopards which have seen a sharp dip in population on account of poaching and man -animal conflict.

A bench headed by justice Madan B Lokur  issued notice to the Ministry of Environment ,Forest and Climate Change(MoEF &CC) on the plea which has also sought setting up of a task force on the lines of tiger conservation project.The petition ,filled by advocate Anupam Tripathi has sought a direction to the ministry to set up 'project Leopard ' and allocation of funds for it to preserve the species.

                                                                                                             (Economic Times)

'Predator ' wind turbines hit birds ,damage ecosystem

Wind farms act as a top "predator" in some ecosystems, harming birds at the top of the food chain and triggering a knock - on effect overlooked by green energy advocates. Wind is the fastest - growing renewable energy sector, supplying around 4% of global electricity demand.

Close to 17 million hectares -an area roughly the size of Tunisia - is currently used for generating wind energy worldwide, and researchers warned that developed had "greatly underestimated " the impact the technology has on wildlife.

An international tea, of scientists studied the effects of wind turbine use in the Western Ghats, a UNESCO listed range of mountains and forest spanning India's west coast region and a global "hotspot" of biodiversity.

They found that predatory raptor birds were four times rarer in areas of plateau where wind turbines were present ,a disruption that cascaded down the food chain and radically altered the density and behaviour of the bird's prey.

                                                                                                                  (Economic Times)

German rivers show how warming can trigger chaos

 A hot, dry summer has left German rivers and lakes at record low water levels, causing chaos for the inland shipping industry , environmental damage and billions of euros in losses - a scenario that could portend the future as global temperatures rise. The river's down to a depth of about 50 centimetres there, when at least double that level is needed for normal shipping traffic.The situation is similar cross Germany. The Rhine has hit its lowest water levels ever at several points and other major rivers like the Danube, the Weser and the main are all below normal. 

On the waterways that are still navigable ,the lower water levels have actually led to increased shipping traffic ,as companies pack less weight  onto boats so they don't ride so low in the water .That means they must send more vessels out to carry the same amount of freight. That has sent freight prices skyrocketing and some costs are already being felt by consumers, with higher prices at gas pumps and for home heating oil.

With such widespread drought, Germany's agricultural industry is also struggling. There have been shortages of feed for livestock and the country's grain harvest is forecast to drop to 36 million tonnes this year. 

                                                                                                                        (TOI)