ScienceDaily: Rainforest News

Reforestation study shows trade-offs between water, carbon and timber

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

More than 13,000 ships per year transit the Panama Canal each year. Each time a ship passes through, more than 55 million gallons of water are used. The advent of large “super” cargo ships has demanded expansion of the canal, leaving the authority to consider how meet increased demand for water. One proposed measure is the reforestation of the watershed.

Two miniature spider species discovered in Giant Panda Sanctuaries of China

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:58:58 EDT

Two tiny, bizarre shaped spider species have been discovered in the Sichuan province and Chongqing city of China. The two species belong to the understudied Mysmenidae family, which prove difficult to find due to their small size (under 2 mm in total) and their cryptic lifestyle habits.

Climate change and wildfire

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:26:26 EDT

Concerns continue to grow about the effects of climate change on fire. Wildfires are expected to increase 50 percent across the United States under a changing climate, over 100 percent in areas of the West by 2050 as projected by some studies. Of equal concern to scientists and policymakers alike are the atmospheric effects of wildfire emissions on climate. A new article synthesizes recent findings on the interactions between fire and climate and outlines future research needs.

Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rainforest

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:43 EDT

Woody plant matter is almost completely digested by bacteria living in the Amazon River. This tough stuff plays a major part in fueling the river's breath. The finding has implications for global carbon models, and for the ecology of the Amazon and the world's other rivers. Until recently, people believed much of the rainforest's carbon floated down the Amazon River and ended up deep in the ocean.

Climate change may have little impact on tropical lizards: Study contradicts predictions of widespread extinction

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:58:58 EDT

Climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet.

World's most extraordinary species mapped for the first time

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:44:44 EDT

The black-and-white ruffed lemur, Mexican salamander and Sunda pangolin all feature on the first map of the world's most unique and threatened mammals and amphibians.

No-win situation for agricultural expansion in the Amazon

Fri, 10 May 2013 07:55:55 EDT

The large-scale expansion of agriculture in the Amazon through deforestation will be a no-win scenario, according to a new study. The study shows that deforestation will not only reduce the capacity of the Amazon’s natural carbon sink, but will also inflict climate feedbacks that will decrease the productivity of pasture and soybeans.

Loss of eastern hemlock will affect forest water use

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:36:36 EDT

The loss of eastern hemlock from forests in the Southern Appalachian region of the United States could permanently change the area's hydrologic cycle, reports a new study.

U.S. urban trees store carbon, provide billions in economic value, finds state-by-state analysis

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:58:58 EDT

America's urban forests store an estimated 708 million tons of carbon, an environmental service with an estimated value of $50 billion, according to a recent study.

In the Northeast, forests with entirely native flora are not the norm

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:21:21 EDT

Two-thirds of all forest inventory plots in the Northeast and Midwestern United States contain at least one non-native plant species, a new US Forest Service study found. The study across two dozen states from North Dakota to Maine can help land managers pinpoint areas on the landscape where invasive plants might take root.

Sushi for peccaries?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:59:59 EDT

It turns out the white-lipped peccary —- a piglike animal from Central and South America —- will settle for fish when fruits (its main food) are no longer on the menu, according to researchers revealing the first-ever photos of fish-eating peccaries.

Smoke signals: How burning plants tell seeds to rise from the ashes

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:59:59 EDT

In the spring following a forest fire, trees that survived the blaze explode in new growth and plants sprout in abundance from the scorched earth. For centuries, it was a mystery how seeds, some long dormant in the soil, knew to push through the ashes to regenerate the burned forest.

Peculiar life history of Middle American Stenamma ants

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:33:33 EDT

A recent revision of the Middle American clade of the ant genus Stenamma provides the description of 40 species, 33 of which are recognized as new to science. The extensive study provides the first thorough examination of the biology and taxonomy of these ants, focusing mainly on the worker caste and describing their peculiar nesting habits.

Deep, permeable soils buffer impacts of crop fertilizer on Amazon streams

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:23:23 EDT

A new study in the fast-changing southern Amazon -- a region marked by widespread replacement of native forest by cattle ranches and croplands -- suggests that some of the damaging impacts of agricultural fertilization on local streams may be buffered by the deep, highly permeable soils that characterize large areas of the expanding cropland.

Tinkerbella nana: A new representative from the world of fairyflies

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:30:30 EDT

A new genus and species of fairyfly, Tinkerbella nana (Mymaridae), is described from Costa Rica. It is compared with the related species Kikiki huna Beardsley and Huber, which holds the record for the smallest winged insect. The new genus and species is named after the fairy Tinker Bell in the 1904 play "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie.

Less rainfall expected for the Hawaiian Islands

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:24:24 EDT

Almost imperceptibly, rainfall over the Hawaiian Islands has been declining since 1978, and this trend is likely to continue with global warming to the end of this century, according to scientists.

Scientists reveals escalating cost of forest conservation

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:23:23 EDT

New research illustrates how changes to farming could dramatically increase future costs of conservation.

Escalating cost of forest conservation

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:51:51 EDT

In the face of unprecedented deforestation and biodiversity loss, policy makers are increasingly using financial incentives to encourage conservation.

Trade emerging as a key driver of Brazilian deforestation

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:52:52 EDT

A new study found that trade and global consumption of Brazilian beef and soybeans is increasingly driving Brazilian deforestation. Consequently, current international efforts to protect rainforests (e.g., REDD) may be undermined by the increased trade and consumption.

Soils in newly forested areas store substantial carbon that could help offset climate change

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:07:07 EDT

Surface appearances can be so misleading: In most forests, the amount of carbon held in soils is substantially greater than the amount contained in the trees themselves, according to new research.

Decimation of critically endangered forest elephant detailed

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:53:53 EDT

African forest elephants are being poached out of existence. A new study shows that a staggering 62 percent of all forest elephants have been killed across their range in central Africa, for their ivory over the past decade.

Lemur lookalikes are two new species, DNA says

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:15:15 EDT

Scientists have identified two new species of mouse lemur, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar.

Decreased water flow may be trade-off for more productive forest

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:06:06 EDT

As the need for carbon sequestration, biofuels, and other forest products increases, study suggests that there might be unintended consequences to enhancing ecosystems using fertilization.

Scientists use DNA to quickly unravel relationship between plants and insects

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:05:05 EDT

It can take years of direct observation for a researcher to fully understand the diets of a community of herbivorous insects in a tropical rain forest. Now, scientists are paving a fast track using the DNA found inside the insects' stomachs, potentially turning years of research into months. This method will help scientists understand the ecology and evolution of plant-herbivore interactions more efficiently.

What a bunch of dodos! Catastrophic mass extinction of birds in Pacific Islands followed arrival of first people

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:05:05 EDT

The demise of the dodo is one of the better known bird extinctions in the world, but its sad fate was anticipated a thousand times over by its Pacific cousins.

Long-term water quality trends in near-pristine streams

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:54:54 EDT

For the first time, a study has compared water quality trends in forested streams across the U.S. that are largely undisturbed by land use or land cover changes.

Hunting for meat impacts on rainforest, fruit tree seed dispersal

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:48:48 EDT

Hunting for meat in the African rainforests has halved the number of primates. However, the hunting also has other negative consequences. The decline in the number of primates causes a reduction in the dispersal of seed by the primates, and this leads to a reduction in the numbers of important fruit trees and changes to the rainforest.

Suggestions for a middle ground between unlogged forest and intensively managed lands

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:28:28 EDT

In the world's forested regions, two management systems -- retention forestry and agroforestry -- are being used to alleviate conflicts between preserving biodiversity and addressing human needs in production landscapes. A new article draws a parallel between the ecological effects of the two systems.

Catastrophic loss of Cambodia's tropical flooded grasslands

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:14:14 EDT

New research reveals the catastrophic loss of Cambodia’s tropical flooded grasslands. Around half of Cambodia’s tropical flooded grasslands have been lost in just 10 years according to new research.

Bat disease: More accurate, sensitive DNA test allows early identification of fungus causing white nose syndrome

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:09:09 EDT

Scientists are identifying additional species of Geomyces and describing development of a highly sensitive DNA-based technique for early identification of Geomyces destructans on bats as well as in soils and on cave walls.

Logging debris gives newly planted Douglas-fir forests a leg-up

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:25:25 EDT

The downed limbs and other woody debris that are inevitable byproducts of timber harvest could be among the most important components of post-harvest landscapes, according to a new study.

Remote clouds responsible for climate models' glitch in tropical rainfall

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:13:13 EDT

New research shows that cloud biases over the Southern Ocean are the primary contributor to the double-rain band problem that exists in most modern climate models.

Are tropical forests resilient to global warming?

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:38:38 EDT

Tropical forests are less likely to lose biomass – plants and plant material - in response to greenhouse gas emissions over the twenty-first century than may previously have been thought, suggests a new study.

Protected areas successfully prevent deforestation in Amazon rainforest

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:37:37 EST

Strictly protected areas such as national parks and biological reserves have been more effective at reducing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest than so-called sustainable-use areas that allow for controlled resource extraction, researchers have found.

Monopoly of the male orangutan: Comparative field observations on Sumatra and Borneo

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:06:06 EST

The sexual development, mating habits and social hierarchy of the orangutans are more heavily dependent on their environment than had previously been assumed: where the rain forest supplies more food, the influence of the dominant male increases. In order to escape his attention, many other males remain "small."

Extinction looms for forest elephants: 60 percent of Africa's forest elephants killed for their ivory over past decade

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:12:12 EST

Across their range in central Africa, a staggering 62 percent of all forest elephants have been killed for their ivory over the past decade, new research shows.

Don't be fooled: Flowers mislead traditional taxonomy

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:55:55 EST

For hundreds of years, plant taxonomists have worked to understand how species are related. Until relatively recently, their only reliable source of information about these relationships was the plants' morphology--traits that could be observed, measured, counted, categorized, and described visually. And paramount among these morphological traits were aspects of flower shape and arrangement. However researchers have now found that floral morphologies may be less reliable than other traits in determining the relationships of papilionoid species and genera.

Where the wild things go … when there's nowhere else

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:57:57 EST

The presence of endangered cats and primates in swamp forests might be seriously overlooked. Recent research concludes that swamp forests beg further exploration as places where endangered species have preserved their numbers -- and where humans could potentially preserve them into the future.

Democratic Republic of Congo's best run reserve is hemorrhaging elephants

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:54:54 EST

The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) largest remaining forest elephant population has declined by 37 percent in the last five years according to wildlife surveys by the Wildlife Conservation Society and DRC officials.

Exurban residences impact bird communities up to 200 meters away, study finds

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:15:15 EST

According to a new study impacts to bird communities from a single rural, “exurban” residence can extend up to 200 meters into the surrounding forest. The study also determined that sensitive bird species such as the hermit thrush and scarlet tanager prefer unbroken forests with no houses. Others, like the blue jay and black-capped chickadee, seem to like having, and often thrive with, human neighbors.

Science synthesis to help guide land management of U.S. forests

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:20:20 EST

Scientists have recently released a synthesis of relevant science that will help inform forest managers as they revise plans for the national forests in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades of California.

Little did we know about beetle diversity: Astonishing 138 new species in a single genus

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:40:40 EST

Researchers have described in a single article 138 new species in a genus of tropical beetles. This six-fold increase in known diversity indicates the extent to which remarkable biodiversity can remain undetected.

Top predators have sway over climate

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:10:10 EST

Researchers have found that when the animals at the top of the food chain are removed, freshwater ecosystems emit a lot more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

New insect: Spectacular forcepfly species discovered for the first time in South America

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:49:49 EST

Austromerope is a genus of forcepflies, whose representatives are rare and mostly restricted in distribution. It belongs to the family Meropeidae (Mecoptera) and was recently unexpectedly discovered in South America. The species found in Brazil was described as new to science and named Austromerope braziliensis.

Wild plants are infected with many viruses and still thrive

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:47:47 EST

Researchers have studied viruses as agents of disease in humans, domestic animals and plants, but a study of plant viruses in the wild may point to a more cooperative, benevolent role of the microbe, according to a virologist.

Scientists develop improved fire management tools for Africa's savannas

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:41:41 EST

Scientists have developed specialized graphs that map out fire behavior, known as nomographs, for landscape managers in Africa's savannas. The study pinpoints the optimal conditions for setting early-season prescribed fires -- a process that when executed and timed properly, reduces the risk and impact of late dry season bushfires in increasingly fragile ecosystems, both of which are exacerbated by climate change.

Ancient insects shed light on biodiversity

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:20:20 EST

Evolutionary biologists have discovered that modern tropical mountains' diversity patterns extended up into Canada about 50 million years ago. Their findings confirm an influential theory about change in modern species diversity across mountains, and provide evidence that global biodiversity was greater in ancient times than now.

11,000 elephants slaughtered in national park once home to Africa’s largest forest elephant population

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:15:15 EST

The Wildlife Conservation Society has just announced that a national park, once home to Africa’s largest forest elephant population, has lost a staggering 11,100 individuals due to poaching for the ivory trade. The shocking figures come from Gabon's Minkebe Park, where recent surveys of areas within the park revealed that two thirds of its elephants have vanished since 2004. The majority of these losses have probably taken place in the last five years.

Lungs of the planet reveal their true sensitivity to global warming

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:10:10 EST

The amount of carbon dioxide that rainforests absorb, or produce, varies hugely with year-to-year variations in the climate. Climate scientists have shown that these variations reveal how vulnerable the rainforest is to climate change.

Amazon freshwater ecosystems are vulnerable to degradation

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST

Broadening of forest-centric focus to river catchment-based conservation framework is required: A new study found that freshwater ecosystems in the Amazon are highly vulnerable to environmental degradation. River, lake and wetland ecosystems —- encompassing approximately one-fifth of the Amazon basin area -- are being increasingly degraded by deforestation, pollution, construction of dams and waterways, and over-harvesting of plant and animal species.

Planting trees may not reverse climate change, but it will help locally

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:06:06 EST

Afforestation, planting trees in an area where there have previously been no trees, can reduce the effect of climate change by cooling temperate regions, a new study finds.

New park protects 15,000 gorillas

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:06:06 EST

The Republic of Congo has declared a new national park that protects a core population of the 125,000 western lowland gorillas discovered by WCS in 2008.

24 new species of flower fly have been found in Central and Southern America

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 08:44:44 EST

Scientists have described twenty four new species of dipterans belonging to Quichuana genus, of which only a further 24 species were known. The researchers have been studying the forests of Central and Southern America for ten years and they have now published their results.

Deforestation triggers carbon collapse of tropical peatlands

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:23:23 EST

Deforested tropical peatlands are haemorrhaging carbon from deep within their peat soils, with consequences for the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to new research.

Stable fisher population found in the Southern Sierra Nevada

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:12:12 EST

After experiencing years of population decline on the West Coast, a recent study examining fisher populations found that -- at least in the southern Sierra Nevada -- the animal's numbers appear to be stable.

Shedding light on role of Amazon forests in global carbon cycle

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:19:19 EST

Scientists have devised an analytical method that combines satellite images, simulation modeling and painstaking fieldwork to help researchers detect forest mortality patterns and trends. This new tool will enhance understanding of the role of forests in carbon sequestration and the impact of climate change on such disturbances.

Measuring the consequence of forest fires on public health

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:58:58 EST

Pollution from forest fires is impacting the health of people with asthma and other chronic obstructive lung diseases, finds a new study. This study uses data from pharmacies and dispensaries to measure the increase in drugs needed to alleviate symptoms associated with pollution.

Paradise found for Latin America's largest land mammal

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:15:15 EST

Scientists have documented a thriving population of lowland tapirs – the strange forest and grassland-dwelling herbivore with the trunk-like snout – living along the Peru-Bolivia border.

Monkeys stressed from longer foraging times

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:21:21 EST

Disturbed habitats are resulting in increasingly poor diets for monkeys, and the additional time required to find food is causing concerning levels of stress in endangered primates.

Human-tiger conflict: Are the risks overestimated?

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:33:33 EST

A new study has found a complex web of factors increases perceived risk of tiger attack in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh. Wildlife conservationists are well aware of the potential conflicts that exist between the endangered species they seek to protect and the human populations which inhabit areas where the animals live. Carnivores, such as tigers, pose a risk to humans and their livestock and can be killed because of this potential risk. A new study has identified several key factors which may contribute to perceptions of risk from tigers in a conservation area in Bangladesh.