Animal Extinction - the greatest threat to mankind

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Insect numbers down 25% since 1990, global study finds

The biggest assessment of global insect abundances to date shows a worrying drop of almost 25% in the last 30 years, with accelerating declines in Europe that shocked scientists.

The analysis combined 166 long-term surveys from almost 1,700 sites and found that some species were bucking the overall downward trend. In particular, freshwater insects have been increasing by 11% each decade following action to clean up polluted rivers and lakes. However, this group represent only about 10% of insect species and do not pollinate crops.

 

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Feeding coral probiotics found to boost their chances of survival

Scientists are exploring many options when it comes to shoring up the wellbeing of coral reefs in the face of warming waters, and an international team of researchers is putting forward another possibility. Through experiments on stressed corals in the laboratory, the scientists were able to show how dosing them with helpful bacteria boosted their chances of survival, offering another tool they can turn to in large-scale efforts to restore Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

 

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As the climate changes, so will the places birds need.

Audubon scientists took advantage of 140 million observations, recorded by birders and scientists, to describe where 604 North American bird species live today—an area known as their “range.” They then used the latest climate models to project how each species’s range will shift as climate change and other human impacts advance across the continent.

The results are clear: Birds will be forced to relocate to find favorable homes. And they may not survive.

 

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'Zombie cicadas' under the influence of a mind controlling fungus have returned to West Virginia
Bizarre lifestyle earns these insects the name 'zombie'
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/03/us/zombie-cicadas-west-virginia-fungus-scn-trnd/index.html

 

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Study finds high levels of toxic pollutants in stranded dolphins and whales

This is the first study to date to publish a report examining concentrations in blubber tissues of stranded cetaceans of atrazine, an herbicide, DEP, (a phthalate ester found in plastics), NPE or nonylphenol ethoxylate commonly used in food packing, and triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent present in some consumer products, including toothpaste, soaps, detergents and toys.

 

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World wildlife plummets more than two-thirds in 50 years: index

Global animal, bird and fish populations have plummeted more than two-thirds in less than 50 years due to rampant over-consumption, experts said Thursday in a stark warning to save nature in order to save ourselves.

 

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Loss of sea otters accelerating the effects of climate change

"We discovered that massive limestone reefs built by algae underpin the Aleutian Islands' kelp forest ecosystem," said Douglas Rasher, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the lead author of the study. "However, these long-lived reefs are now disappearing before our eyes, and we're looking at a collapse likely on the order of decades rather than centuries."

 

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"Artificial upwelling" could help save coral reefs

Coral bleaching occurs when corals are stressed by high water temperatures and other factors, causing them to expel the symbiotic algae living within them. Given that fact, scientists are now looking into saving reefs by pumping up cool water from the ocean's depths.

 

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Florida researchers achieve successful spawning of transplanted coral

Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Researchers in South Florida showed this summer that transplanted corals can reproduce naturally on reefs, representing a significant advance in coral reef restoration.

The spawning that occurred Aug. 6 and 7 near Miami proved the success of coral transplanting, which is considered a vital method to save dying reefs around the world, researchers from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science said.

 

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Sustainable "living ark" aims to secure the future of corals

The Living Coral Biobank is being created in collaboration with engineering experts Arup and Werner Sobek, and is slated for Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia. The project is described as a "living ark" and was commissioned by the Great Barrier Reef Legacy, a non-profit organization set up to try and secure the long-term survival of corals from the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs worldwide. The idea is that it will store corals and keep them safe and ensure their biodiversity, a little like Norway's Global Seed Vault does for seeds.

 

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Here's More Proof Earth Is in Its 6th Mass Extinction

Diverse animals across the globe are slipping away and dying as Earth enters its sixth mass extinction, a new study finds.

Over the last century, species of vertebrates are dying out up to 114 times faster than they would have without human activity, said the researchers, who used the most conservative estimates to assess extinction rates. That means the number of species that went extinct in the past 100 years would have taken 11,400 years to go extinct under natural extinction rates, the researchers said.

 

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Blue whales return to South Georgia island after 50 years

After an almost complete absence for over half a century, Antarctic blue whales are returning in numbers to the waters surrounding South Georgia island in the south Atlantic. An international team led by Susannah Calderan of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) has collected 58 sightings of the giant cetaceans as well as acoustic soundings of their presence.